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Argh at Udisks! Howto Gain Sanity Back
390 days
/start rant
A short vent of evil Udisks default policy of having to enter a password to mount a partition when in a GUI file manager. I boot the desktop up and if I open thunar, I should be able to open my music partition without getting prompted for a freakin root password. In the past I have simply edited /usr/share/polkit-1/actions/org.freedesktop.udisks.policy and under internal drive changed it to yes active to avoid the annoying situation. So I get the latest updates and discover we now have org.freedesktop.udisks2.policy which is now the new default file and just as annoying. I could simply edit that file, but be stuck with each time an update comes along it gets rewritten to default. Zomg super annoying! As a desktop user I should have access to my partitions without having to jump through hoops. So I browsed around and on the archwiki found a simple solution, Override that evil thing!
So I did:
groupadd storage
gpasswd -a wolfden storage
nano /etc/polkit-1/localauthority/50-local.d/10-storage-group-mount-override.pkla
and put in that file
[storage group mount override]
Identity=unix-group:storage
Action=org.freedesktop.udisks2.*
ResultAny=yes
ResultInactive=yes
ResultActive=yes
Restart and no more freakin password prompt to access my media files, sanity returns back to the desktop user. Sometimes trying to figure out the direction of linux is frustrating. Desktop environments are moving in a direction of making it so simple to use that a toddler can run it, but than you got something like udisks making it annoying with it’s default policies. I could understand the default policy of udisks if on a server machine, but not for a desktop user.
/end rant
Sabayon – Virtualbox Installation Woos
399 days
A little matter I would like to bring to your attention is our wiki page for Virtualbox can produce a small surprise. The scenario is that you download Sabayon 8 version, install it and than decide to install Virtualbox and Virtualbox pulls a lot of stuff including a new kernel of 3.3. Sabayon 8 iso comes with kernel 3.2 so when you go and install Virtualbox you are indirectly invoking a kernel upgrade. So the question is how to install Virtualbox.
Well, here is what I would do. We keep our packages updated so we might as well upgrade the kernel also, but instead I would do it in a bit of different order of just doing equo install virtualbox-bin, I’d start with kernel-switcher.
We can use equo search linux-sabayon to see what the latest kernel is. And in my case it shows sys-kernel/linux-sabayon-3.3-r2 is the latest kernel. To see what your current kernel version is, simply run uname -r.
So now we can upgrade the kernel with:
kernel-switcher switch sys-kernel/linux-sabayon-3.3-r2
This will than upgrade the kernel and all the needed modules and add the entry to your grub. Now at this point and time I would reboot and boot into the new kernel. Once rebooted I would than:
equo install virtualbox-bin
The modules should pull, but if not:
equo install virtualbox-modules#`uname -r`
Continue On
depmod -a
modprobe vboxdrv
modprobe vboxnetadp
modprobe vboxnetflt
usermod -a -G vboxusers YOUR_USER_NAME
Now go ahead and log out and than log back in so the changes can be applied.
To get virtualbox modules to load automatically:
# nano /etc/conf.d/modules
add to it:
modules="vboxdrv vboxnetflt vboxnetadp"
then save and exit, reboot.
Once you have Virtualbox installed you won’t have to worry about pulling kernels, it’s just that initial install and if there is a new kernel available scenario. If one had downloaded and install Sabayon 8 and installed Virtualbox before kernel 3.3 came out, one would never of had to fuss with a different kernel.
The only thing we are really doing that the wiki doesn’t cover is switching the kernel first. Why do I recommend using kernel-switcher vs just installing it all with equo install virtualbox-bin? The main thing is, you’re changing kernels so I want to keep that process simple and smooth vs pulling it and doing a bunch of updates along side it. In theory both methods should work, I just want to take the extra step and make sure it goes right.
Sabayon and Rigo, Bye Bye Sulfur
413 days
by wolfden
in Sabayon Linux
Rigo has become available in the entropy store finally. So what is this talk of Rigo you may ask, it’s a replacement of Sulfur. Sulfur will no longer exist in the future so Rigo will be the new and improved GUI package manager for entropy store. I really never was a fan of Sulfur, but than I’m not really a fan of GUI package managers anyway. This is my first look at Rigo. Keep in mind that Rigo is still in development to only get better and better. So to give it a whirl and install it via equo install rigo. Click images for larger version (Note: Rigo is early stages of Development yet)
- Upon launch it comes up and checks for updates
Rigo on Launch
- Clicking on Show gives me the list of updates and I can now click on Update System
Updates to Apply
- I have a license to agree too, very simple and straight forward
Rigo Package License Agreement
- Now Rigo is off and running as it tells me it is in progress
Rigo is Updating
- You might not believe it and want proof so you click on Show me and now you can see it’s downloading the packages
Rigo Update Progress
- Downloading completes and now it’s installing updates
Rigo Installing Updates
- After updates are installed it tells you it has upgraded your system successfully.
