slim (login manager) fixes and improvements

anrxc · 2009-02-20 18:46:35

Development for slim is inactive since September and some important things are broken. I stichted a few patches together for a start, but a few things are still to be fixed. It's a good login manager and I won't replace it, so if anyone feels the same way I invite you to contribute so we can make an AUR package for all users.

PAM support is broken in more ways, there is a patch for PAM but special usernames (console, suspend...) are still broken. If you remove PAM support then they work but you have to deal with that old bug where X does not restart on logout/X kill. Between the two I settled for PAM support as it's more important that I'm able to logout properly. There's also an annoying bug where keyboard stops working on a VC from where slim was started, a patch is available for that. As for new functionality only thing I missed was Xinerama support, and now a patch is available that adds it.

Here is a PKGBUILD with these patches:
1. Xinerama support
http://developer.berlios.de/patch/?func … up_id=2663
2. No keyboard on VC
http://developer.berlios.de/patch/?func … up_id=2663
3. PAM support fix
http://developer.berlios.de/patch/?func … up_id=2663
4. Restart Xserver if killed
http://developer.berlios.de/patch/?func … up_id=2663

Information about the PAM and special usernames bug is in this bug report: http://bugs.archlinux.org/task/12456

brisbin33 · 2009-02-23 17:11:53

Hey, thanks for patching this. your site seems to be missing slim.logrotate. google found one but it won't validate against your md5 sum i guess. can you post one to your site?

thanks

fijam · 2009-02-23 18:56:37

Did you try to contact SLiM developers to see if they would like to push the patches upstream?

anrxc · 2009-02-27 15:59:38

Hey, thanks for patching this. your site seems to be missing slim.logrotate.

I am very sorry for that, the file was there but web server didn't display it thinking it was a .log file.

Did you try to contact SLiM developers to see if they would like to push the patches upstream?

If you missed checking the links to patches source... they are from the slim project page, but developers are silent since September.

brisbin33 · 2009-02-28 23:28:59

ok, i built and installed your PKGBUILD; now, immediately upon login slim throws up an Unamed Window (the same one that comes up when previewing slim themes) showing only the current slim theme's background pic. the windows the size of my desktop and shifted about 10 pixels North-East. anyone else getting this? any ideas where that could be coming from?

FWIW: i start slim via inittab. and upgrading to your package was the only change i've made to my system before seeing this behavior.

anrxc · 2009-03-01 18:11:00

Your /etc/slim.conf.pacnew file has a new setup option: xinerama_screen so it could be that is what causing this, I updated my config with it prior to restarting slim so I didn't see what happens when you don't do it (I imagine it should default to screen 0). Other then that I can't think of anything else, it all works fine here, only the xinerama patch changes how slim is displayed.

scarecrow · 2009-03-03 13:40:32

I'm getting the same as brisbin33 (with both usable settings for xinerama), and more than that picking another WM/DE does not work properly.
When pressing F1 and picking the alternative WM (Fluxbox) I get XFCE4 (again), and now if I log out of XFCE4 I go straight to a fluxbox session instead the normal Slim prompt!
Both xfce4 and fluxbox are called via the "modern" way, namely "exec ck-launch-session startxfce4" and "exec ck-launch-session startfluxbox" in .xinitrc
Do we need some changes to the traditional .xinitrc syntax to get this going? I also like slim, and it will be a pity to be forced to drop it in favor of gdm...

Last edited by scarecrow (2009-03-03 13:43:07)

anrxc · 2009-03-05 21:54:47

Xinerama patch causes that. Without it I'm not sure this is worth building, as PAM patch only solves part of the problem, restart X works only on logout and not when killed (while without PAM support it doesn't work in both cases). Keyboard patch is good but it's not often you start slim your self...

stanger · 2009-04-18 13:39:01

Hi, is some chance how to login as root without password with this slim build? (I need this for my live cd)

wbeyda · 2010-01-19 03:46:42

broke my xterm, power manager, networkmanager, nitrogen, and conky. Uhhhn In Staaaaled! back to gdm till pekwm makes one.

Ghost1227 · 2010-01-19 03:49:37

Bring out your dead...

skottish · 2010-01-19 04:32:03

Yeah, let's let this thread sleep the eternal sleep.

wbeyda, if you need help with this, please start a new thread.

Arch Linux

#1 2009-02-20 18:46:35

slim (login manager) fixes and improvements

#2 2009-02-23 17:11:53

Re: slim (login manager) fixes and improvements

#3 2009-02-23 18:56:37

Re: slim (login manager) fixes and improvements

#4 2009-02-27 15:59:38

Re: slim (login manager) fixes and improvements

#5 2009-02-28 23:28:59

Re: slim (login manager) fixes and improvements

#6 2009-03-01 18:11:00

Re: slim (login manager) fixes and improvements

#7 2009-03-03 13:40:32

Re: slim (login manager) fixes and improvements

#8 2009-03-05 21:54:47

Re: slim (login manager) fixes and improvements

#9 2009-04-18 13:39:01

Re: slim (login manager) fixes and improvements

#10 2010-01-19 03:46:42

Re: slim (login manager) fixes and improvements

#11 2010-01-19 03:49:37

Re: slim (login manager) fixes and improvements

#12 2010-01-19 04:32:03

Re: slim (login manager) fixes and improvements

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