[Debian] Easy Debian LXDE As Replacement Desktop
 

Ok, so here it is. Some of you were asking me to show how I got Easy Debian LXDE to replace the OS2008 desktop.

So, I've written a script, made a menu icon, and made a .deb file.

By installing the attached .deb, you will be able to use your Easy Debian LXDE desktop as a replacement for your OS2008 desktop.

With some very minor modifications, this should allow you to use any Debian desktop as a replacement for your OS2008 desktop.

Once you've installed the .deb, edit the /home/user/.maemo-menu file to your own liking. Put the maemo apps that you like in this menu. Remember, this is your primary access to the "outside world" of maemo; don't close this menu, or you will be entirely inside the Debian chroot "jail".

Logging out of LXDE returns you to OS2008.

Version 0.2: Shutting down more maemo services makes Debian apps noticeably more responsive.

Known "bugs":

• The hildon stylus keyboard is weird; it pops up in the middle of the screen, instead of the bottom.
• There's an app in the taskbar called "systemui root" or some such thing. As far as I know, it can't be removed.
• You only seem to have one virtual desktop available in LXDE.
• 9menu, the little menu program I use for the maemo app launcher, is fairly lame. Feel free to suggest a better one!

Here's a link to the current .deb:

switch-lxde-0.1.0-1_armel.deb
switch-lxde-0.2.0-1_armel.deb

I will keep this updated, no matter how long the thread gets.

NOTE THIS ONLY WORKS IF YOU HAVE A WORKING INSTALL OF EASY DEBIAN.

Post problems with the .deb and I'll fix and update.

Here's two screenshots:

A Pile of Maemo Apps in LXDE. The default maemo menu can be seen in the lower left corner.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3228/...b733198c_o.png

Maemo Mapper running in LXDE. Note the "SystemUI root" on the task bar on the right side.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3230/...d2d01eca_o.png

Re: Easy Debian LXDE As Replacement Desktop
 

Europe... Someone wants to escape from Canada, eh? :P

Re: Easy Debian LXDE As Replacement Desktop
 

It seems to work, though I wasn't able to complete the configuration of easy-debian-chroot, and so also switch-lxde stays unconfigured

EDIT: if you have problems in completing the configuration of easy-debian-chroot 0.9.10, be aware that the postinst script aborts with error if finds /sbin/dmlosetup and in trying to change the ownership of /home/user/.config/autostart/qstart.desktop - both from a previous installation. My workaround was first to prudently rename /sbin/dmlosetup to another name so that it's not found and is recreated by the script, and to move qstart.desktop out from its directory, in another place which is not interesting to Qole's installer (I moved it into /home/user/MyDocs) - then put it back after configuration was allright and over.
Then swith-lxde had its dependency fully satisfied and configured correctly.

It's nice! (in Italian common slang we say: "Figo"! - the previous generation used to say "Togo!").

Though, easy debian in a Xephyr window, from a plain vanilla Qolish install, says it has only 5.26 megs ram free, and uses 22.6 megs swapfile - while the same environment after shutting down maemo declares it counts on 6.06 megs ram and 19.7 megs swapfile. Only one million something bytes saved :-)


EDIT 2: problem: the MicroB browser window appears empty, with no widgets and doesn't react to ctrl-something commands, and it opens a supplementary window saying (in Italian) something like "updating".
EDIT 3: might due to the fact I'm still running Chinook. I'm a lazy guy, you see.

Re: Easy Debian LXDE As Replacement Desktop
 

To that edit 2... that usually happens when the browser daemon is not running in the background. Qole's scripts might be stopping that when you switch over to LXDE??

I definitely am going to try this as soon as I am able. If this works as I hope it does I may not need to boot into Deblet anymore...

Nice Job Qole.

Edit: Did you do anything about Mplayer??? Currently watching Mplayer in Debian doesn't stop the screen DIM timeout.. so you have to keep clicking crap to keep the screen lit.

Re: Easy Debian LXDE As Replacement Desktop
 

I will fix those problems in the next version of Easy Debian, although they will only be troublesome to hackers who've done this stuff manually.

Interesting...

No, I don't touch browserd. I just replace the window manager and desktop. The OS2008 browser works under LXDE on my tablet, although it has no menus. I wonder... debernardis, are you using Chinook OS2008? Because the old browser never worked properly if you shut down matchbox-window-manager.

maemo MPlayer works flawlessly, because it is running in maemo not Debian.

Re: Easy Debian LXDE As Replacement Desktop
 

I think we should start a 'Nokia should hire Qole and pay him very well' thread.

Re: Easy Debian LXDE As Replacement Desktop
 

This is verry, verry facinating... I'll probebly include this in my next Cdeb2 release, witch i will be releasing within a day or two. My next version includes some preformenc problem fixes.

(if you've noticed, cdeb2 has a tendency to crash or sometimes fail to launch due to persission problems with the cdeb2.conf file or it fails to update the settings when it you update the cdeb2.conf file.)

Re: Easy Debian LXDE As Replacement Desktop
 

Qole,
What's the easiest way to set cpu performance mode with these scripts? I'd really like it to be automatic(maybe in LXDE autostart) or at least in 9menu.

Re: Easy Debian LXDE As Replacement Desktop
 

Here's how you can set the prosesor's speed.

ondemand - the deafult setting:
echo ondemand >/sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_governor

preformence - makes cpu run faster:
echo performance >/sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_governor

powersave - makes cpu run slower:
echo powersave >/sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_governor


BTW, have you tryed my cdeb2 software?, it allrety has this feature.

Re: Easy Debian LXDE As Replacement Desktop
 

Thanks,
Qole's script has it, too, but as Maemo menu entries. Using the neww script, you can't revert to Maemo without logging out of LXDE. What I'd like is a way to autostart it with LXDE. Can I put the command you just gave me into ..../LXDE/autostart?