Rigo Done With Updates
So lets take a look at just doing an individual Package. Back at the home screen I simply type the package I am looking for.
Looking for Firefox
So now firefox has come up, I can click on it to go right to Install or view more info. (In this case I have firefox installed already so instead of a remove button it would be a install button.) So you can see here that you can do same steps to remove a package.
Package Options
So clicking on More Info gets you a ton more of information and from here you can click the Install button.
Package Information
Installing
Rigo Installing Firefox
Installed succesfully
Rigo is Finished
I would like to note that I ran all this off of the Live version of Sabayon Forensics and Rigo ran smoothly. Normally if I start up Sulfur on the live session Sulfur becomes unresponsively slow, so seeing Rigo fire right up and working instantly is very sweet.
Remember, Rigo is still early stages yet and features to come yet. So if you give it a try and see things missing, just hold on as it’s coming.
Happy Leap Day!
450 days
Time flies when having fun, seems like I haven’t blogged about anything in forever. I hope everyone knows Sabayon 8 is released and I haven’t seen much for issues being reported. I’m seeing the typical installer stuff, anaconda is a fussy beast. I’ve battled in the past also, so your not alone. For the few issues reported, I’d say success. Oh yea, after all the hype of new xorg and legacy hardware not working, last minute decision was to keep old xorg for now.
Speaking of reporting issues, I’m still seeing people post on forum and bugzilla invalid stuff. Stating things like, “I did a fresh install than did the updates and now the desktop won’t load”. There isn’t anyone in this universe that is going to be able to help you. Developers will simple click invalid and move on. You need to provide as much info as possible, hardware, logs, errors, how to reproduce, things like that. Many people will say they don’t know how to get logs, check out this forum topic to help, How to Gather Log Files Easily. Most of the time you are gonna need to get friendly with your terminal, especially if your X isn’t loading. Starting applications from terminal can also provide valuable information. So please provide something, the tools are there, use them to help yourself or for someone to help you.
So have you heard of Rigo Application Browser that Fabio is working on? Check it out and if your ambitious and an advanced user, you can clone the entropy git and give it a whirl. I believe Fabio said it’s a month out yet for the general public, so watch for updates.
Oh yea, been seeing questions as to where the Sabayon Experimental 8 spins are. There just hasn’t been much discussion on that, so what I would recommend for now is to grab one from the Daily folder on the mirrors and than you will have a current build of your favorite experimental spin. People worry about the Daily builds, but I run them all the time and find them stable.
Sabayon Forensics spin has gotten a couple new packages added to it by request. I added net-misc/dropbox which I just added to the spec file today and net-wireless/aircrack-ng which is already on the current build. The next build of ISO is this coming Sunday so dropbox will be on that ISO.
A quick question for all, when would be a good time to drop x86 branch? 1 to 2 years or more? x86_64 is every where now a days, can’t remember last time I used a x86 operating system.
Sabayon 8 vs. Xorg vs. Nvidia
489 days
by wolfden
in Sabayon Linux
Sabayon 8 Gnome with Extensions
Sabayon 8 is starting to shape up and if you are doing the updates via the package manager, you should see the new artwork implemented. Like with any release we do, there is always a decision to be made of what stays and what goes. This is not always an easy decision as we don’t want to cause chaos. A tough decision was made about xorg-server-1.11, which doesn’t work with legacy nvidia cards. We decided we can’t hold back because of that and have implemented xorg-server-1.11. So now what?
First, if you are unsure if your card is a Nvidia legacy card, you can refer to this Nvidia page and see. It will also explain to you what a legacy card is.
Second, you’re still in luck as the opensource Nvidia driver called Nouveau can be used to replace the package nvidia-drivers. If you need information about what that is, check out this home page and the Gentoo wiki page. You can also see they are available in entropy and portage. I hear really good things about Nouveau, but I have no personal experience with it. I upgrade my hardware frequently so I’m never having to deal with such things.
