[Techtalk] Debian 3 and X-server

[Dave North]

Claudia:
> I was wondering if it could be a problem of hardware (the screen) or
> something else? I've never configured a server X.....
> Any idea about how to solve that?

As usual, instead of being able to say "do this!" it just means more
tiresome questions...
	Debian does not install any X server at all just by running the
installer, so I don't know what steps you've taken to get X going.
	However, if you have been asked questions about your screen and/or
video card, odds are you've begun the process. If not, make a few notes
about your video card (amount of RAM, brand name) and your screen (really,
just the native resolution -- 800x600, 1280x1024, whatever -- it's an
LCD, right?) and type (_after_ reading the rest of this note):
	tasksel
...into your console. There should be an option there for Graphic Desktop
or some such. If you click that, a storm of things will be installed,
including Gnome and some KDE elements, and a graphic login system of some
sort (gdm, xdm, kdm -- kdm is most reliable; gdm a bit faster).
	If that sounds like too heavy a load for your system, pick a
window manager of some sort (icewm is fairly lightweight; windowmaker,
whatever) and try:
	apt-get install chosenwindowmanager
	This will also lead to a storm of installs, including an X server
and other assorted stuff, but won't lead automatically to a graphic login
or Gnome/KDE.
	If you've already done all this but not been asked for information
about your screen and graphics card (debian asks about keyboard and mouse
anyway) Something Is Wrong.
	Clear enough so far? Or am I totally missing something?

Oh, if you have trouble finding the exact package name of your chosen
window managers, there are lots of ways to find out. At this point, you
could try:
	apt-cache search [ice] [windowmaker] [xfce]
... and see what pops out.
If you'd like to see a list of what you have available, try: (as a user,
not as root)
	dselect
and follow the instructions. If you accidentally installed it without
knowing, you can also try the convenient:
	aptitude
...and if you don't have it, you might be advised to try:
	apt-get install aptitude
...and run it as a user. The advantage to running "aptitude" or "dselect"
as a user at first is, they won't install anything, no matter how many
goofs you make. And it's possible to get into some truly awful install
modes until you know your way around.

d