Latest revision as of 10:23, 12 August 2024

The MATE Desktop Environment is the continuation of GNOME 2. It provides an intuitive and attractive desktop environment using traditional metaphors for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems.

Note: Before installing any desktop,

Create a non-privileged user account for security reasons, if you skipped this step during Installation.
Enable community repository. Setup-desktop script automatically does this for you.
Install graphics driver for your video hardware.

Installation using setup-desktop

The Alpine Linux script for setting up a desktop quickly is setup-desktop.

# setup-desktop

On running the above command, you will be prompted to select a desktop environment.

Which desktop environment? ('gnome', 'plasma', 'xfce', 'mate', 'sway' or 'none') [none]

Once you have chosen a desktop environment, this script installs the chosen desktop along with all the necessary packages, firefox browser and adds the necessary services to run on startup. You can reboot when complete and the system will boot into a graphical login screen with the desktop environment. Depending on the desktop chosen, the script also activates the necessary services like dbus, elogind, login manager etc..

To view all the packages that are installed by the script for the chosen desktop you can issue the below command:

# cat /sbin/setup-desktop

Manual Installation

Prerequisites

Install Xorg
Install and configure D-Bus with X11 add-ons

# apk add mate-desktop-environment lxdm adwaita-icon-theme faenza-icon-theme # gvfs_pkgs=$(apk search gvfs -q | grep -v '\-dev' | grep -v '\-lang' | grep -v '\-doc') # apk add $gvfs_pkgs

If you are running your Alpine installation from RAM, save the changes:

# lbu ci

Try starting dbus and lxdm. This will start the display manager and should allow you to login.

# rc-service lxdm start

If it worked, enable the services to start on reboot

# rc-update add lxdm

Misc

TrueType fonts

Todo: The directions below need improvement because they don't work well: They pull in many non-font packages.

Add all available TrueType Fonts:

$ ttfs=$(apk search -q ttf- | grep -v '\-doc') # apk add $ttfs

Disabling standby and screensaver

Check the current configuration using xset:

# apk add xset $ xset q

Contents of xset q

Keyboard Control:
  auto repeat:  on    key click percent:  0    LED mask:  00000000
  XKB indicators:
    00: Caps Lock:   off    01: Num Lock:    off    02: Scroll Lock: off
    03: Compose:     off    04: Kana:        off    05: Sleep:       off
    06: Suspend:     off    07: Mute:        off    08: Misc:        off
    09: Mail:        off    10: Charging:    off    11: Shift Lock:  off
    12: Group 2:     off    13: Mouse Keys:  off
  auto repeat delay:  500    repeat rate:  20
  auto repeating keys:  00ffffffdffffbbf
                        fadfffefffedffff
                        9fffffffffffffff
                        fff7ffffffffffff
  bell percent:  0    bell pitch:  400    bell duration:  100
Pointer Control:
  acceleration:  2/1    threshold:  4
Screen Saver:
  prefer blanking:  yes    allow exposures:  yes
  timeout:  600    cycle:  0
Colors:
  default colormap:  0x22    BlackPixel:  0x0    WhitePixel:  0xffffff
Font Path:
  /usr/share/fonts/misc,/usr/share/fonts/100dpi:unscaled,/usr/share/fonts/75dpi:unscaled,/usr/share/fonts/misc,/usr/share/fonts/100dpi:unscaled,/usr/share/fonts/75dpi:unscaled,built-ins
DPMS (Energy Star):
  Standby: 600    Suspend: 0    Off: 900
  DPMS is Enabled
  Monitor is On

To disable those timers issue the command:

$ xset dpms 0 0 0

Santiy check:

$ xset q | grep Standby Standby: 0 Suspend: 0 Off: 0

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-== Enable Community Repository ==
-= Enable Community Repository =
+The [https://mate-desktop.org/ MATE Desktop Environment] is the continuation of GNOME 2. It provides an intuitive and attractive desktop environment using traditional metaphors for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems.
-Mate is available in the Community repository. Uncomment {{codeline|http://<url>/alpine/<version>/community}} in {{path|/etc/apk/repositories}}. For example:
-{{cat|/etc/apk/repositories|<nowiki># /etc/apk/repositories
-#/media/sdb/apks
+{{:Include:Setup-desktop}}
-http://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/alpine/v3.8/main
-http://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/alpine/v3.8/community
-#http://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/alpine/v3.8/testing
+= Manual Installation =
-</nowiki>
-}}
+== Prerequisites ==
-== Install MATE Desktop ==
+* [[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-xorg-base|Install Xorg]]
+* [[D-Bus#Installation|Install and configure D-Bus]] with X11 add-ons
-Mate is available in the community repository.
+<br>
-The next commands are used to install all avaliable video drivers and setup Xorg server:
+{{Cmd|<nowiki># apk add mate-desktop-environment lxdm adwaita-icon-theme faenza-icon-theme
-<pre>
+# gvfs_pkgs=$(apk search gvfs -q &#124; grep -v '\-dev' &#124; grep -v '\-lang' &#124; grep -v '\-doc')
-videodrivers=$(apk search --quiet --exact xf86-video* | grep -v -- '\-doc$')
+# apk add $gvfs_pkgs</nowiki>}}
-setup-xorg-base $videodrivers
-</pre>
-Now let us install a bunch of needed packages what includes all MATE Desktop packages avaliable in our Edge repository:
-<pre>
+<br>
-apk add desktop-file-utils gtk-engines consolekit gtk-murrine-engine caja caja-extensions marco dbus lxdm udev hicolor-icon-theme sudo
-mate_pkgs=$(apk search mate -q | grep -v '\-dev' | grep -v '\-lang' | grep -v '\-doc')
-apk add $mate_pkgs
-</pre>
-In the next step we add some services to start up with the operating system:
+If you are running your Alpine installation from RAM, save the changes:
-{{Cmd|rc-update add lxdm
+{{Cmd|# lbu ci}}
-rc-update add dbus
-rc-update add udev}}
-If you do not have a user other than root, it is time to do so. I am going to create a user called "monitor":
+<br>
-{{Cmd|adduser -h /home/monitor -g "Monitor User" monitor}}
-We will start D-Bus before other services in order to fix D-Bus configuration file (replace the hard coded 'system_bus_socket' path):
+Try starting dbus and lxdm. This will start the display manager and should allow you to login.
-Starting D-Bus:
+{{Cmd|# rc-service lxdm start}}
-{{Cmd|rc-service dbus start}}
-Fixing the  D-Bus configuration file:
+If it worked, enable the services to start on reboot
-<pre>
+{{Cmd|# rc-update add lxdm}}
-dbus_sock_path=$(find / -name system_bus_socket)
-dbus_sock_path=$(echo $dbus_sock_path | sed 's/\//\\&/g')
-sed -i 's/\/var\/run\/dbus\/system_bus_socket/'$dbus_sock_path'/' /etc/dbus-1/system.conf
-</pre>
-{{Cmd|apk del mate-screensaver
+<br>
-ln -s /usr/etc/xdg/menus/ /etc/xdg/menus
-apk add mate-screensaver}}
-Adding avaliables True Type Fonts:
+= Misc =
-<pre>
-ttfs=$(apk search -q ttf- | grep -v '\-doc')
-apk add $ttfs
-</pre>
-If you are running your Alpine from RAM, save the changes:
+=== TrueType fonts ===
-{{Cmd|lbu ci}}
+{{Todo|The directions below need improvement because they don't work well: They pull in many non-font packages.}}
+Add all available TrueType Fonts:
+{{Cmd|<nowiki>$ ttfs=$(apk search -q ttf- &#124; grep -v '\-doc')
+# apk add $ttfs</nowiki>}}
-And finally, let us start the lxdm service and log in to our MATE Desktop
+=== Disabling standby and screensaver ===
-{{Cmd|rc-service udev start
+Check the current configuration using xset:
-rc-service lxdm start}}
-It just so happens that the preceding sequence of steps makes an apparently broken Xfce4 install work properly as well.
+{{Cmd|# apk add xset
+$ xset q}}
-=== Misc ===
-==== Disabling standby and screensaver ====
-First of all check the actual configuration using xset:
-{{Cmd|localhost:~$ sudo apk add xset
+{{cat|xset q|
-localhost:~$ xset q
+Keyboard Control:
-... cut ...
+  auto repeat:  on    key click percent:  0    LED mask:  00000000
-   Standby: 600    Suspend: 600    Off: 600
+  XKB indicators:
+: Caps Lock:   off    01: Num Lock:    off    02: Scroll Lock: off
+: Compose:     off    04: Kana:        off    05: Sleep:       off
+: Suspend:     off    07: Mute:        off    08: Misc:        off
+: Mail:        off    10: Charging:    off    11: Shift Lock:  off
+: Group 2:     off    13: Mouse Keys:  off
+  auto repeat delay:  500    repeat rate:  20
+  auto repeating keys:  00ffffffdffffbbf
+                        fadfffefffedffff
+fffffffffffffff
+                        fff7ffffffffffff
+  bell percent:  0    bell pitch:  400    bell duration:  100
+Pointer Control:
+  acceleration:  2/1    threshold:  4
+Screen Saver:
+  prefer blanking:  yes    allow exposures:  yes
+  timeout:  600    cycle:  0
+Colors:
+  default colormap:  0x22    BlackPixel:  0x0    WhitePixel:  0xffffff
+Font Path:
+  /usr/share/fonts/misc,/usr/share/fonts/100dpi:unscaled,/usr/share/fonts/75dpi:unscaled,/usr/share/fonts/misc,/usr/share/fonts/100dpi:unscaled,/usr/share/fonts/75dpi:unscaled,built-ins
+DPMS (Energy Star):
+   Standby: 600    Suspend: 0    Off: 900
    DPMS is Enabled
    Monitor is On
-localhost:~$
 }}
-To disable those timers issue the command?
-{{Cmd|localhost:~$ xset dpms 0 0 0}}
-If you wanna check the timers again:
-{{Cmd|localhost:~$ xset q
+To disable those timers issue the command:
-... cut ...
+{{Cmd|$ xset dpms 0 0 0}}
-   Standby: 0    Suspend: 0    Off: 0
-  DPMS is Enabled
+Santiy check:
-  Monitor is On
-localhost:~$
+{{Cmd|$ xset q &#124; grep Standby
-}}
+   Standby: 0    Suspend: 0    Off: 0}}
+== See also ==
+* [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/MATE MATE - Archwiki]
+* [https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/MATE MATE - Gentoo Wiki]
+* [https://wiki.postmarketos.org/wiki/MATE MATE - postmarketOS Wiki]
 [[Category:Desktop]]
+[[Category:Desktop Environments]]