Table of Contents
What's New in GNOME SlackBuild 2.22.1?
Last Updated: May 27 2008
NOTE: GNOME SlackBuild GNOME 2.22.1 is designed and built for Slackware 12.1. It will not work on Slackware 12.0 or earlier releases.
If you are a user of Slackware 12.0, you must upgrade first. You can find full instructions on how to upgrade by reading the Slackware UPGRADE.TXT
This page then is mainly aimed at those users who were running Slackware 12.0 and GNOME SlackBuild 2.20 and are upgrading their systems rather than installing fresh. If you are a new-comer to GNOME SlackBuild, and running Slackware 12.1, please see our Download page for a full set of instructions. However, this page also contains a list of changes from GSB 2.20 and may be of interest to those who are curious about what's happening with GNOME SlackBuild.
Upgrading GNOME SlackBuild from earlier versions↑
You must first configure your slapt-getrc to point to both
a Slackware 12.1 repository as well as the GSB 2.22.1
repository. You can find all the necessary information on how to do so, as well
as a list of source mirrors on our Download page.
If you were a user of -CURRENT previously, make sure to modify your slapt-getrc files to use the gsb-stable directory rather than gsb-current. The upgrade should be smooth for those users of GSB 2.20. If you are upgrading from Slackware 12.0 and GSB 2.20, there are a few things to note:
Deprecated Packages
-
You'll have to remove the gnome-volume-manager, as it has been replaced by gvfs. If you use slapt-get, you'll see a conflict warning.
-
Our compiz package is now called compiz-fusion to avoid confusion with the Slackware compiz package. Our compiz-fusion package is built with Gtk/GNOME support, and integrates much better into a GNOME environment that the Slackware version. However, our compiz-fusion package does not come with a KDE Window Decorator, so if you plan on using KDE or switching back and forth while using Compiz, it's best to stay with Slackware version. If you are going to use GNOME with Compiz, our package is a much better choice.
-
libmusicbrainz: Slackware no longer offers libmusicbrainz, but Sound-juicer and Rhythmbox still use it, so we have begun to offer the package now.
-
XML-Simple: This package can be removed. Slackware offers xml-simple in the perl package. If you do remove XML-Simple, please remember to do a:
$ removepkg XML-Simple $ slapt-get --install --reinstall perl
This will make sure you have the latest and up-to-date perl package.
-
util-linux: The new hal package with Slackware requires the change from util-linux to util-linux-ng. You must replace util-linux with util-linux-ng in order to use HAL automounting with GSB. Pat recommends the following:
$ slapt-get --install util-linux-ng $ removepkg util-linux $ slapt-get --install util-linux-ng
Install, remove, and then reinstall again. I include this as a note, as it may catch a few people off guard when doing the upgrade.
Packages No Longer Supplied by GNOME SlackBuild
It's suggested you remove these with removepkg, and the use slapt-get to reinstall the standard Slackware packages. (Particularly gtk+2)
NOTE 1: We no longer offer a patched openldap package, but provide an
evo-openldap package which will not conflict with openldap.
This evo-openldap is used by Evolution for NTLM.
NOTE 2: GSB package Pyrex is now replaced by Slackware's pyrex package.
If you were running GSB 2.20 on Slackware 12.0, you will need to switch to the Slackware 12.1 versions of the follow packages. The following GSB packages are now deprecated and should be removed and replaced by the corresponding Slackware version. First remove them:
$ removepkg Pyrex gtk+2 libgpod pango pygtk bluez-libs icon-naming-utils poppler shared-mime-info \ bluez-utils libcddb poppler-data tango-icon-theme dbus-glib libcdio libmtp wavpack \ gnome-icon-theme openldap-client pygobject fuse wpa_supplicant dbus-python
Using slapt-get and a Slackware 12.1 repository, you can now re-install the above using their corresponding Slackware supplied versions.
$ slapt-get --install --reinstall gtk+2 libgpod pango pygtk bluez-libs icon-naming-utils \ poppler shared-mime-info bluez-utils libcddb poppler-data tango-icon-theme dbus-glib \ libcdio libmtp wavpack gnome-icon-theme openldap-client pygobject fuse wpa_supplicant \ dbus-python pyrex
Now for the actual upgrade. The upgrade should be smooth for those users of GSB 2.20. Make sure your slapt-getrc is pointing to the latest Slackware 12.1 and GSB stable repository. For a list of mirrors, please see our Download page
$ slapt-get --update
It may be convenient first to download all upgradable packages before installing.
$ slapt-get --upgrade -d
This will download all the packages first. You may need up to 500MB of free space in your /var directory. After the download is finished, you can proceed to upgrade GSB. It is recommended that you first drop to single-user mode:
$ telinit 1 $ slapt-get --upgrade
Please make sure to reboot your machine after upgrading all your packages. As well, you may wish to take a look at our Configure page.
The GNOME SlackBuild GNOME 2.22.1 Desktop ↑
GNOME 2.22.1 is the latest
version of the GNOME Desktop. There have been a lot of
improvements in GNOME 2.22.1, which
include better networked filesystems, DVD, Digital TV Support,
improved Evolution Mail client, the new Remote Desktop Viewer,
improved Evince viewer, new features in Accessibility, and
better Internationalisation. For a complete summary of what is new
to the GNOME 2.22.1 Desktop, please refer to the release notes.
Fewer Package Replacements ↑
GNOME SlackBuild is designed to bring the greatest features
of GNOME to Slackware, integrating seamlessly into a standard install while
at the same time replacing as few system supplied packages as possible. With
Slackware 12.1, we have reduced even further our replaced packages list.
# THIS IS THE REQUIRED PACKAGES LIST FOR GSB GNOME 2.22.1 # # The following is a list of packages that can replace official Slackware packages. # # Packages listed under 'Required' are Slackware packages that must be replaced # by corresponding GNOME SlackBuild versions in order to use GNOME 2.22.1 on Slackware 12. # Reasons for their replacement are given within brackets. # # Packages listed under 'Optional' are packages which replace official Slackware # packages, but their replacement are only necessary for added functionality, or # certain GNOME applications. Their replacement is recommended, but not required # if you do not plan to use certain applications, or are dead set against replacing # any Slackware provided packages. # # List last updated: May 4th (stevek) # ********************************************** Slackware 12.1 is required to run GNOME 2.22.1 ********************************************** -- Required Package Replacements for GNOME 2.22.1 on Slackware 12.1 -- glib2: ( > 2.15 required by libgnome 2.22, Gvfs 0.2.3, and Nautilus 2.22) libwnck: ( > 2.22 required by Metacity 2.22, and GNOME 2.22 at large) -- Optional Replacements -- mozilla-firefox: (Provides shared libraries. Required by: Epiphany, Yelp, GNOME Python, DevHelp) compiz-fusion: (Slackware comes with compiz 0.7.4, compiz-fusion is cooler though and offers GNOME support) libgsf: (Slackware's libgsf lacks GNOME support; required for GNOME Office applications like Gnumeric)
New and Updated Packages ↑
Nautilus with GVFS/GIO
New: The latest version of Nautilus now uses GVFS/GIO
rather than using the now deprecated GNOME-VFS system. Some features
are now missing, such as fonts://, but for the most part, it has feature
partity with the older GNOME-VFS. Nautilus now handles all disk mounting
directly, and no longer relies on Gnome Volume Manager, which has been
removed from GNOME SlackBuild's GNOME Desktop. File copying is much
smoother, as is the access of Network folders via Samba, ObexFTP and WebDAV.
GNOME Volume Manager is slowly being deprecated by Nautilus, and now in part causes conflicts with Nautilus and desktop management. Nautilus however has not yet fully replaced the Volume Manager, and some functionality (like video camera autostart) may be missing. Hopefully this will soon catch up.
