Applescript/Scripting
ATM Replacements
Classic Cursors
Classic ResEdit Mods
Download ResEdit
Interarchy Interfaces
Linux Icebox
MacOS Startup Screens


About Us
Advertising
Contact Us
Submission Policy

Files are in Stuffit 5 or greater format.
Free download.

Tell us about a bad link.

Thank You!

On every Mac that I have installed LinuxPPC. the xserver was the default Xpmac. On my Pismo Powerbook, this sometimes created vertical artifacts in the screen when moving windows. On the LinuxPPC email list, the consensus was that Xpmac is nearing the end of it's useful life. The new XFree86 4.0 supports ATI Rage 128, better support for USB mice and keyboards, and is easier to customize.

I decided to take the plunge. Maybe you would like to too. Come on in, the water is fine...

Make sure you have upgrades to a recent kernel. While not directly related to XFree86, now is a good time to upgrade your USB layer support too. Follow the usb instructions on Ben Herrenschmidt's web page and make sure USB works correctly before moving on to the xserver install.

If possible, it's really handy to have you linux computer on a network. This way, if you have a problem with the config file during the install, you can telnet into the box, edit XF86config, and do a clean restart if necessary.

Two developers have posted binaries for XFree86 to make it easier for you.

ftp://ftp.linuxppc.org/users/fsirl/xf4/RPMS

Download everything in the directory and follow the instructions in the READ ME. I installed the rpm files one at a time and fixed any directory errors as they appeared.

The trickiest part of getting the whole thing to work is having a good XF86Config file. I used the supplied Pismo file, but the xserver wouldn't run until I modified the InputDevice section:

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2" # changed this line
Option "Device" "/dev/usbmouse" # changed this line
Option "Emulate3Buttons" # allows mouse chording on my 2 button USB mouse
EndSection

Once the xserver was running and I could run KDE, it was time for a little fine tuning. Having a Powerbook means I often need to emulator the other two mouse buttons. This is no longer done with kernel arguments in the yaboot file. Instead, add the following three lines at the end of you /etc/rc.d/rc.local. (Thanks Martin Costabel)

echo 1 > /proc/sys/dev/mac_hid/mouse_button_emulation
echo 63 > /proc/sys/dev/mac_hid/mouse_button2_keycode
echo 64 > /proc/sys/dev/mac_hid/mouse_button3_keycode

The numbers 63 and 64 equal FKey 5 and 6. How did I know that? The keycodes are all in this text file:

/usr/include/linux/input.h

One thing I noticed after the switch from Xpmac to XFree was that the screen was darker. To change the gamma setting, add the following command: -gamma 1.8 to /etc/X11/xdm/Xservers as shown below:

:0 local /usr/X11R6/bin/X -gamma 1.2 # I like 1.2 better than 1.8. Try different values.

Here in an excellent page with more info. And here are the release notes, with lots of tips, for XFree86 4.

Updated: 8/30/00

On my system, when I tried to shutdown from kdm (the login screen), the xserver would relaunch over and over.

To solve this problem, I edited the last line of /etc/inittab and changed respawn to once.

The remaining problem is a white square that flashes around the cursor when ever it changed from one pointer type to another.

Good luck and I discover more information, I'll post it here and mention it on the main page.