MATE

Install MATE Desktop

For while MATE Desktop packages are in Edge, then we'll need to add its repository to our list. To do so, issue the following command:

echo http://nl.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main >> /etc/apk/repositories apk update

The next commands are used to install all avaliable video drivers and setup Xorg server:

videodrivers=$(apk search --quiet --exact xf86-video* | grep -v -- '-doc$')
setup-xorg-base $videodrivers

Now let us install a bunch of needed packages what includes all MATE Desktop packages avaliable in our Edge repository:

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

In the next step we add some services to start up with the operating system:

rc-update add lxdm 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":

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): Starting D-Bus:

rc-service dbus start

Fixing the D-Bus configuration file:

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

apk del mate-screensaver ln -s /usr/etc/xdg/menus/ /etc/xdg/menus apk add mate-screensaver

Adding avaliables True Type Fonts:

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

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

lbu ci

And finally, let us start the lxdm service and log in to our MATE Desktop

rc-service udev start rc-service lxdm start

Misc

Disabling standby and screensaver

First of all check the actual configuration using xset:

localhost:~$ sudo apk add xset localhost:~$ xset q ... cut ... Standby: 600 Suspend: 600 Off: 600 DPMS is Enabled Monitor is On localhost:~$

To disable those timers issue the command?

localhost:~$ xset dpms 0 0 0

If you wanna check the timers again:

localhost:~$ xset q ... cut ... Standby: 0 Suspend: 0 Off: 0 DPMS is Enabled Monitor is On localhost:~$