How do I know how to do things that aren't described in the wiki?

The Orange Peanut · 2008-03-31 04:37:27

I like the idea of Arch, build it yourself and rolling release. However, there are a lot of things in Linux that I don't know how to configure properly because I'm not familiar with what programs/dependencies are needed and the general how of doing things. Off the top of my head, how do I shut down my computer from Fluxbox with Slim as my login manager (a problem I had with my "experiment with stuff" pc)? This isn't describe in the wiki that I can find. How do I know what optional dependencies a program has been compiled with (i.e. Amarok needs to be compiled with gdkpixbuf to enable artwork transfer)? How do I properly install GTK+/QT themes that aren't in the repos?

I don't want answers to these questions because I'm not currently running Arch (though I want to be within the next couple of weekends), but how do I go about finding the answers on my own? Many of the help pages I've googled are distribution specific (or I don't know how to adapt their instructions to other distros.)

Basically, my question is: how does a newbie find out how to set up applications and settings that aren't in the wiki?

thayer · 2008-03-31 04:56:30

My advice would be to:

* buy a good distro-independent Linux reference for long term use, such as:
-- Linux Administration Handbook (2nd Ed, Prentice Hall)
-- Running Linux (O'Reilly)
* go to the source when seeking official documentation and/or FAQ:
-- your question about Slim is answered at the Slim developer's website (and in the man page I believe)
-- for dependency information, go to the developer's website and either read through their documentation, or download the source and read the including docs
-- GTK theme info can be found at the GNOME website (I believe) and QT at the KDE website

In general, a distro should be expected to provide documentation that is specific to its own tools, plus any "special" instructions that might deviate from the normal procedures implemented by the upstream (application) developer

You'll find plenty of information about pacman and makepkg here, because these are tools written for and maintained by Arch Linux. Everything else is pretty much up to the original application developer, or the helpful nature of our community

tomk · 2008-03-31 06:46:56

Everything thayer said, plus "Google is your friend".

I google stuff I don't know every day - obviously, the results vary, and also the time it takes to get what you want, but I think I can count on one finger the number of times when I found nothing relevant.

Allan · 2008-03-31 07:04:43

You can alway ask here when you are stuck

Misfit138 · 2008-03-31 12:15:34

The Orange Peanut wrote:

I like the idea of Arch, build it yourself and rolling release. However, there are a lot of things in Linux that I don't know how to configure properly because I'm not familiar with what programs/dependencies are needed and the general how of doing things. Off the top of my head, how do I shut down my computer from Fluxbox with Slim as my login manager (a problem I had with my "experiment with stuff" pc)? This isn't describe in the wiki that I can find. How do I know what optional dependencies a program has been compiled with (i.e. Amarok needs to be compiled with gdkpixbuf to enable artwork transfer)? How do I properly install GTK+/QT themes that aren't in the repos?
I don't want answers to these questions because I'm not currently running Arch (though I want to be within the next couple of weekends), but how do I go about finding the answers on my own? Many of the help pages I've googled are distribution specific (or I don't know how to adapt their instructions to other distros.)
Basically, my question is: how does a newbie find out how to set up applications and settings that aren't in the wiki?

It's in the wiki. http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Shu … wer_button
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/SLI … _from_SLiM

Arch Linux

#1 2008-03-31 04:37:27

How do I know how to do things that aren't described in the wiki?

#2 2008-03-31 04:56:30

Re: How do I know how to do things that aren't described in the wiki?

#3 2008-03-31 06:46:56

Re: How do I know how to do things that aren't described in the wiki?

#4 2008-03-31 07:04:43

Re: How do I know how to do things that aren't described in the wiki?

#5 2008-03-31 12:15:34

Re: How do I know how to do things that aren't described in the wiki?

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