More linux problems

[shadowwyvern]

I have yet more problems with linux on my laptop (most unrelated to drivers/hardware issues):
1.) When I close the lid of the machine in X, when I open it again either the screen is off or the backlight is off, but it will not come back, even when it gets keypress, mouse movement, or mouse clicks
2.) Trying to install Firefox, will not run due to some library error:

./firefox-bin: error while loading shared libraries: libXfixes.so.3: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

I have JRE 5 installed, but I have no idea where the rpm that came with slackware 10.2 puts it, so I cannot perform the link described in the firefox FAQ, here. I have tried installing my own JRE, but the rpm failes a large number of dependencies, one of which (/bin/sh) EXISTS. Why does it fail then?
3.) Similar issues with the Eterm RPM, I am going to try to compile from source, but I am conerned it will not register everything (I want a background in fluxbox, and apparently Eterm offers a program it needs, besides it seems to be better than xterm). I cannot seem to find it on the slackware install CD.
4.) From the output of X on bash, it seems to be running in 16 bit color. (The line is BScreen: BScreen: Managing screen 0 using visual 0x23, depth 16), which is unaccpetable. How do I set it to 32 bit (my video card, an ATI Mobility 7000, is capable)
5.)What should I do to prevent all the rpm dependency errors? I installed every single library that came with slackware (everything in the L category)

 

[jillande]

for the backlight, be sure that the correct version of power management is being used for your hardware (i.e. i use apm on my laptop since it's new enough to support it). i don't think this option is enabled in the stock slackware kernel, but i don't remember for sure and am too lazy to find out.

as to firefox, the libXfixes is part of xorg. it should be in /usr/X11R6/lib. you may have to edit /etc/ld.so.conf to add the /usr/X11R6/lib path to verify it is included there. truthfully, i'd guess this should already be in there. after editing ld.so.conf, run ldconfig. how was firefox installed?

if you install things on slackware by rpm, of course it will not detect dependencies since those dependencies are installed by slackware package, not by rpm. to force the install anyway, use the "--nodeps" option.

to configure your video card, use xorgcfg, xorgconfig, or xorgsetup. they each provide a different way to configure your system. alternatively, you might edit the xorg.conf file directly. it is in /etc/X11/xorg.conf

again, the rpm dependency errors are because you have an essentially empty rpm database. the only way around this, short of falsely populating the rpm database or installing everything on your system by rpm (why not juse use an rpm-based distro in this case), is to use the "--nodeps" option.

 

[shadowwyvern]

Ok, I just did a fresh install to start over (doen't take long, and I don't have any files on linux yet). But, now X will not even start, saying it cannot run in framebuffer mode and that I should specify some "busIDs" I installed it from the install script, not from the slackware install, and installed everythign it asked for (I said yes to every question the script gave me)

And with the rpms, I just try to run it, and if it works fine, if not find out what is wrong?

 

[shadowwyvern]

OK, I went through another isntall, this time using the installer to install Xorg and fluxbox. It launches fine, firefox even runs. BUT, it seems to be using a semi-generic graphic driver (vesa). I have read that the radeon driver supposts my laptop's M6 video chipset, so how do I force X to use it? Is this even an X-specific thing? Primary goals with the graphics system:
>I need to have native 1400x1050
>32bit color depth
>Preferably an ability to play UT2K4 (the machine runs it pretty fine in widnows)
>Do somethign about the appearance of the contents of windows in fluxbox (buttons and so forth)

Right now, it works fine at 1024x768x24, but X returns an error when i go to 1400x1050x32 (which my card is capable of)

 

[Bullitt]

Pretty much all you need to do is make sure that the appropriate video-hardware driver is loaded and just configure Xorg to use that appropriate video driver.

I'll be honest, I'm rather put off by ATI's 'nix support so I have not used nor configured any ATI product to run, but I hear its become easier in the past 6 months. Consult google for "ATI linux howto" for a start.

 

[shadowwyvern]

I have gotten X to run at my native resolution, but only at 24 bit color. Anything higher is apparently unsupported (which I guess I expected).

How do I run X windows as a non root user? I get "/bin/sh command not found" when I type startx as a normal user. Also, what fiel manager would you recommend?