[SOLVED] Starting Desktop in 5.0.4 on PPC

[BigTexBri]

I have installed Debian 5.0.4 on a 600Mhz iMac G3. When booting the usual text scrolls down the screen and then the screen goes blank. Cont-Opt-F1 gives me a terminal window. X is apparently configured and running since 'startx' returns the usual something about -1 error message. I am newly returned to the terminal window after years of GUI slackitude and I am not able to get either GNOME or KDE to come up.
Is there some file I should be editing (sudo nano /fixthisthing) I feel like I am swimming in the right ocean, I just haven't spotted the island yet.
The learning curve on Linux is pretty steep but I have managed to make the password deal quit making me change passwords at every, single, solitary, login, thankyouverymuch! so I am not a total feeb. Some hints on navigating the file system wouldn't hurt either.
Thanks in advance for your time, I am sure you had better things to do than read the ramblings of a newbie.

[barriehie]

NM my original post!

[BigTexBri]

Well, two days of typing and 30+ message boards later here is the solution. The problem lies in the file /etc/X11/xorg.conf, the all-seeing, all-knowing, self-settingup configuration file. By the way, that last part about setting itself up is bull. This is the exact file I am using on an iMac Snow-white 600Mhz/640M Ram/USB Keyboard/5-button USB Mouse/Debian 5.0.4 install:

/etc/X11/xorg.conf

Section "Files"
RGBPath "/etc/lib/X11/rgb"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
Option "DefaultServerLayout"
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "r128"
Load "drm"
Load "uninorth_agp"
Load "agpgart"
Disable "glx"
Disable "dri"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Generic Keyboard"
Driver "kbd"
Option "CoreKeyboard"
Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
Option "XkbModel" "pc104"
Option "XkbModel" "us"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "USB Mice"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
Option "Buttons" "5"
Option "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "ATI Rage 128"
Driver "r128"
BusID "PCI:0:16:0"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Configured Monitor"
HorizSync 58-62
VertRefresh 37-117
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Monitor "Configured Monitor"
Device "ATI Rage 128"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1024x768"
Visual "TrueColor"
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "DefaultServerLayout"
Screen "Default Screen"
InputDevice "Generic Keyboard" "CoreKeyboard"
InputDevice "USB Mice" "CorePointer"
EndSection

This baby does it all!!! No mouse hangups, every bit of speed you can get out of the video card, framebuffer is buffering, everything is nice in the neighborhood.

I would like to thank the posters on all of the 30 some-odd message boards that I had to go to, every little bit of code helped. Since there is different contributions from different distros, Ubuntu, RedHat, Yellowdog, Gentoo, Debian, Arch and some others I would hazard a guess that this might just work generically right across the board on all of them. If it doesn't, well, I have about a hundred iMacs, let me know and I will load one of them up with your distro and figure it out. I love a challenge. Thanks again to everybody!!! I hope this helps at least one person avoid the frustration and eyestrain that I had to endure.
Tootles...

[barriehie]

Glad you got it!