Apple Macintosh PowerBook G3
How-to
| • | Partition your hard disk |
| • | Configure X windows |
| • | Configure AfterStep |
| • | Make the PowerBook sleep |
| • | Set up the modem for PPP |
| • | HotSync a Palm Pilot via IrDA |
| • | Go wireless! |
Links
| • |
Gnome
A desktop environment. |
| • |
XFree86
The free X Windows server for Linux. |
Configuring X Windows
There are a few separate pieces to get X Windows up and running:- yaboot and kernel arguments
- Configuring XFree86
- Starting X Windows automatically
- Starting X applications automatically
yaboot and kernel arguments
In /etc/yaboot.conf, add the following line to your active image:
append="video=atyfb:vmode:14,cmode:32"and then rerun ybin. The arguments specify which video driver and modes to use: atyfb is the accellerated graphics frame buffer; vmode:14 specifies the screen resolution of 1024x768 @ 60 Hz; and cmode:32 specifies the color bit-depth. If the video mode is set correctly, you will see a line like the following during boot:
fb0: ATY Mach64 frame buffer device on /pci@80000000/ATY,LTProParent@11
Configuring XFree86
The correct configuration file for a '99 PowerBook is here: /etc/X11/XF86Config-4. Just copy it into place.
Starting X Windows automatically
To start X Windows automatically after logging in, the last line in your shell initialization script (.profile for bash) should be:
[ -z "$DISPLAY" -a -z "$SSH_CLIENT" ] && exec startxThe test of the DISPLAY variable (in bash syntax above) will start X Windows only if it's not already running, i.e., DISPLAY is not set. This allows the .profile to be reexecuted within X in case you want to make and test changes without chaos ensuing. The test of the SSH_CLIENT variable will start X Windows only if you're not ssh'd into the machine.
I do not use xdm (the X Display Manager) because:
- I don't find a graphical login screen sufficiently compelling to justify configuring it.
- It's really not needed on a single-user system especially since I almost never log out or reboot (I simply put the PowerBook to sleep).
- I like having a fail-safe text login if I somehow mess up my X Windows configuration. (When I log in as root, X Windows is not started automatically.)
Starting X applications automatically
The .xinitrc file in your home directory is what is used to start various applications (including the window manager) automatically after starting X windows. The contents of my .xinitrc file are:
xset mouse 2 10
xset s off
exec gnome-session
The first line sets the mouse acceleration to my taste.
The second line turns off screen blanking.
(If the the laptop isn't going to be used for a while,
it should just be put to sleep.)
The last line starts Gnome.
(The command to start the desktop enviroment or window manager
should always be last and exec'd.)
You are, of course, free to some the environment or window manager
of your choice instead.