YDL Switcher questions

[Derick Centeno]

Gee Chris:
I'm REALLY surprised as regards what you've reported! I can only suspect
your installations are incomplete.

> 1. Is Gnome a beta or does it really have that many bugs or am I just not 
> capable of setting it up properly? Xine locks up every I'm in Gnome, 
> Evolutions is just a horrible experience (too bad too, it's the nicest 
> looking app of it's kind and I really wanted to use it), and generally 
> application features either don't work or don't exist.

Although Gnome, KDE and other projects Enlightenment, etc are under
continuous development one should choose the stable releases and utilize
those exclusively unless one likes to be a developer and live in the
fast lane dealing with nightly builds and updates.

Regarding xine and evolution I use both nearly daily and never had
problems.  The issue must be in regards to missing libraries and/or
dependencies.  Did you update yum? And change yum.conf?

yum update yum

What follows is what's in my yum.conf:
1 [main]
2 cachedir=/var/cache/yum
3 debuglevel=2
4 logfile=/var/log/yum.log
5 pkgpolicy=newest
6 distroverpkg=yellowdog-release
7 gpgcheck=1
8 tolerant=1
9 exactarch=1
10
11 [base]
12 name=Yellow Dog Linux 3.0 base
13 baseurl=http://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/ydl/yum/3.0/RPMS.main/
14 baseurl=http://ftp.ydl.osuosl.org/contrib/3.0/ppc/
15 baseurl=http://ayo.freshrpms.net/yellowdog/3.0/ppc/freshrpms
16
baseurl=http://gulus.usherbrooke.ca/pub/distro/yellowdog/yum/3.0/RPMS.ma        in
17
18 [os]
19 name=Yellow Dog Linux $releasever - $basearch - os
20 baseurl=http://ayo.freshrpms.net/yellowdog/$releasever/$basearch/os
21
22 [updates]
23 name=Yellow Dog Linux $releasever - $basearch - updates
24
baseurl=http://ayo.freshrpms.net/yellowdog/$releasever/$basearch/updates     25 baseurl=http://gulus.usherbrooke.ca/pub/distro/yellowdog/yum/3.0/RPMS.up        dates/
26 [updates301]
27 name=Yellow Dog Linux 3.0.1 updates
28
baseurl=http://gulus.usherbrooke.ca/pub/distro/yellowdog/yum/3.0.1/updat        e/
29
30 [freshrpms]
31 name=Yellow Dog Linux $releasever - $basearch - freshrpms
32
baseurl=http://ayo.freshrpms.net/yellowdog/$releasever/$basearch/freshrp        ms
33
34 #[ruffpack]
35 #name=Yellow Dog Linux $releasever - $basearch -ruffpack
36
#baseurl=http://ayo.freshrpms.net/yellowdog/$releasever/$basearch/ruffpa        ck
37
38 #[3.01 updates]
39 #name=ydl.osuosl.org
40 #baseurl=http://ydl.osuosl.org/updates/yellowdog-3.0.1/ppc/

The line numbers are produced by vim automatically when I open a file; I
chose to have vim do that and other things.

Now should you get yum updated and use this version of yum.conf then a
whole lot of stuff is possible.  You can then do:

# yum search gnome*
Gathering header information file(s) from server(s)
Server: Yellow Dog Linux 3.0 base
Server: Yellow Dog Linux 3.0 - ppc - freshrpms
Server: Yellow Dog Linux 3.0 - ppc - os
Server: Yellow Dog Linux 3.0 - ppc - updates
Server: Yellow Dog Linux 3.0.1 updates
Finding updated packages
Downloading needed headers
Looking in available packages for a providing package
Available package: gtktalog.ppc 0:1.0.4-1.fr from freshrpms matches with
 The GNOME disk catalog.
.
.
.
Available package: screem.ppc 0:0.8.1-1.fr from freshrpms matches with
 Web Site CReating and Editing EnvironMent for GNOME.
Available package: licq-gnome.ppc 0:1.2.3-5 from base matches with
 GNOME frontend for licq.
Available package: licq-gnome.ppc 0:1.2.3-5 from base matches with
 licq-gnome
Available package: gnomemeeting.ppc 0:0.96.0-2 from base matches with
 A Gnome based H323 teleconferencing application
Available package: gnomemeeting.ppc 0:0.96.0-2 from base matches with
 gnomemeeting
Available package: gnome-themes.ppc 0:2.2-1 from base matches with
 Themes collection for GNOME
Available package: gnome-themes.ppc 0:2.2-1 from base matches with
 Themes collection for GNOME
Available package: gnome-themes.ppc 0:2.2-1 from base matches with
 gnome-themes
.
.
.
Available package: libzvt.ppc 0:2.0.1-1.fr from freshrpms matches with
 Yet another VT emulation library used by some GNOME programs.
 gnome-python2-applet
Available package: galeon.ppc 0:1.2.7-2a from base matches with
 Gnome browser based on Gecko (Mozilla rendering engine).
Available package: libghttp-devel.ppc 1:1.0.9-5 from base matches with
 GNOME http client development
.
.
.
Available package: gthumb.ppc 0:2.4.1-1.0.yd3.fr from freshrpms matches
with
 Image viewer and browser for the GNOME desktop
Available package: gnome-python2-gnomevfs.ppc 0:1.99.14-5b from base
matches with
 This module contains a wrapper that allows the use of gnome-vfs via
python.
Available package: gnome-python2-gnomevfs.ppc 0:1.99.14-5b from base
matches with
 Python bindings for interacting with gnome-vfs
Available package: gnome-python2-gnomevfs.ppc 0:1.99.14-5b from base
matches with
 gnome-python2-gnomevfs
Available package: libgail-gnome.ppc 0:1.0.0-3 from base matches with
 Accessibility implementation for GTK+ and GNOME libraries
Available package: libgail-gnome.ppc 0:1.0.0-3 from base matches with
 libgail-gnome
44 results returned
Looking in installed packages for a providing package
Installed package: gnome-print.ppc 1:0.37-4 matches with
 gnome-print
Installed package: gnome-python2-gtkhtml2.ppc 0:1.99.14-5b matches with
 gnome-python2-gtkhtml2
Installed package: gnome-applets.ppc 1:2.2.0-5 matches with
 gnome-applets
Installed package: gnome-vfs2-extras.ppc 0:0.99.9-1 matches with
 gnome-vfs2-extras
.
.
.
you get the idea.  Yum will tell you what's available and what's
installed.  I don't have to install everything it lists as available,
but as you are having so many problems with gnome, evolution and xine I
would chose to install whatever yum said was available because that is
it's way of telling me what I don't have installed.

I'll chose gnome audio and libzvt,note that I'm not writing everything
out -- I'm using * to finish the task for me leaving yum to "fill in the
blanks":
# yum install gnome-audio*
Gathering header information file(s) from server(s)
Server: Yellow Dog Linux 3.0 base
Server: Yellow Dog Linux 3.0 - ppc - freshrpms
Server: Yellow Dog Linux 3.0 - ppc - os
Server: Yellow Dog Linux 3.0 - ppc - updates
Server: Yellow Dog Linux 3.0.1 updates
Finding updated packages
Downloading needed headers
Resolving dependencies
Dependencies resolved
I will do the following:
[install: gnome-audio-extra 1.4.0-6.noarch]
Is this ok [y/N]: y
Downloading Packages
Getting gnome-audio-extra-1.4.0-6.noarch.rpm
gnome-audio-extra-1.4.0-6 100% |=========================| 661 kB   
00:04
Running test transaction:
Test transaction complete, Success!
gnome-audio-extra 100 % done 1/1
Installed:  gnome-audio-extra 1.4.0-6.noarch
Transaction(s) Complete
# yum install libzvt*
Gathering header information file(s) from server(s)
Server: Yellow Dog Linux 3.0 base
Server: Yellow Dog Linux 3.0 - ppc - freshrpms
Server: Yellow Dog Linux 3.0 - ppc - os
Server: Yellow Dog Linux 3.0 - ppc - updates
Server: Yellow Dog Linux 3.0.1 updates
Finding updated packages
Downloading needed headers
Resolving dependencies
Dependencies resolved
I will do the following:
[install: libzvt-devel 2.0.1-1.fr.ppc]
[install: libzvt 2.0.1-1.fr.ppc]
Is this ok [y/N]: y
Downloading Packages
Getting libzvt-devel-2.0.1-1.fr.ppc.rpm
libzvt-devel-2.0.1-1.fr.p 100% |=========================| 907 kB   
00:05
Getting libzvt-2.0.1-1.fr.ppc.rpm
libzvt-2.0.1-1.fr.ppc.rpm 100% |=========================| 476 kB   
00:02
Running test transaction:
Test transaction complete, Success!
libzvt 100 % done 1/2
libzvt-devel 100 % done 2/2
Installed:  libzvt-devel 2.0.1-1.fr.ppc libzvt 2.0.1-1.fr.ppc
Transaction(s) Complete
#