Third, if your hardware is just plain old I would recommend looking at distros that are focused on older hardware. Some of these distros would be like knoppix, puppy linux, xubuntu and crunchbag. I actually have xubuntu that I just installed the other day on a older machine that I have. It has the legacy fx5200 card and I found that xubuntu ran great.
We aren’t the only distro that is running into this issue with legacy cards. A while back on my Ubuntu machine it wanted to upgrade to the latest release, but at the same time I got a big old warning box telling me that my hardware probably would not work well with it so I opt to not do it and just retire the machine for now. I have a huge tote full of legacy stuff that I am looking at throwing out as it is no longer good for anything. That 2400 baud modem just isn’t gonna get used again. Even my old faithful 1x cdrom that still works isn’t gonna ever be used again.
Anyway, Sabayon 8 is looking good and I’m expecting a release in the very near future. I think about all that is left to do is decide on the gnome 3 default desktop and a couple of bug fixes. We are kinda leaning towards default gnome 3 with some extensions instead of Cinnamon as default. Cinnamon is just still too alpha to go prime time. The gnome-shell extensions really help improve the usability of gnome. I’m interested in hearing from people what their favorite extensions are. Look for a release announcement soon.
Sabayon Entropy Updates?
497 days
by wolfden
in Sabayon Linux
I’ve seen a couple of recent posts lately and the topic comes up from time to time about updates. It’s tough to please people and updates. It’s either too often or not enough it seems. Personally, I don’t see what the big deal is. There could be updates everyday, it don’t matter to me and I never question if I do an equo update and it says I’m current. Some get a bit nervous when they don’t see updates and start thinking something is broke. There is a simple solution to put your worries at rest. I love RSS, borderline rss junkie even. So all you have to do is load up your favorite rss reader and put in the package update rss. These can be found on the mirrors.
So for example, a weekly x86_64 user can use the following link
http:
A weekly x86 user can use:
http:
Now you can follow along and see when and what was all dumped into the repo. I like to use google reader as than I can access my rss feeds from any where. Click image to make bigger.
Simple enough to put your worries to rest. Some more feeds:
Limbo x86_64 - http:
Limbo x86 - http:
Main x86_64 - http:
Main x86 - http:
Feel free to use the mirror of your choice http://sabayon.org/mirrors RSS can also be used with our gits. For example our
entropy git - http:
artwork git - http:
You can find the various git stuff here - https://git.sabayon.org/
Soon you will be collecting rss from other sites and growing your list till it’s out of control. No excuse for not knowing what is going on.
Can Cinnamon Flavored Sabayon Save Gnome?
499 days
by wolfden
in Sabayon Linux
Gnome 3 fiasco has come and gone, oh wait, it’s still here, but at least people are hacking away at it to make it a bit better. We’ve been seeing apps to help customize the devastation and now Linux Mint has forked the default gnome-shell and started a project that gives you an option of a different shell called Cinnamon. We have introduced the Cinnamon to the limbo repository for testing and I’ve only heard positive things about it from those that have tested it. Sabayon running Cinnamon below:
Here you can see Cinnamon with the menu system open, looks a bit rude at first, but functions quite well.
A bit busy
Pull back and select the application you want
So the great thing about this that I love is the old traditional desktop feel that I am most comfortable in. No huge icons and drilling down through more huge icons to find an application. The menu system gets you were you need to get quickly. Call me old, but I enjoy the simple desktop and hate huge icons. I’m glad to see others feel the same and are actually producing forks and hacks. Gnome devs need to, well I’m not gonna get on that rant or I’ll be writing a book.
So what about the negatives? Well, I’m not gonna say that there is negatives due to the fact that Cinnamon is young and new and is gonna grow quickly with changes to make it better. Like right now the customization abilities are very limited. The gnome-tweak-tool will allow you to make some changes. A trick I found to do was to log into the regular gnome session and use gnome-tweak-tool to make changes and than logout and return to the cinnamon session where most things will stick. You can’t change window borders, but I can live with that for now. Linux Mint has already said that in the next version that customization tools are high priority.
I should clear the air here incase people are scared to screw up their gnome default by installing Cinnamon. When you install Cinnamon it creates a new login session called Cinnamon. So when you are at your login screen, choose Cinnamon from the session to log into it. You can log back into regular gnome by logging out and than choose Gnome in the session. So no fear, you won’t loose nor harm your gnome default session. If you are using lxdm, make sure you have the latest version from limbo repo installed otherwise lxdm can’t start the session.
