Slackware64 14.1 + new kernel

Yeah, compiled a new 3.14.28 kernel - in a bit leaner way than slackware generic is.
So here comes concisely how I did it.

# First, open up this page and read it - my description here is almost the same, with occasional addons. And - I did everything on desktop terminal until Nvidia drivers' reinstall (logout, console, init 3).

1. Download the source (and pgp .sign) from kernel.org, copy to /usr/src, unxz the source file (tar needed afterwards), then unpack source to folder. To be nice and orderly, do: rm linux && ln -s /usr/src/linux-3.14.28 linux
cd linux
zcat /proc/config.gz > /usr/src/linux/.config  # or use some other handy config...
make oldconfig  # to insert kernel changes into old config file.
make menuconfig # Which probably takes two hours at least. But it's worth to be alert and click everything - for not to miss, for example, your network drivers.
make bzImage modules
make modules_install
cp arch/x86/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz-custom-3.14.28
cp System.map /boot/System.map-custom-3.14.28 
cp .config /boot/config-custom-3.14.28  # instead of 'custom' comes of course your special name you gave to your kernel (when menuconfiging).
/usr/share/mkinitrd/mkinitrd_command_generator.sh -k 3.14.28
This nicy script gives you exact command for creating initrd. Do it.
cd /boot
There should be three links to: kernel, system.map and config. Change those to point to your new files (ln -sf filename link).
Done with the kernel.

2. There is link /etc/rc.d/rc.modules which points to old rc.modules-3.10.17; copy this old modules file, rename it according to new kernel modules folder name (or 'uname -r' - which you can't use as kernel is not yet installed :) and change rc.modules link to point to this new file.

3. Grub or Lilo - has to be rerun for introducing new kernel. I have Grub2 in Wheezy (which I still keep only for hosting my multiboot) - I mounted Wheezys' partition and simply edited /boot/grub/grub.conf file. And that was that.

4. GPG-check. (Additionally to AlienBobs' tutorial there is also nice explanation in kernel.org.)
wget http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v3.0/linux-3.14.28.tar.sign
Put it into the same folder where you have linux-3.14.28.tar
gpg --verify linux-3.14.28.tar.sign linux-3.14.28.tar
What results 'no key', but there is id=6092693E , use this and import:
gpg --keyserver hkp://keys.gnupg.net --recv-keys 6092693E
gpg --verify linux-3.14.28.tar.sign linux-3.14.28.tar
"This key is not certified with a trusted signature" - let it be like that, done.

5. NVIDIA
Kernel 3.14 and nvidia 319, seems, are not friends - no compile, BUT newer 331.86 did the trick. Before run, delete /etc/X11/xorg.conf - and then let installer make a new one. Sometimes there is a difference - as X starting or not starting (missing screens). No, I do not know why it sometimes matters.
Last part in following is for compiling for not yet installed kernel.
sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-331.89.run --kernel-name='3.14.28'
It compiled, but whined over wrong arch in  /usr/lib64/libEGL.la
Anyway - X started up. I checked aforementioned .la - and it appeared that Nvidia removed it totally. Found it in /var/log/nvidia/103, copied back and also deleted in it one dependency that was obviously 32bit... We'll see what happens next time when compiling.
According to web, reinstalling mesa also fixes .la issue.

But never mind.
I have my new kernel running and everything seems to function OK.

URxvt, Slackware, Crux = problems

Or - more precisely: Those mentioned in headline WITH Nvidia binary driver AND Compton compositor (and xorgs' version is also a player here).

So the following is obviously about the same thing as in this post - Compton and Nvidia not getting along. But - it's also a slight overview of urxvt.

I installed rxvt-unicode (exec: urxvt) as fun and games and novelty to my new Crux 3.1 (Crux home, my Crux install blah: 3.0 -1, 2, 3 and 3.1) and Slackware 14.1 (and my blah). The outcome was somewhat different in those distros.

