How do you install X.org (X11R6.7.0) via CD and command ln?

[Lotharjade]

How do you install X.org via command line in Debian (woodie)? I have the (seven) X.org (version X11R6.7.0) .tar files and can burn them to CD on my windows machine.

Do I need to untar them before Cd burning?

A somewhat detailed explanation would be helpfull. Thanx.

[bquark]

There is a HOWTO at http://freedesktop.org/~xorg/X11R6.7.0/doc/BUILD.html

I have built kernels, KDE, emacs, and gcc at various times over the years but I have never built X. X used to use Imake which I never got successfully installed so I never got to X. Good luck.

[Lotharjade]

There is a HOWTO at http://freedesktop.org/~xorg/X11R6.7.0/doc/BUILD.html

I have built kernels, KDE, emacs, and gcc at various times over the years but I have never built X. X used to use Imake which I never got successfully installed so I never got to X. Good luck.

Well, I went to the link and followed the instructions best I could. Is building the same as installing? This link could use a bit more noobie helpful explanations. Such as a simple comment saying "congradulations, you should now be done".

When I restarted nothing changed. Is it installed now? Do I have something more to do like indicating the switch to X.orgs stuff?

Also how do I change which GUI is to be run such as GDE or KDE or whatnot?

[bquark]

I went to X.org and looked at their downloads. I found this list of files. I am assuming these are what you have.

X11R6.7.0-src1.tar.gz
X11R6.7.0-src2.tar.gz
X11R6.7.0-src3.tar.gz
X11R6.7.0-src4.tar.gz
X11R6.7.0-src5.tar.gz
X11R6.7.0-src6.tar.gz
X11R6.7.0-src7.tar.gz

They are source code files. That's what the src means in the names. They have files written in C in them. They must be compiled in order to make them into executable code. One of the reasons it is called Open Source software is that people will share their software as source code. This is one such case. After the cde the compiled the results can be copied to the system directories. This is what most people mean by install.

You will need a C compiler. Do you have one installed?

Is there a reason you need this version of X? Compiling X is not easy and it should not be attempted without a good reason. Other distributions are now using the X.org version of X. Fedora Core 2 is an example.

[Lotharjade]

Well, the reason is lengthy, but there is a link to anouther topic that discusses it http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20129.

The SHORT version is that I have Debian Woodie installed (my first time with linux) and it is giving me a bunch of crap trying to get to the GUI part of the show. I have done quite a bit from advice trying to solve the problem. At the bottom of the link above the guy helping said I should either upgrade my XFree86 or install X.org. Since everyone was moving to X.org anyway... (I hadn't realized how hard it was to do, but since I have started)

I have followed all the directions of the link you sent (to the best of my abilities anyway). What do I do now? I don't know if I have a C compiler installed. What is the name of the C compiler I should have? I can check it with dselect I believe right?

[bquark]

If you are using bash then this will tell you if you have the compiler installed.

 
$ type gcc

I am running Debian without X so I do not know if there are any problems with it. Have you tried the debian mailing lists for help with your X problem? There maybe unofficial Debain packages that are newer than the one you have. That list maybe able to help.

[Lotharjade]

"gcc is usr/bin/gcc"
So I guess i have it, what now?

Also, in the online tutorials it mentions that when typing "ls", some files will be color coded. All of mine are just black and white. Could this be some sort of problem?

[bquark]

The instructions at http://freedesktop.org/~xorg/X11R6.7.0/doc/BUILD4.html
should have produced a log file called World.log. Read it and see if there are any errors.

[Lotharjade]

GRRRRRR!!! MORE ERRORS.
I am getting sick of this. Error after error. Problem after problem. Im starting to think maybe I should wait till the Debian release of Sarge comes out, OR I can get a copy of Mandrake from my schools free server that supports various linux distros. This all is a bit much for me being a NOOB. I really don't think I should have to look through the four billion page World.log looking for errors that I probably won't recognize or know what to do with when I find it.

I certainly hope all people trying out linux don't have to deal with this... mess.

[The_Insomniac]

just dont use a gui... seriously.

i keep trying to tell you guys this. to no avail. i will keep trying, regardless.