Sabayon needs to make some changes to it, such as branding the menu button and we will be changing the category it is in now that Gentoo has added it to portage under gnome-extra. There is discussion about an idea of making Cinnamon the default session in Sabayon 8. Remember the regular gnome session will be there also, so don’t go yelling at your monitor we are crazy if we do such a thing, just select Gnome for your session if you are not a Cinnamon fan. I encourage everyone to take a look at it at least once and give it a try. With Cinnamon available, I actually installed Gnome back on to my main system.
Happy New Year from Sabayon Land
507 days
Happy New Year to all! Now that the holidays are over it’s time to get back to work or unless you were like me and got to work through the holidays, so is life.
So I am continuously testing the Sabayon Forensics XFCE x86-64 edition and happy to see that things are nice and stable for me. I haven’t heard any complaints from anyone either, so all good it seems.
I’ve been looking at this ARM stuff and slowly trying to grasp all of it. Fabio has been busy with the ARMv7 stuff on his beagleboard. A wiki page is even been dedicated to it. If you are interested in it, be sure to see those links to learn more. I’ve been eyeing up the Pandaboard lately as it seems to offer plenty. If you’re interested in testing and developing, give a shout to our mail list and let us know.
Fabio is gonna take a much needed short holiday and than the plans will be set in motion to get a Sabayon 8 out the door. The daily iso is working so well that I’m not seeing much effort needed to push this one out. A new artwork package was talked about so will see where that ends up at. I myself would like to see something new and refreshing. My current desktop looks something like this:
current xfce desktop
Regardless, if you’re keeping your system up to date, you are rolling right along with the changes. Keep up to date and keep reporting any bugs. Please see this bug for the Sabayon 8 release stuff, just append to it. We kinda want to get Sabayon 8 out the door by end of February, sooner the better.
2012 is looking good for Sabayon. We have more people helping with the server stuff. We got the ARM project in motion. I’m still seeing the flow of Ubuntu refugees arriving and loving Sabayon. It’s good to have yas onboard btw. The recent reviews I have read have all been very positive. Also, it sounds like Fabio will be rewritting a new Sulfur from scratch for Sabayon 9 release later this year, hopefully mid-year. So good news for the Sulfur or Entropy Store users. So stick around and invite a friend or two.
Season Greetings
517 days
by wolfden
in Sabayon Linux
It’s that wonderful time of year again, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. I hope everyone is spending a wonderful time with family and friends and that Santa leaves you a special present if you weren’t on the naughty list.
Time has been busy for me as I have been in the process of upgrading/replacing my entertainment system to HD. Out with the VCR and in with the Blu-ray and new TV, lots to learn before I made purchases. My biggest goal was to get a wireless system for my videos from my hard drive to the tv. So between handbrake converting videos to .mkv files, blu-ray player and samba, I achieve that goal. The wireless tv and the internet apps that it has makes for a great tv. The blu-ray player also has more internet apps, so a ton of options with just a remote. I also have the laptop connected via dbus cable where I can launch boxee or xbmc for even more options.
I subscribed to huluplus as I am thinking of dropping my Satellite tv subscription to save some money. Between huluplus and netflix I can continue to watch 90% of the stuff I do and save some cash. With the cash saved, I could look at the beagleboard. Fabio has been teasing me with pictures of his and than seeing the development work for Sabayon on beagleboard is exciting. A dedicated beagleboard for multimedia apps sounds awesome. So I will see what happens here.
To Install or Not?
578 days
To install or not is the question I’ve been asking myself. My laptop has windows 7 installed and works fine and I use it for business usage while doing photography as I can use it to trigger my camera and view images with Lightroom. I really don’t need linux on it and as long as I have a USB stick, I can boot it up to linux anytime I want to. I thought I would give a test and see what would happen if I just leave it run and drag it around with me to work and home with just a live USB. I popped Sabayon Forensics amd64 XFCE on to the USB stick and I’m over 3 days now and it’s working flawlessly. I’ve even used entropy to install some applications I wanted. So the only advantage I would get if I installed it is the ability to save. I’m not gonna be using my laptop and linux where I need to save tho. I have a desktop for my main productive work and I’ve even been sshing in from the laptop to do some of that work.
An eight dollar USB drive and you can make a computer come to life. The performance over a dvd drive is 100xs better. The wonderful tool molecule, which is available in entropy, can help you make a custom Sabayon for your needs. So if you are interested, check out the Sabayon wiki for a molecule howto.
I’m gonna continue to let this run an and see what happens.