But first, what it is this urxvt?
In essence, a terminal born from xrvt, with unicode support. And do a simple search 'rxvt+unicode'. At least two pagefuls give extremely relevant tutorials and stuff. Go.
But, just to mention:
- its' conf is in .Xdefaults (or in .Xresources if going more modern)
- it has transparency in two ways. And colors up to 256.
- it's UTF-8, of course,
- tabs and perl-extensions are configurable, among other things.

- It had lag at bottom of terminal (new-line) in both Crux and Slackware. It didn't wrap lines at all in Slackware.
- Doh.

# CRUX
Only problem: new line at the edge of terminal bottom - a lag of 1-2 seconds.
What I have: Nvidia binary driver 331.xx and compiled compton-master 20140729.
Problem was solved with remade compton start-line in Openbox autostart:
compton --backend glx --vsync opengl-swc --glx-no-rebind --glx-no-stencil --glx-swap-method 3 --unredir-if-possible --paint-on-overlay --shadow-exclude "! name~=''" --config ~/.compton.conf &
Magical part here is '--glx-swap-method 3'. Other is fluff what I think makes my screen look better. There is also option '--backend xr_glx_hybrid' - BUT, that gave me horrible desktop flickering.

# Slackware (and Salix), Nvidia 319.xx and the same Compton as in Crux
Additionally to lag, there was no line-wrap at all (commmand doesn't brake to next line, but acguires '>' and continues from last char...And then also kinda copies whole text to line above of last command. Very bloody confusing and obviously very wrong.
- Compton conf didn't do a thing,
- Compiling everything with Crux defs - no result,
- Copying other terminal-related confs from Crux - no result.
- Means, nothing I tried worked.

So, in Slackware, I ended up installing xfce4-terminal (deps: libxfcegui4, libxfce4util), and - lag disappeared just like that.

# Ah, yes - when digging in confs - as a bonus, I cracked the mystery of 'different looking man-pages for different users' in Crux. Has to have: export PAGER="most" in all .bashrc files. :)

# General notes about urxvt:
If dealing with .Xdefaults (.Xresources)
- might stick in Xft.dpi: 96 there too, it probably makes the console look a little less hairy.
And those -
Xft.hinting:1
Xft.hintstyle:hintfull

- OB autostart - urxvt in daemon mode goes like that: urxvtd -q -o -f &

- browse all possible settings:
urxvt --help 2>&1| sed -n '/:  /s/^ */! URxvt*/gp'

- Transparencies:
# True:
URxvt.depth: 32
URxvt.background: [90]#000000
# native transpency
URxvt*.transparent: true
! URxvt*.shading: 0 to 99 darkens, 101 to 200 lightens
URxvt*.shading: 110

- Scrollbar. Have to define it, have to place it etc:
# scrollbar style - rxvt (default), plain (most compact), next, or xterm
URxvt.scrollstyle: rxvt
# and so on, look it up.

- what icon you want to see in window corner:
URxvt*iconFile: /home/myname/.icons/mytheme/apps/terminal.png

- tabs. Perl-extension thing. Has to be compiled in.
URxvt.perl-ext-common: default,tabbed
URxvt.tabbed.tabbar-fg: 2
URxvt.tabbed.tabbar-bg: 0
URxvt.tabbed.tab-fg: 3
URxvt.tabbed.tab-bg: 0
URxvt.tabbed.new-button: true

# rxvt-unicode is not bad terminal. BUT, if using real Nvidia driver  + Compton + too-new-xorg, it might not be worth the hassle. There are other terminals available - with no config-wrestling.

# PS! Compton + more new Nvidia driver = more likely there are lag-problems... I just downgraded newest 340 to 331 in Crux - as 340 bloody lagged with everything.