Compiz-Fusion
Compiz-Fusion has been upgraded to the latest 0.7.4 version.
Our compiz-fusion package comes with CCSM for easy integration into
your GNOME desktop, and with two sets of extra plugins for all sorts
of cool and wacky effects by which you can impress your neighbours. Compiz
is easily accessible straight from GDM (the GNOME Display Manager), or using
Fusion-Icon, you can start, stop, and switch between the Compiz decorators, Metacity
or any other X Window Manager you prefer. For more information, see Compiz-Fusion's
home page.
New: GNOME SlackBuild now comes with the fusion-icon package allowing users to easily switch between their various window managers, like Metacity and Compiz, in addition to changing between various window decorators like Emerald and the GTK Window Decorator.
New: The Emerald Decorator is now a part of our GSB Compiz package and is the default for Compiz-GNOME. The Emerald Window Decorator allows Compiz theming and other various style changes to your Compiz Desktop.
Note: Slackware 12.1 comes with Compiz, not Compiz-Fusion. Our package
is called compiz-fusion, not compiz in order to avoid the
confusion. However, we have specified a "package conflict" with Slackware's package.
You may want to remove your compiz package and replace it with our Compiz-Fusion package.
If you're wondering what the difference is, please see their
Wiki page.
Avant Window Manager
New: The Avant-Window-Navigator is now featured in our Compiz
package. Avant Window Navigator (Awn) is a dock-like bar which sits at the bottom
of the screen. It has support for launchers, task lists, and third party applets. It
makes emulation of a Mac cool and easy, and makes for nice eye candy for your GNOME
Compiz Desktop. For more information, see Avant Window Navigator's
home page.
Metacity
GNOME 2.22 officially incorporates the Metacity window
manager, a fully integrated window manager that uses GTK+ for
visual elements, communicates tightly with the panel and other
desktop elements, and is configured straight from the GNOME
preferences dialogs. It includes full keyboard navigation,
including navigation to the panel and the desktop background, and
it very themeable. For more information, see Metacity's
home
page.
New: Metacity is now built with compositing enabled.
Pulseaudio
New: Pulseaudio is now installed as the default GNOME
SlackBuild sound server. Pulseaudio has many cool features for your
desktop, including transferring the audio to a different machine,
changing the sample format or channel count and mixing several sounds,
or changing the volume for different applications all running at one.
For instance, you can turn the volume down on music playing in the background
while turning up the volume for a game or movie playing in the foreground.
These are easily achieved using PulseAudio. For more information, see PulseAudio's
home page.
In order to get sound in your GNOME Desktop, you'll need to "Enable software sound mixing (ESD)" from your Sound control panel. This starts pulseaudio (which has replaced esd). For new users, this is on by default. If you have a previous GNOME setup and have this disabled, you may notice a lack of sound. :) GNOME is now configured by default to use Pulseaudio, so applications like Rhythmbox, Totem, etc, will use it. You can switch between using PulseAudio, ALSA, etc, by choosing from the "Devices" menu in the Sound Control Panel. The padevchooser is configured to autostart, and you can access all the fancy options and features of pulseaudio directly from your GNOME panel.
Note: PulseAudio works great with Avahi! It will allow you to discover and browse remote sound servers, or even share your sound server and speakers with other users.
Rhythmbox
New: The latest version of Rhythmbox has many
improved features as a music browser, searching and sorting,
and much better support for your iPod, MTP and USB Music Player support.
For more information, see Rhythmbox's home page.
Totem
New: Totem is now even better! It supports local publishing
of playlists through the latest Easy Publish and Consume Library. It
also has new plugins to allow you to browse YouTube videos, and better support
for DV and DVD/CD. It uses the latest and greatest GStreamer backend in order
to support every possible media format you can think of. For more information,
see Totem's home page.
