[How-To] Install and Run WindowMaker

jayemef · #1 19th November 2004, 06:12 AM

I decided to give WindowMaker a try, and so, as with any other thing I haven't done before, I checked here to see if anyone had any tips or how-tos. Didn't see any, so I figured I'd do it and post one. Took a while to get it working, but it's not too hard, though there is probably a better way to do it. Now, onto the how-to.

Install WindowMaker
+Method One+
Probably the easiest method for installing WM is to use yum.

Code:

yum install windowmaker

I personally had no luck with this. Tried both windowmaker and wmaker, and both came up with nothing found. I'm probably just missing the right repos though.

+Method Two+
The second method is to use apt. I don't use apt myself, so I didn't test this, but the command would look something like

Code:

apt-get install windowmaker

+Method Three+
This is the method I used, so I can guarantee it works. First, you'll need to download WM. Go to http://www.windowmaker.org/ and download the latest source (looks something like WindowMaker-0.91.0.tar.gz). You may save it to whereever you like. Once the download completes, you will want to extract it. Open a terminal, navigate to the directory your file is stored in, and enter

Code:

gunzip WindowMaker-0.xx.xx.tar.gz
tar -xf WindowMaker-0.xx.xx.tar

Now that the file is extracted, you should see a new directory. Navigate into it. The next step is to compile and install. Open a terminal and enter

Code:

./configure
make

Some notes. When compiling the source, you may decide you want to specify where wmaker installs to. If you do, use the command ./configure --prefix=your_directory.

Now that you have done that, you will need to become root and install.

Code:

su
make install

WindowMaker is now installed.

Configuring Files
We are not done yet. Now that WindowMaker is installed, open another terminal and enter

Code:

su
cp /usr/local/bin/wmaker.inst /home/your_user_name
exit

Navigate to your home directory and run

Code:

./wmaker.inst

A script will now run that will configure files. Respond to it as you wish.

Now, try running

Code:

switchdesk wmaker

You probably got a message saying WindowMaker isn't installed, right? no problem. That's a lie. Afterall, we just installed it. This is just a bug. Go to your home directory and check to see if you have the directories .Xclients and .Xclients-default by running

Code:

ls -a

If you do not, enter

Code:

switchdesk twm

If you don't have TWM installed, try other window managers/desktop environements until the .Xclients and .Xclients-default files have been created. Once they have, open .Xclients-defaults and go to the line that reads WM="xxx". Comment it out and replace it with a line that reads WM="wmaker". You are now set. Close any running programs and log out. Log back in, and you should be in WindowMaker.

Here's a nice guided tour on using it: http://main.linuxfocus.org/~georges.t/

HAVE FUN!

crossfire · #2 2nd December 2004, 09:14 PM

Hey jayemef,

I saw your tutorial and search web to get another easy ways to install windowmaker. I will try 3rd option but I got working 1st option working this way:

-Just u have to do is config dag wieers repository:

#vi /etc/yum.repos.d/dag.repo

Code:

[dag]
name=Dag
baseurl=http://apt.sw.be/fedora/$releasever/en/$basearch/dag/
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1

-Enable dag repository and import gpg keys:

Code:

#yum --enablerepo=dag
#rpm --import http://dag.wieers.com/packages/RPM-GPG-KEY.dag.txt

Installing WindowMaker

Code:

#yum install windowmaker

Will install windowmaker 0.91 !

jayemef · #3 3rd December 2004, 01:31 AM

Thanks. When I wrote that the repositories didn't have it available for core 3 yet, which is why it hadn't come up.