Slackware, Sid, lags + Nvidia 334.21

To make this shortish story a bit longer, let's start with that I clean-installed Slackware-current over my 14.1 ... because after last patches etc it had developed various quirks which annoyed me a bit. And when the choice is between spending x-hours hunting mysterious faults or spending some 3 hours with new and virginal install/rebuild - I'll pick the last one, period.
Install and rebuild were quite uneventful - nothing to whine over ... Maybe of the contrary - some 2-3 bugs with apps in 14.1 had resolved themselves meanwhile. And it helps to have previous install-list of apps, deps and shit.

But when attempting to install (previously used in 14.1 ) binary Nvidia driver 331.49, I had sudden 'unknown libEGL.so' problem, and no install. So I went for the latest beta - 334.21, which installed with no problems.
... Well, week before or so also smxi in my Debian Sid had got the same driver installed (after Xorg update, as the 'current nvidia'). And I had started to experience some lagging with mouse and keyboard. Sorta, occasional 1-2 seconds before slider moved, or mouse click registered or typed letter appeared. Bloody annoying, that! But, frankly, I thought that the culprit is some other critter of myriad of Sids' upgrades - and that it goes away with next bunch.
Now, after I installed the same driver to Slackware - and at once started to experience lags, I sure reconsidered. As an afterthought - it was most probably some kind of not-syncing between this Nvidia driver and Compton compositor.
Anyway, I didn't want to part with Compton, so I downgraded the Nvidia driver - and successfully, despite:

1. Slackware - previous installers' libEGL crap and no install.
I went to runlevel 3, did separate
sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-334.21.run --uninstall
without letting Nvidia to restore previous xorg.conf (no idea if that matters), then slackpkg search mesa && slackpkg reinstall mesa-9.1.7-x86_64-1 to be sure I don't have leftovers from Nvidia (as I heard, Nvidia overwrites some of mesas' files). Then:
sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-319.49.run
with 32bit support and 'yes' to overwrite xorg.conf.
Success, no whining from installer, AND - no more lags!

2. Sid. Not with smxi help this time, but manually:
telinit 1
sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-334.21.run --uninstall
That finished with installers' ominous whine about leftover symlinks. Whatever... I decided also not to bother with mesa and press on and see what happens:
sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-331.49.run
'Yes, do install' - to installers' worry about 'maybe runlevel 1 is not good...'
With 32bit support, 'Yes' to overwrite conf.
Success, and no more lags!

Simpleminded conclusion: If you experience lags (especially after pointless upgrade to latest/greatest Nvidia driver), try downgrading a bit. Beta really was Beta, in my case.

Salix 14.0 Xfce install

So I went for childrens' version of Slackware, sue me.
Why Slack? Because it seems to be most stable and conservative (compared to nowadays mad-rush Linux developments). No systemd or pulseaudio or Mir or perverse experiments with GUI. Not yet at least. And they avoid even GTK3, it seems. Which is good - I definitely prefer 'less modern' look to broken porridge after every Gnome update.
As of preparations - a partition for installing Salix was made before install.

Install:
64bit stright-install image (means, not Live) was written with Unetbootin to USB. The process (and probably structure of image) was different of usual - in meaning that it was continuous, without huge main file. Not that I care...
There is only two 'options' in boot-screen: 'default' and 'huge.s' ... Default seemed to be the same as 'huge.s' so, here we go:
Installer loaded quite long and is old-school ncurses-based - pure terminal, no bling, no frills. Installers' structure is different of Debians', Suses', RHELs' and even Archs' installer.
Now, what to keep in mind: In partitioning - have to select correct disk where your premade partition is. Then it's possible to pick it for Root. You can also mark already (if) existing swap for use. No separate home for me anymore, I keep all important stuff of my distros on separate 'common' partition. And I do my backups with FSArchiver - so Home (confs only) gets backed up together with Root.
The most problematic part of installation was a question 'where is your install-data': No, USB-stick is not a 'CD' or something other 'movable' - USB stick is a 'hard disk'. At least you can browse partitions and pick the right one. The table there doesn't show partitions' sizes... so I identified my USB (from about 15 choices) as only one having fat32 filesystem. Then installer wants to know the folder name...&^%$#... to cut it short, it's 'salix'.
Then you can make password for root and also create your common user - and define users' parameters to all details. By the way, there is no problem with using the same password for root and user...
And at the end there is choice of install-packages: I picked Full (desktop and 'one app per task').
There were, of course, the usual things (keyboard etc), and also an offer to install Lilo (bootloader) - which can be skipped entirely (which I did).
It installed successfully.
I rebooted, logged to Wheezy, update-grub, and rebooted to Salix. There was a lot text flying by (quite different-looking of Debian, and it took a little longer too), then Gdm-greeter for logging, then desktop and then you can admire 'a flying rag'... - screensaver kicked in an instant after desktop appeared. Fancy. I have no idea if this bizzarre behaviour goes with every boot - I removed xscreensaver from startup.