Latest (from SVN) NetworkManager
New: GNOME SlackBuild provides the latest
and improved NetworkManager 0.7 from svn, including the
network-manager applet for your GNOME panel, and VPN connection
support with openvpn and vpnc. For more information, see
NetworkManager's home page.
Note: At the moment, the PPTP client is not available, since it has not been updated to the latest NetworkManager API.
Avahi and Zerconf
New: GNOME SlackBuild now has better Avahi Zeroconf
support and browsing of local network services. We now include the
Zerconf Service Browser applet which allows you to easily search
and connect to local network services, such as WebDAV, VNC remote sessions,
ssh, http, telnet and DAAP multimedia.
GNOME File Sharing
New: GNOME Personal File Sharing is now even better. Simply
enable file sharing, and drop any file into your "Public" folder, and voila,
anyone can access your files easily via WebDAV. No messy set up process,
and no need for root permissions.
GNOME Desktop Sharing
New: GNOME now easily allows you to share and view remote
desktops with Vino and Vinagre. Vino is a tool for remote administration
readily built into the GNOME Desktop Environment. It allows you to share your
local desktop with a remote computer. This can be used for quick and efficient
in-house support as well as for remote assistance via Internet. Vinagre
is a VNC Client for the GNOME Desktop. With it, you can connect to several machines
at the same time, keep track of your most used connections, and browse your
network for VNC servers with Avahi.
OpenOffice.Org Suite 2.4
New: GNOME SlackBuild provides the latest version of
OpenOffice 2.4, including Writer, Impress, Math,
and Web Writer, all built with Java support, and with the GTK
widget set to seamlessly match your GNOME Desktop. It even comes with
an OpenOffice.org submenu for your GNOME Applications menu.
For more information about OpenOffice, see OpenOffice.org's home page.
Abiword 2.6 Series
New: Now included in GNOME SlackBuild's office suite
is the latest Abiword 2.6 series. AbiWord is a lean and fast
full-featured word processor, with lots of features useful for your
daily work, personal needs, or for just some good old typing fun.
AbiWord is able to read and write all industry standard document types,
such as OpenOffice.org documents, Microsoft Word documents, WordPerfect
documents, Rich Text Format documents, HTML web pages and many more.
It also supports page layouts, internationalization, mail merge, and
has an assortment of plugins. For more information, please see Abiword's
home page.
GNOME Do!
New: GNOME Do allows you to quickly search for many items present in
your GNOME desktop environment (applications, Evolution contacts, Firefox
bookmarks, files, artists and albums in Rhythmbox, Pidgin buddies, etc.)
and perform commonly used actions on those items (Run, Open, Email, Chat,
Play, etc.), all at a keyboard stroke. For more information see
GNOME Do's home page.
Mono and MonoDevelop
New: GNOME SlackBuild comes with the latest version of
of Mono and MonoDevelop, the GNOME IDE designed for C# and other .NET languages.
The main features of MonoDevelop are code completion, class management,
and project support. For more information, see MonoDevelop's home page.
Note: GSB provides the latest Mono 1.9 and its supporting libraries, which have some changes to the API. Some applications which compiled fine under the previous Mono 1.2 release may have some difficulties with the new version.
GNOME Scan
GNOME Scan provides Flegita, an application for accesing scanners
from your GNOME Desktop, allowing you to simply scan an area from a device
and save to a file in various format (currently, PNG, JPEG, TIFF and PDF are
supported.) There is also Flegita-gimp, a gimp plugin that uses the GNOME Scan
libraries. For more information, please see the GNOME Scan's
home page.
Known Issues and Bugs ↑
GNOME SlackBuild v2.22.1
is considered stable, but with only a few volunteers to help build and test it, we cannot
guarantee that it is free from errors. :) If you find any bugs in GNOME SlackBuild, please
help us and the GNOME SlackBuild project out by reporting them. You can find a full list of
any known issues, or you can report any new issues, by visiting our
Development Issues page, or by sending an email to our mailing list. You can find all our
contact information on our Mailing Lists page.