Jaunty PPC display and shutdown issues on G5 single

**casbahdk** · May 6th, 2009

I only used startx the first time. KDM is installed and now the GUI starts automatically.

Noted about aptitude.

KDE is not installed. Only the bits that I have mentioned. I first tried installing "kubuntu-desktop the first time I ran the minimal install and the problem was still there. I have been thinking that maybe I should try to continue adding KDE bits until the display starts messing up, but I am not sure how to do that and still run LXDE.

Maybe I should start by switching to a desktop kernel to see if the problem lies there? How do I do that?

Cheers

**stream303** · May 6th, 2009

Before you do anything else - do not pass go:

Write down or save your existing /etc/X11/xorg.conf file OFF THE MACHINE.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to write or save your /etc/yaboot.conf too.

At the very minimum, make backups:

Code:

sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf  /etc/X11/xorg.conf.bak

and

sudo cp /etc/yaboot.conf  /etc/yaboot.conf.bak

As for finishing up with installing the rest of KDE, check out this faq:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InstallingKDE

Looks like you may need kubuntu-default-settings installed also.

Since I'm not a KDE fan, I don't have experience with those, but this should really help I'm sure.

I'd save the desktop kernel issue until you have everything else up and running nicely. You can find the kernel in synaptic by searching for linux-image. You'll also see linux-headers too.

What I have checked off in synaptic for my single-cpu G5 is:

linux-image-2.6.28-6-powerpc64-smp
and
linux-image-powerpc64-smp

You may also want to get the matching linux-headers too.

But for now, get the rest going.

**casbahdk** · May 7th, 2009

Interesting. I just did a

Code:

sudo aptitude install kde-core

rebooted, chose a KDE session and the icons, theme, etc. are all messed up again as with a Kubuntu PPC Jaunty install. A KDE/Openbox session has the same problem. A reboot into an LXDE session gives me a normal looking display again. Weird.

**stream303** · May 7th, 2009

Oh man that's frustrating.

While you are testing, be sure to install cpudyn as a cpu-frequency scaler, since none come installed by default in Jaunty, and you actually save about 10 watts at the ac outlet (as measured here on my box that is. Lopp another 2 watts off by not having a blinking cursor by going into keyboard prefs and unchecking the blink. 12 watts may not seem like much at first, but anything to keep your power supply happy....

At this stage, if you can't find a resolution to the KDE issue with Kubuntu - you may want to try Debian Lenny's KDE:

http://debian.org/distrib/

Look for the powerpc distro - stable is "Lenny", although you might just want to start off with "testing". Either a full download of the KDE-1 cd, or netinstall (you just need the first cd, not the whole series)

Everything you've done here is just as applicable to Debian, and perhaps their KDE offering won't have this weird problem.

**casbahdk** · May 9th, 2009

Originally Posted by stream303

Trying Debian Lenny is an excellent choice!

I've run it very successfully on my G5. What makes it even nicer is that if one is interested in a binary blob-free kernel, they are now available for PPC as well as the usual X86 and AMD64 architectures!

http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel.../msg00010.html

Considering that on our PPC boxes, we aren't running any proprietary video drivers, and now with nouveau sweetening the deal over the old nv driver, along with a new libre-kernel, it's the closest thing we'll get to a free setup (as in FSF guideline), as long as one doesn't activate the restricted or non-free repos.

I'm running the above on my Lenny Testing X86_64 box actually as of last night.

Anyway, Debian is a very good choice and you can take what you've learned here and apply that to Debian if need be.

OK, I have installed Synaptic and have added the repository. I downloaded the key, but am unsure how to install it.

**stream303** · May 10th, 2009

As for the authentication key, I just highlighted all the lines starting and ending with:

---BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK ---
..
..all the rest here.....
..
---END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK ---

Now that it is highlighted, right click to copy the highlighted selection.

Fire up an editor like gedit (text-edit), and paste.

Save this file as something like debkey

Now in your software sources authentication tab, just IMPORT that file.

You've already added the deb repo so you should be all set to go if you RELOAD the repositories, or just do an apt-get update from the terminal (as root in Debian of course)

Fire up Synaptic again, and look for:

linux-image-2.6.26-libre2-2-powerpc64

Install and reboot. Run uname -a afterwards to see the change.

I didn't install the matching headers since for some reason I still have a dependency issue, and I'd need those for custom compiles - but for now it is a nice quick fix.

I sure wish UBUNTU would just put a free kernel in the repos. I tried this Debian libre kernel in 9.04 and for the most part it worked, but didn't seem ideal as I ran into some small problems with it.

C'MON UBUNTU - some of us would love to add a free kernel if it was made available!!! I'm already running a mostly free system anyway what with nouveau, 2D nv driver etc - ..

Ok, rant over.

**casbahdk** · May 10th, 2009

Originally Posted by stream303

Fire up an editor like gedit (text-edit), and paste.

Save this file as something like debkey

Now in your software sources authentication tab, just IMPORT that file.

You've already added the deb repo so you should be all set to go if you RELOAD the repositories, or just do an apt-get update from the terminal (as root in Debian of course)

Fire up Synaptic again, and look for:

linux-image-2.6.26-libre2-2-powerpc64

Install and reboot. Run uname -a afterwards to see the change.

OK, how to get the key wasn't a problem, I should have specified that I downloaded it. My problem is that I can't find any "software sources authentication tab" or anything else, in either Synaptic or Kpackage to add the key to. Clicking the file brought up Kgpg, but that didn't seem to make the error message that I get go away.

I still wish there was some information about what functionality is lost when using the libre kernel. I seem to remember that there is a new Ubuntu derivative that runs only software bits and bobs that are cleared by Richard Stahlman's org. Just found the URL:

http://www.gnewsense.org/

**stream303** · May 10th, 2009

We don't actually miss anything typically with the libre-kernel, since the code removed is for the hardware that isn't usually on our machine. However, it is an ethical thing. Actually, yes, you will NOT have Broadcom-drive airport and airport extreme wireless support. One must use a usb-stick wireless or other replacement.

I run quite a few distros on ppc attempting to roll my own free-as-in-freedom distro, especially since we are already 99% there just due to our hardware alone.

Hang tight for a gNewSense ppc. Work is being done.