You'll notice yum grabbed whatever matched and installed it as well.
If you do yum search xine*, followed by yum search evolution* and check
what yum tells you is available as compared to what you have installed
you may choose to do a bit of installing via yum as it will find the
libraries, dependencies and so on faster than you can (if the info in
yum.conf is correct AND yum is itself current).

Now if yum reports:

Looking in available packages for a providing package
No packages found

This means it referred to the sites listed in yum.conf and found no
packages there.  That DOES NOT mean there are no source versions of xine
which you can use.  Go to xine.org and download the source and following
instructions regarding how to compile it, etc.

> 2. (possibly the answer to #1) Are some programs built to run ONLY under 
> Gnome or ONLY under KDE? I notice KOrganizer is missing all it icons under 
> Gnome and doesn't work very well in Gnome either(as is the case with many 
> things).
> 
No. Nearly all the apps available in KDE are available in Gnome. 
OpenOffice.org is a good example.

> 3. Does the clock work? Ever?

Which clock?
[root@arakus aguilarojo]# whereis clock
clock: /sbin/clock /usr/share/man/man3/clock.3.gz
/usr/share/man/mann/clock.n.gz[root@arakus aguilarojo]# cd /sbin
[root@arakus sbin]# ./clock
Tue 21 Sep 2004 03:26:56 PM EDT  -0.619817 seconds
[root@arakus sbin]#

I also use a clock extension in a nifty system reporting tool gnown,
excuse me, known as gkrellm, It has 24 hour clocks, Moon clocks, Sun
clocks...

> 
> 4. Keyboard shortcuts. Where can I find a good guide to learn keyboard 
> shortcuts? In Mac OS I can hit the command-Tab buttons to cycle through 
> open apps, com-sft-Q logs me out, com-sft-N creates a folder or directory, 
> etc., etc., etc... Is there a good guide for that sort of thing. I already 
> know that replacing the com key with the ctrl key works for most things, 
> but there has got to be more. Is it possible to define those kinds of 
> things?
> 
Linux is not Kansas, nor any other possibly sane place.  The keyboard
driver is merely one more input driver for XF86Config.  Just remember
the phrase that was reported to be above the gates of Hades,"Abandon all
hope ye who enter here..."  It is easier to recommend that you acquire a
reference text on Unix/Linux and find some keystrokes there.  one useful
one is: Ctrl + d; that is pressing the Ctrl key and d at the same time.
It exits you out of any user login and can also be used as a quick log
out.  Very generally what worked with the Apple command key is replaced
by the Ctrl key.  That is use the same sequence of keystrokes to cut or
paste, etc. but use the Ctrl key instead.

> 6. This one is a bit complicated. How does one "port" an app? I would love 
> to be self sufficient with source code. Relying on the PPC Linux community 
> to port an app can be a long wait. Just the sheer lack of people that run 
> PPCLinux and the percent of that group that needs the same apps I do, then 
> the percent of that group that can port an app... it's damn a small number.

OK.  Let's take xine.  It's website is www.xinehq.de
Within the website note where Downloads appear and click that.  Follow
instructions.  IF you find yourself lost, then it might be better to go
to www.freshmeat.net

In the Search for field type xine.

As sometimes happens, yum is blind or it is not seeing the packages that
are there.  For instance, if you run a working version of yum and use
the yum.conf file I have yum will not see xine (and associated files)
which are obviously at:
http://ayo.freshrpms.net/yellowdog/3.0/ppc/freshrpms/RPMS/

I don't know why this is so at this time but you know more than the
computer so go ahead and select the files and download them.  As these
particular files are ppc files you just install them and go.

If they were instead source files you would download them and then
compile them.  Directions for that is within the Terra Soft site and the
YDL FAQ page.
http://www.sharplabs.com:8668/space/start