Desktop
I think it's first Xfce desktop (I have tried) what comes panel-at-bottom and no dock. What a pleasure! Especially after quick swap of wallpaper...
First I did some fast clean-up and pimping: removed some startups and daemons, deleted some apps, changed themes and icon-set, tweaked panel a bit... the usual. And sure, I installed my favourite file manager - SpaceFM - and threw Thunar out. I downloaded Spacefm installer and whole thing went without any hitch, dependencies and all.
Ah, by the way, I had also one mysterious crash when I left Salix running. When I returned after some 2 hours, it appeared to be in console and frozen. No idea why.

Then came serious part - updating (minor) kernel and installing Nvidia driver. No automation here, no smxi script either. There is almost perfect tutorial for Nvidia, though. In nutshell, it went like that:
1. Get kernel source: slapt-get --update && slapt-get -i kernel-source
Update kernel: ls /var/log/packages/kernel*
There are some 4-5 files, all has to be updated separately, like this:
slapt-get -i kernel-modules (no version numbers needed!). Then (re)create initrd file - see howto in /boot/readme.initrd .
2. Download Nvidia driver.
3. Blacklist Nouveau. And here I found difference with tutorial. There is no such file as tutorial says. I solved it with Gslapt, searched for 'nouveau' and found 2 packs, and installed blacklist-one. It's name was the same as of driver.
3. Reboot. Log to console, init 3, cd wehere-your-driver-is, sh NVIDIAdrivername.run (and answer questions it asks), init 4.
Done. If you said 'yes', it even created conf. And DO NOT let Nouveau to be updated afterwards, or you loose your 'blacklist'!

There are quite a lot of conf available in menus. For installing codecs there is a launcher. Packages can be managed through Gslapt, sources through Sourcery (both are GUI frontends). There is even update-notifier...
Package manager is 'slapt' - works like this: slapt-get -u
for example, is the same as debian 'apt-get update'. Nothing difficult here, do read Salix (or Slackware) wiki etc.

It has been pleasant experience. After first flurry of tweaks I find it hard to spot next 'urgent' tweak... because it's already OK. Salix is super for everyone looking for traditional distro + desktop. It's also very fitting for newcomers to Slackware - it really is Slack-made-easy. Recommended.

4. Cinnamon!

2012, November-December, Linux Mint Cinnamon 14.1

Installation-media – USB, installation through live session. Differently of spring, install succeeded this time. Tingling feeling of happiness and satisfaction that devs reacted to my silent prayers and fixed Everything! Sound, wifi, samba all worked out of box.

Mint is derivative (fork) of Ubuntu - which is derivative of Debian. Geneology, how exciting!

Cinnamon (Mint's DE) is based on Gnome 3.x . It's the DE which is nowadays widely hated because its radical departure of pleasant and traditional desktop of Gnome 2.x. Some folks even say that the Way of Gnome 2 was/is the most intuitive and easily-used desktop of all times. Most productive - if we use current much overused shit-word. Gnome 3, of the contrary to its parent, is touch-screen oriented tablet-loving way-too-much-clicks porn. Also look here.

