Compiz and startx

Fulgurance · Veteran Joined: 15 Feb 2017 Posts: 1200

Hello, today i have reinstalled totally a new gentoo installation, and i test new method for me, i would like now to use startx with windows manager without desktop environment.

I have installed compiz. I have successfull launching firefox with startx, but i can't display windows decorations while it's activated ! Why it doesn't work ?

LIsLinuxIsSogood · Veteran Joined: 13 Feb 2016 Posts: 1179

Fulgurance, window managers can be a tricky thing, can you please clarify just one thing, is the window manager working outside of this situation with firefox windows? Meaning are all the other applications working with the decorated windows, except firefox? What else you need to see if which version of firefox you have, and which version of compiz, as well. Depending on the build you used for firefox, I think there are two in the main gentoo repo you could try the other one if you want to see if it somehow works differently, or else downgrading the firefox package (so long as everything else is working with compiz). If none of this works then it could be and is most probably just a bug with Firefox and that particular wm. One thing is for sure you should not have to change your browser here, but may just opt for a second, or third or fourth wm for your system. Personally I think I have about 4 of them installed, on each of my 2 systems. And since they each have different software, I actually use more like 5 or 6 unique (different) window managers between the various purposes I have with them. The good is that you should be able to continue to use startx, regardless of which window manager you choose to go with. You can even use it if you have a full blown session manager running by just sending startx the name of the session as an argument.

It is a well documented way of running your GUI programs using X so just go check it out by entering search into google for "starting gnome [or whatever] from command line with startx".

Take a look at the various ones offered in the portage tree, and then also do a quick search in the forum for other window managers. You will get lots of ideas without a doubt, and I think it is not unusual as I mentioned to have more than just one window manager in linux system installed (for example, I use TWM and dwm now on my desktop, and my laptop has 4 or 5 options, including some integrated with desktop environments). install as many as you like, just check to make sure that emerge -pv [package] doesn't pull in like 500 new packages you don't need or want on your system before doing it!

As for downgrading the firefox package is probably your first opportunity to see if this is the result of a bug (which may have previously not been present) and then could be reported with the developers, in terms of the current problem. The downgrade itself is made easy enough in gentoo, you can decide whether to specify it in the command as an argument to install, emerge -av =www-client/firefox-versionxx , or else mask the currently installed one (in /etc/portage/package.mask) then do update, emerge --update firefox and it will do it for you.

Have good luck

Fulgurance · Veteran Joined: 15 Feb 2017 Posts: 1200

Sorry if I had not given a lot of information, but with my boot compiz bugued, I could not do much ...

The problem appear with all applications, and decoration is enabled.

LIsLinuxIsSogood · Veteran Joined: 13 Feb 2016 Posts: 1179

Hi Fulgurance,
Glad to see this is fixed. Maybe you can mark the issue as solved, but good to know that the workings of some window manager features are closely related. Whatever made you think to change over the driver was very wise.

As for use of the nvidia proprietary drivers they do seem to do the job (and well). I don't know whether or not there are any people out there who swear by the nouveau, which is of course built into linux kernel. What I will say is that generally if a proprietary driver exists for something like a video or audio or network card, then that one better work. This is why I tend to use them when I can over the alternative (even if the driver isn't open source), for all things a/v or networking/printing related especially.

Since graphics sort of falls under the same category (for me) that is why I haven't given the nouveau drivers much of a chance. But maybe I will experiment with it sometime soon. Glad to see that you are up and running with firefox!

:lol: