Projects - Installing FVWM

Download
Installing
Configuring

How to install the latest unstable release FVWM-2.5.16 in my Slackware Linux on my computer.

Introduction

FVWM is an extremely powerful ICCCM-compliant multiple virtual desktop window manager for the X Window system. Development is active, and support is excellent.

─ the Official FVWM Home Page.

Fvwm is a window manager for X11. It is designed to minimize memory consumption, provide a 3D look to window frames, and a virtual desktop.

─ The FVWM (F? Virtual Window Manager) manual

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X Window System

However, if you want to know more about FVWM and configure it more freely by yourself, you should know more information about X Window System. If you are an absolutely layman about it, you can read the X Window User HOWTO from TLDP in English or Understanding X Window (in Chinese) from Yin Wang. If this can not satisfy you, then look through the X Window System or check out Amazon for books about Xlib for details about it. At last, you also should know the basic theory of XFree86 or Xorg according to what you used or what you want to use as your X Window Server.

Also, here gives the main idea about the X Window System.

Knowledge

X Server: XFree86, Xorg
X Client: xterm, netscape, etc. (every X application)
Window Manager: AfterStep, Blackbox, ctwm, Enlightenment, FVWM, Sawfish, twm, Window Maker, etc.
Desktop Environment: Gnome, KDE, XFCE, AntiRight, XPde, etc.
Display Manager: xdm, gdm, kdm, etc.
Session Manager: xsm, qsessionmanager, etc.
X Window Protocol Structure: key communication messages between the Client and Server
- X clients make requests to the X server for a certain action to take place. i.e.: Create Window.
- To enhance performance, the X client normally does not expect nor wait for a response. The request is typically left to the reliable network layer to deliver.
- X requests are any multiple of 4 bytes.
- The X server will respond to certain X client requests that require a reply. As noted, not all requests require a reply.
- X replies are any multiple of 4 bytes with a minimum of 32 bytes.
- The X server will forward to the X client an event that the application is expecting. This could include keyboard or mouse input. To minimize network traffic, only expected events are sent to X clients.
- X events are 32 bytes.
- The X server will report errors in requests to the X client. Errors are like an event but are handled differently.
- X errors are the same size as events to simplify their handling. They are sent to the error handling routine of the X client. (32 bytes).
Definition: Check through this page for detail definition about the above concepts.

FVWM Related::

LibStroke: a stroke translation library from LibStroke Home. (for mouse stroke)
habak: program for setting a wallpaper.
Imlib 2: the new Imlib library from Enlightenment. (for habak)
rxvt-unicode: a clone of the well known terminal emulator rxvt. (for Chinese fonts display)
torsmo: TyopoytaORvelo System MOnitor - a system monitor that sits in the corner of your desktop. (for funny and useful indeed)
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Before

HowTo

Download

libstroke-0.5.1fvwm.tar.gz from LibStroke Home.
imlib2-1.2.2.tar.gz from Enlightenment SourceForge.
habak-0.2.5.tar.gz from FVWM-Crystal Files.
rxvt-unicode-7.7.tar.bz2 from dist.schmorp.de.
torsmo-0.18.tar.gz from torsmo SourceForge.¹
fvwm-2.5.16.tar.gz from the Official FVWM Home Page.

Please check the home pages of all the required software for the latest version by yourself.

Installing

If you are new about installing software on GNU/Linux, please read SoftwareInstall package to get a general idea of HOWTO install software on GNU/Linux.

LibStroke

#tar xvfz libstroke-0.5.1fvwm.tar.gz
#cd libstroke-0.5.1fvwm
#./configure
#make
#make install

rxvt-unicode

#tar xvfj rxvt-unicode-7.7.tar.bz2
#cd rxvt-unicode-7.7
#./configure
#make
#make install

imlib2

#tar xvfz imlib2-1.2.2.tar.gz
#cd imlib2-1.2.2
#./configure
#make
#make install

habak

#tar xvfz habak-0.2.5.tar.gz
#cd habak-0.2.5
#make
#cp habak /usr/local/bin/

Notice that if you install imlib2 with ./configure --prefix=PREFIX, you should modify the habak-0.2.5/src/Makefile from

CFLAGS += -I/usr/X11R6/include -Wall
LDFLAGS += -L/usr/X11R6/lib -lImlib2 -lm

CFLAGS += -I$PREFIX/include -Wall
LDFLAGS += -L$PREFIX/lib -lImlib2 -lm

which $PREFIX stands for the path you set in ./configure --prefix=PREFIX when you install imlib2.

torsmo

#tar xvfz torsmo-0.18.tar.gz
#cd torsmo-0.18
#./configure
#make
#make install

FVWM

#tar xvfz fvwm-2.5.16.tar.gz
#cd fvwm-2.5.16
#./configure --disable-bidi
#make
#make install

Configuring

Read XConfig#rxvt-unicode page for details about the configuration of rxvt-unicode.
Read TorsmoConfig page for details about the configuration of torsmo.
Read FvwmConfig page for details about the configuration of FVWM.
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