Cinnamon recreates Gnome 2-like interface using modern devices and means of Gnome 3.

Birth and growth of Cinnamon can be considered entirely good thing. I mean, everything is better than Gnome 3, even Unity is, and even Windows 8. So, fixing Gnome 3 interface is inherently Godlike and Benign Act.

Leaving that aside, do I like Cinnamon in practical way, do I want to use it? Yes and no.

1. Yes-things: Its interface is slick, modern and tasteful – and that last thing is rare animal in Linux zoo. Very rare. Bravo, Mint! Some say that Mint's stock green wallpaper is really, really repetitive and should be changed to something new. I don't care – it's easiest thing to change. And really, first thing to do – after or during very important more firster things is to change stock wallpaper. We the users always have the real better one.

INTERLUDE. Those important firster things:

a) Install your machine's proprietary drivers! Usually it means video driver. Sometimes more (wifi). If it is an Ubuntu-based distro, then the place to go is Settings/Software Sources/Additional drivers. You can install it from there. It takes time, be patient.

If it's not Ubuntu-like or some other friendly distro, then the process is probably a bit more complicated and depends into what distro you have stepped.

It took to me several days to find that there is one more step required to really install that Nvidia video driver...

Open terminal, type:

nvidia-xconfig

Conf file is created. Reboot is needed (which is NOT said to you. BUT, don't boot yet – let's do next step before, or in all likeness you have to boot twice.

b) Rev up your Update/Software manager and update. First load will be in three digit numbers (Megas), it takes many minutes. But, don't simply sit and drool – now its time to change that wallpaper! And generally click around. Try to drag things on your desktop. Right-click here and there.

Oh, it’s done (update, that is). Probably wants to reboot. If not - feel relieved, if yes - reboot. And … hopefully it does boot. If it doesn't, then there are two choices... do you only wish to use this marvelous opsystem of the future? Then format the whole thing, and find another, more cooperative distro. OR – you want to fix the lame one? Google 'my fresh Linux not booting' or something, or try distros' forum – you get matches as much as there are suns in the Galaxy. Depending of circumstances, but hour or two or more sweaty fun is waiting for you. Also fast level-up.

c) Codecs, ttf fonts, flash, ... distros have different attitudes about those things. There are those who include them without any fuss (Mint, Zorin, Stella etc), then there is Ubuntu and others who ask during installation 'Do you want' … (Just as a by-note: Xubuntu 12.10 install, in my case, simply hung after 'yes'). Fortunately, all forbidden things are also available after install. Via Synaptic, for example, package name is 'ubuntu restricted extras'.Other distros, naturally, have different package-names. Download & install (Synaptic does this for you), enjoy.

And then there are Fedora-likes: all smelly non-free stuff is stricktly out. In those cases one has to find special moonshining repositories, add them to your systems' list, and install. Procedures are distro specific. G!, RTFM or forum.

Mint Cinnamon didn't crash once. There were some little bugs. Which is quite a big improvement compared to ver 12. Which did crash... it's Software manager had fatal bug and had to be removed for distro to work properly.

Generally, nicy and cutey thing. Very nooby-cuddly. But as I said – not overly bling, not at all.

2. No-things for me:

What a unpleasant menu it had! … Though, not as revolting as KDEs' super crap-pile. MintMenu has Apps-folders and additionally Favorites and Places. It has fixed-size - and to remedy this it has quirky slider for getting to half-hidden apps-lists. I didn't like that. Have to say, through my teeth, that the menu is esthetically pleasing. But not pleasing to use.

There is only one panel (default bottom) in Cinnamon. Kinda poor? Yes. Sure, you can install dockers... but I like classical panels better. (adding mysteriously – not necessarily KDE3/Trinity ones.)

Settings. There is definitely too little to tweak. Yes-yes, I am never satisfied. Period.

I played around 2-3 days and found it boring in it's niceness and/or lack of customization.