Dev1 Galaxy Forum / Preliminary excalibur desktop-live isos need testing

Re: Preliminary excalibur desktop-live isos need testing

dummy@example.com (Altoid) — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 07:10:14 +0000

Hello:

greenjeans wrote:

... using Mate as the default DE would be better and easier by far ...

Indeed ...
But I'll raise you one:

The default for Devuan should be Openbox with Mate as the DE option.

Best,

Re: Preliminary excalibur desktop-live isos need testing

dummy@example.com (rbit) — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 03:46:49 +0000

zaubberer23 wrote:

Quick insert for XFCE4 Lock Screen feature: xflock4 from commandline does return but does nothing... /etc/xdg/autostart/xfce4-screensaver.desktop... After installing the xfce4-screensaver the Lock Screen feature works as expected.

This should probably be a separate thread, as it's not related to desktop-live pre-release isos. Anyway...
I experienced the same thing with a new install (from the netinstall iso). But an upgrade from daedalus works without the package xfce4-screensaver. The difference appears to be that the upgraded machine contains /etc/xdg/autostart/xscreensaver.desktop, while the new install does not have that, but instead has xfce4-screensaver.desktop without the xfce4-screensaver package, like you described. So something is wrong with the default behavior - it should either have included the new xfce4-screensaver package, or else created a xscreensaver.desktop file in the autostart directory.

Re: Preliminary excalibur desktop-live isos need testing

dummy@example.com (zaubberer23) — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 06:33:54 +0000

Quick insert for XFCE4 Lock Screen feature: xflock4 from commandline does return but does nothing. When trying to use the menu item "Lock Screen" nothing happens. /etc/xdg/autostart/xfce4-screensaver.desktop is there dated Jan 13, 2025 but missing is apt install xfce4-screensaver
After installing the xfce4-screensaver the Lock Screen feature works as expected. It does seem that task-xfce-desktop and its dependencies like xfce4-goodies do not include xfce4-screensaver anymore. Is it only me? Am I too dumb? Idk... probably ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Fresh install with XFCE desktop from the Nov 2nd, 2025 DVD https://devuan-cd.bio.lmu.de/devuan_exc … esktop.iso

Re: Preliminary excalibur desktop-live isos need testing

dummy@example.com (fsmithred) — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 15:10:24 +0000

I was able to get to the xfce backgrounds dir. You can't select a file from that settings dialog. It only lets you choose a directory, then it shows thumbnails.

Wow, I didn't notice the inird. I looked inside and it's around 90mb of firmware, 60 of which are nvidia.

Re: Preliminary excalibur desktop-live isos need testing

dummy@example.com (dzz) — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 14:48:57 +0000

One issue: Can't set a different background in settings dialog from anywhere except /usr/share/images/desktop-base/ .. Most of us will want a custom background after install.

If I go to init 1, delete xfce4-desktop.xml from /etc/xdg/ and /home/devuan/ then back to init 2 then only what's in /usr/share/backgrounds/xfce/ is then available. So the xml in /etc/xdg/ must be doing something. No idea yet why other locations don't work.

BTW what's with the monster initrd.img?

Re: Preliminary excalibur desktop-live isos need testing

dummy@example.com (fsmithred) — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 13:49:17 +0000

Yeah, that works! Thanks!!! I was working on similar yesterday but I got stuck on which image to copy in place of xfce-x.png. I didn't think of a symlink. For now, I just put it in the finalize function in live-sdk. It'll go into desktop-base so it works with netinstall, too.

It works with the changes in desktop-base. I rebuilt the package locally and made a new iso to test. Pushed the changes to git and new destkop-base (5.7) is in ceres now. Maybe next week I'll make an official desktop-live iso.

OT: minimal-live needs debugging, but that'll have to be another thread.

Re: Preliminary excalibur desktop-live isos need testing

dummy@example.com (dzz) — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 12:47:53 +0000

This worked here (qemu and usb), default backgroung is the one configured by /etc/alternatives:

1) Extract the iso

2) chroot the filesystem

3):

dpkg-divert --divert /usr/share/backgrounds/xfce/xfce-x.svg.dist --rename /usr/share/backgrounds/xfce/xfce-x.svg

ln -s /etc/alternatives/desktop-background /usr/share/backgrounds/xfce/xfce-x.svg

4) Exit chroot, rebuild the iso, boot it.

devuan@devuan:~$ dpkg -S /usr/share/backgrounds/xfce/xfce-x.svg
local diversion from: /usr/share/backgrounds/xfce/xfce-x.svg
local diversion to: /usr/share/backgrounds/xfce/xfce-x.svg.dist
xfdesktop4-data: /usr/share/backgrounds/xfce/xfce-x.svg

Maybe something similar could go in preinst/prerm of desktop-base.

devuan@devuan:~$ ls -la /usr/share/backgrounds/xfce
total 2388
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root     292 Apr  7 11:33 .
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root      27 Apr  2 16:10 ..
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  197011 Mar  3 01:34 xfce-blue.jpg
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   28575 Mar  3 01:34 xfce-cp-dark.svg
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   16972 Mar  3 01:34 xfce-flower.svg
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  160740 Mar  3 01:34 xfce-leaves.svg
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1428420 Mar  3 01:34 xfce-light.svg
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  263520 Mar  3 01:34 xfce-mouserace.svg
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  322121 Mar  3 01:34 xfce-shapes.svg
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    4904 Mar  3 01:34 xfce-stripes.svg
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    6791 Mar  3 01:34 xfce-teal.svg
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    4584 Mar  3 01:34 xfce-verticals.svg
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root      36 Apr  7 11:33 xfce-x.svg -> /etc/alternatives/desktop-background
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    9298 Mar  3 01:34 xfce-x.svg.dist
devuan@devuan:~$

Re: Preliminary excalibur desktop-live isos need testing

dummy@example.com (dzz) — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 23:12:49 +0000

Unfortunately the xml file edits I made don't stick for a rebuilt iso. This affects not only Devuan:

https://gitlab.xfce.org/xfce/xfdesktop/-/issues/364

Seems xml files in /etc/xdg no longer work to set default backdrop since 4.19. Default desktop is set to /usr/share/backgrounds/xfce/xfce-x.svg unless compiled differently.

Re: Preliminary excalibur desktop-live isos need testing

dummy@example.com (fsmithred) — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 23:10:17 +0000

I can't find where xfce sets the desktop background. For one thing, some of the files in /etc/xdg/xfce4 have changed. The default bg image is xfce-x.svg. I grepped for that in /etc/xdg/xfce4 in ~/.config/xfce4 and in /usr/share/xfce4 and found nothing. Got the same looking for "monitor" and "last-image". "workspace" shows up for keybindings, but not for bg image.

xfce4-desktop.xml in the user's configs is nearly empty. (see below)
The source code contains stuff about randr, so it must figure out the monitor while it's loading and injects it into the user's config file.

I'm feeling pretty much hopeless about this, and maybe the idea of replacing the default background image is not so bad if it can be done with dpkg-divert. Or maybe the old desktop-base we're using needs to be updated to the newer version in debian. That hasn't been done since it was first forked. I don't have the time, energy or motivation to do that.

Here are some tree outputs from excalibur with the default xfce files without desktop-base. If anyone wants to examine the actual files without going through doing an install, I can post a couple tarballs.

In /etc/xdg/xfce4:

xdg-excalibur/
└── xdg
    ├── autostart
    │   ├── xfce4-clipman-plugin-autostart.desktop
    │   ├── xfce4-notes-autostart.desktop
    │   ├── xfce4-notifyd.desktop
    │   ├── xfce4-power-manager.desktop
    │   ├── xfce4-screensaver.desktop
    │   └── xfsettingsd.desktop
    ├── menus
    │   ├── xfce4-screensavers.menu
    │   ├── xfce-applications.menu
    │   └── xfce-settings-manager.menu
    ├── Thunar
    │   └── uca.xml
    └── xfce4
        ├── helpers.rc
        ├── panel
        │   ├── default.xml
        │   └── xfce4-clipman-actions.xml
        ├── whiskermenu
        │   └── defaults.rc
        ├── xfconf
        │   └── xfce-perchannel-xml
        │       ├── xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts.xml
        │       ├── xfce4-power-manager.xml
        │       ├── xfce4-session.xml
        │       └── xsettings.xml
        ├── Xft.xrdb
        └── xinitrc

In user's ~/.config/

└── xfce4
    ├── desktop
    │   ├── accels.scm
    │   ├── icons.screen0-1008x671.rc
    │   ├── icons.screen0-1008x672.rc
    │   ├── icons.screen0-1008x703.rc
    │   ├── icons.screen0-1008x721.rc
    │   ├── icons.screen0-1008x722.rc
    │   ├── icons.screen0-1008x752.rc
    │   └── icons.screen0.yaml
    ├── panel
    │   ├── cpugraph-17.rc
    │   ├── cpugraph-17.rc.2308.tmp
    │   ├── launcher-13
    │   │   └── 17429900681.desktop
    │   ├── launcher-14
    │   │   └── 17429900682.desktop
    │   ├── launcher-15
    │   │   └── 17429900683.desktop
    │   ├── launcher-16
    │   │   └── 17429900684.desktop
    │   ├── launcher-20
    │   │   ├── 15227719791.desktop
    │   │   ├── 15227720282.desktop
    │   │   ├── 15227720744.desktop
    │   │   ├── 15239594091.desktop
    │   │   └── 15240025661.desktop
    │   ├── netload-16.rc
    │   ├── xkb-plugin-18.rc
    │   └── xkb-plugin-18.rc.2309.tmp
    ├── terminal
    │   ├── accels.scm
    │   └── terminalrc
    ├── xfce4-screenshooter
    ├── xfconf
    │   └── xfce-perchannel-xml
    │       ├── accessibility.xml
    │       ├── displays.xml
    │       ├── keyboards.xml
    │       ├── thunar.xml
    │       ├── xfce4-desktop.xml
    │       ├── xfce4-keyboard-shortcuts.xml
    │       ├── xfce4-notifyd.xml
    │       ├── xfce4-panel.xml
    │       ├── xfce4-session.xml
    │       ├── xfce4-session.xml.new
    │       ├── xfce4-settings-manager.xml
    │       ├── xfwm4.xml
    │       └── xsettings.xml
    └── xfwm4

Default user's xfce4-desktop.xml (yeah, that's the whole thing - it gets bigger if the user chooses a bg image.)

Re: Preliminary excalibur desktop-live isos need testing

dummy@example.com (dzz) — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 20:07:17 +0000

The cursed rat..

Inserting between line 36 and 37 in /etc/xdg/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-desktop.xml-devuan-sapphire:

Gives the desired result in a laptop usb boot. For a qemu session it needs to be "monitorVirtual-1". Maybe two entries will work for either. I don't know about other scenarios but will try on a tower case later.

Re: Preliminary excalibur desktop-live isos need testing

dummy@example.com (greenjeans) — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 14:43:54 +0000

Off-topic= man if I had a dollar for every time in the last 15 years that old-schoolers suggested I add mc to my iso's, I could buy a motorcycle at least, lol.

Yeah that desktop-base package has it's hooks in deep, I just finally got rid of the last of it yesterday by going scorched earth.

XFCE seems to be very complex in it's theme requirements.

Downloading the new iso now for testing.

I gotta be honest here, I think using Mate as the default DE would be better and easier by far than XFCE.

Re: Preliminary excalibur desktop-live isos need testing

dummy@example.com (fsmithred) — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 12:04:30 +0000

Yes I was able to reproduce the no-consoles problem.

mc has been added. (I thought it was already there.)

desktop-base configs are complicated. The config file that should get used is a symbolic link in /etc/xdg that points to a symbolic link in /etc/alternatives, and that one points back to a config file in /etc/xdg that is specific for the theme. Those files have the theme name in the filename. The whole mess is controlled by the alternatives system.

Files to look at would include:
/etc/xdg/xfce4/xfconf/xfce4-perchannel-xml/xfce4-desktop.xml-devuan-sapphire (and the one without -devuan-sapphire)
/home/devuan/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce4-perchannel-xml/xfce4-desktop.xml
/etc/alternatives/desktop-background
/etc/alternatives/desktop-background.xml
/usr/share/desktop-base/

Re: Preliminary excalibur desktop-live isos need testing

dummy@example.com (Camtaf) — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 07:38:18 +0000

I used to always add mc - screen - sc/scim as I liked to use them at the command line; they don't take up much room, but along with vi/vim, they make a nice set of tools.

Re: Preliminary excalibur desktop-live isos need testing

dummy@example.com (dev-1-dash-1) — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 05:30:01 +0000

Regarding mc - I think if we have space for libreoffice, we can afford to include mc.
It may be added to refracta blacklist so as not to persist to user desktops.

Slackware live images include mc by default.

Re: Preliminary excalibur desktop-live isos need testing

dummy@example.com (dev-1-dash-1) — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 05:28:29 +0000

Just tested a beowulf and a daedalus live images -
Tty autologin works on both of them - there's a working command line of ttys 1-6, already logged on.
Mc output is garbled on both of them, in tty, unlike on desktop, where it works.

So on excalibur it's the autologin on tty that doesn't work. Ideal is to keep same behaviour as previous versions, i.e. autologin.
But a working login prompt is infinitely better than a black screen that doesn't respond to anything.

@fsmithred, please clarify, were you able to reproduce the tty non-working console problem on your hardware?

The xfconf-query command did not work for me.

I have a feeling this problem may resolve itself on it's own (i.e. get fixed upstream) as we get closer to release.

But, for now: where exactly does xfce store the desktop background info? Is it a conf file, or some dconf/registry kind of thing?
Also, I think we should pay attention to "apply to all workspaces" checkbox in the desktop background selection screen.

Worst case, dirty and ugly but probably working hack: replace the file with the xfce default wallpaper with the devuan one :-)