Experimental Package 'Xnest' DE Behavior Changed {Solved}

[Alexzee]

This pkg is experimental and was installed yesterday during an update to my KDE Plasma Slackware stable install.
I didn't place this thread in the Slackware Forum as (I believe) it is more related to the DE, X-server and other functions associated with the GUI at boot up.

This desktop is not configured to function as a server.
A triple boot, Devuan Daedalus 5, Debian 12 Mate and Slackware 15.0.

After checking the /etc/inittab/ file the runlevel was not changed. It was set to 4 like I set it during the install.

#   4 = X11/Wayland with SDDM/KDM/GDM/XDM (session managers)

Xnest

# Xnest is an experimental nested server for X that acts as both a
# client and a server. Xnest is a client of the real server which
# manages windows and graphics requests on its behalf.  Xnest is a
# server to its own clients. Xnest manages windows and graphics
# requests on their behalf. To these clients Xnest appears to be a
# conventional server.
Package xorg-server-xnest-1.20.14-x86_64-13_slack15.0.txz installed.

I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced these issues that use the KDE Plasma or XFCE DE.

- Having to drop to a root prompt shell to switch between users
-Typing in 'startx' to get to the GUI
- Keyboard at login doesn't appear now

I'm thinking that if Xnest is tied to any other lib or pkg that's responsible for the functionality of the X11 server removing it could wreck havoc on the GUI or other session mgr's. (just a thought, not sure if that's correct)

Not being fond of experimental pkg's on my system: I'm interested in what you think about removing it.

Cheers,
Alex

 

[osprey]

@Alexzee wrote:

I'm thinking that if Xnest is tied to any other lib or pkg that's responsible for the functionality of the X11 server removing it could wreck havoc on the GUI or other session mgr's. (just a thought, not sure if that's correct)

I can't say why xnest would be considered experimental since it's been around since at least the end of the last century, a time from which I've used it intermittently but not recently. I can't vouch for xnest on Devuan and Slackware, but on debian, it's a package that nothing else depends on:

[tom@min /tmp]$ apt rdepends xnest
xnest
Reverse Depends:

so in adding or deleting it one would not expect it to interfere with other programs. It uses the installed X server for its functioning and fonts and behaves as another client of the X server like an app. If there has been some "experimental" aspect that has been integrated with it, I'm not aware it. In debian it's a single executable. Here is a listing of all its associated files:

[tom@min /tmp]$ apt-file list xnest
xnest: /usr/bin/Xnest                   
xnest: /usr/share/doc/xnest/changelog.Debian.gz
xnest: /usr/share/doc/xnest/changelog.gz
xnest: /usr/share/doc/xnest/copyright
xnest: /usr/share/man/man1/Xnest.1.gz

On the other operating systems, hopefully there'd be some info on the experimental aspect if it's there, and also check exactly what the package installs.

 

[Alexzee]

@Alexzee wrote:

I can't say why xnest would be considered experimental since it's been around since at least the end of the last century, a time from which I've used it intermittently but not recently. I can't vouch for xnest on Devuan and Slackware, but on debian, it's a package that nothing else depends on:

[tom@min /tmp]$ apt rdepends xnest
xnest
Reverse Depends:

so in adding or deleting it one would not expect it to interfere with other programs. It uses the installed X server for its functioning and fonts and behaves as another client of the X server like an app. If there has been some "experimental" aspect that has been integrated with it, I'm not aware it. In debian it's a single executable. Here is a listing of all its associated files:

[tom@min /tmp]$ apt-file list xnest
xnest: /usr/bin/Xnest                  
xnest: /usr/share/doc/xnest/changelog.Debian.gz
xnest: /usr/share/doc/xnest/changelog.gz
xnest: /usr/share/doc/xnest/copyright
xnest: /usr/share/man/man1/Xnest.1.gz

On the other operating systems, hopefully there'd be some info on the experimental aspect if it's there, and also check exactly what the package installs.

Thanks for the quick reply-

I'm having trouble finding the file with the information about this pkg.

The list below shows all packages with name matching "xorg".

[ installed ] - xorg-cf-files-1.0.7-x86_64-1
[ installed ] - xorg-docs-1.7.1-noarch-4
[ installed ] - xorg-server-1.20.14-x86_64-13_slack15.0
[ installed ] - xorg-server-xephyr-1.20.14-x86_64-13_slack15.0
[ installed ] - xorg-server-xnest-1.20.14-x86_64-13_slack15.0
[ installed ] - xorg-server-xvfb-1.20.14-x86_64-13_slack15.0
[ installed ] - xorg-server-xwayland-21.1.4-x86_64-11_slack15.0
[ installed ] - xorg-sgml-doctools-1.11-x86_64-5
[ installed ] - xorgproto-2021.5-x86_64-1

You can search specific files using "slackpkg file-search file".


root@slackware64:~# slackpkg file-search xnest

Looking for xnest in package list. Please wait... DONE

The list below shows the packages that contains "xnest" file.

[ installed ] - xorg-server-xnest-1.20.14-x86_64-13_slack15.0

You can search specific packages using "slackpkg search package".

IF I understand correctly, osprey, I need to run the pkginfo script to find out the size of the package, the package description, and a list of the files installed by the package. Here:

https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/useful-custom-commands-for-slackware-174647/

Glad it doesn't depend on any other pkg's on Debian.

How would I rule out that Xnest doesn't depend on any other lib's or pkg's before I remove it?

 

[Alexzee]

What's baffling is Xnest isn't in the list when I run:

cd /man/man1/

Yet it shows in Emacs:

./
install/slack-desc
usr/usr/bin
usr/bin/Xnest
usr/man
usr/man/mam1/
usr/man/man1/Xnest.1.gz

I need to see what's in the slack-desc file for Xnest:-
Learning as I go.

 

[osprey]

@Alexzee
That link in post #3 looks to be well worth investigating with some trial uses of the scripts generously provided. As you may recall, my slackware experience stopped around the years around the turn of the century with the 24 or so floppy disks used for installation when the hostname was "darkstar" IIRC, so I'm rather useless on today's release

 

[Alexzee]

@Alexzee
That link in post #3 looks to be well worth investigating with some trial uses of the scripts generously provided. As you may recall, my slackware experience stopped around the years around the turn of the century with the 24 or so floppy disks used for installation when the hostname was "darkstar" IIRC, so I'm rather useless on today's release

Agreed, hope it leads to success.

The years of floppy disk's and backing up every day/night are just a memories now.

With your Debian system are you using X11 or Wayland?
And is the DE working correctly under Wayland?

 

[osprey]

Agreed, hope it leads to success.

The years of floppy disk's and backing up every day/night are just a memories now.

With your Debian system are you using X11 or Wayland?
And is the DE working correctly under Wayland?

The debian used here is all X11 on a number of a machines run by a number of people over a range of different debian releases, bookworm, trixie and sid ... though there's a move to trixie at the moment for it's more recent programs. The reason for X11 is that all machines here run window managers: dwm, icewm, openbox, twm, so we aren't into wayland yet. When one has machines that were installed 5 to 10 years ago, and just upgraded from that time on with the same window managers, I guess the power of habituation has prevailed.

Plenty of other distros have been run in virtual machines, but usually for some targeted purpose of discovery rather than for daily computing.

 

[Alexzee]

Thanks for the details osprey.

Backed up the os today and all the new files I've created in the last few days.
Gotta work a double shift tomorrow......so this
may take a few days to get to.

 

[Alexzee]

Removed the experimental pkg from the system.

root@slackware64:~# removepkg xorg-server-xnest
Removing package: xorg-server-xnest-1.20.14-x86_64-13_slack15.0
Removing files:
  --> Deleting /usr/bin/Xnest
  --> Deleting /usr/man/man1/Xnest.1.gz
  Ran slackpkg search to ensure it was removed-
[uninstalled] - xorg-server-xnest-1.20.14-x86_64-13_slack15.0

Upon a fresh reboot there were no issue's. I then had (which didn't at start of the thread) the onscreen keyboard. I'd like to disable it as this is a gaming monitor not a touch screen.
Also, to be able to get to the desktop I no longer have to drop to a tty to move to the other user account. The most recent update fixed that.

To disable the virtual keyboard I edited the /etc/sddm.conf file.

root@slackware64:~# cat /etc/sddm.conf
[General]
#Input method module
InputMethod=

From this string argument:

# Input method module
InputMethod=qtvirtualkeyboard

To this:

# Input method module
InputMethod=

It's Friday which means it's cave time!
Wishing all a nice weekend.