2 Installation Instructions for Window Maker
8 (ie: I've heard someone has compiled it on...)
10 - Intel GNU/Linux Conectiva 5.9 (beta)
11 - Intel GNU/Linux Slackware
12 - Intel GNU/Linux Debian
13 - Intel GNU/Linux other distributions
14 - Sparc GNU/Linux RedHat 5.1
16 - Alpha GNU/Linux RedHat 5.1
21 - Solaris 2.5.1, 2.5.2
29 - AIX 4.1.4 / IBM PowerPC
30 - AIX 4.3.1 / IBM CC compiler
31 - AIX 4.3.2 / IBM PowerPC
33 - DEC Alpha/Digital UNIX 4.x
37 - PowerMac / Power MachTen 4.1.1 over MacOS
38 - Amiga 3000 running RedHat Linux 5.1 (Rawhide)
39 - IBM S/390 running Linux
41 Patches to make it work on other platforms are welcome.
47 The following software is required to use Window Maker:
50 Window Maker can be compiled in older versions of X, like X11R5
51 (Solaris) or X11R4 (OpenWindows) but it will not work 100% correctly.
52 In such servers there will not be application icons and you'll have
53 trouble using the dock. Upgrading the client libraries (Xlib, Xt etc)
54 will help if you can't upgrade the server.
56 The following is required to build Window Maker:
59 If you will build Window Maker, make sure you have gcc (or some
60 other ANSI C compiler) and the X header files installed. Specially
61 for newbie Linux users: you must install all X development packages
62 and the gcc suite. Otherwise you won't be able to build any X
63 program, including Window Maker.
66 This library can be found in ftp://ftp.windowmaker.org/pub/libs
67 or in ftp://ftp.gnome.org/pub/libPropList
68 Install it before building Window Maker.
70 - autoconf, automake and libtool
71 These tools are NOT needed, but IF you have one or
72 more of them installed, make sure you have ALL of the following
73 with exactly these versions:
77 If you have a different version, disable them by temporarily
78 renaming them to something else or uninstalling them from your
79 system. If you don't develop software you don't need them,
80 so you can safely uninstall.
82 - lex (or flex) and yacc (or bison)
83 These are used by libPropList. lex is actually not needed since
84 it's output file is included, but either me or automake is stupid,
85 causing the configure script for libPropList to simply abort for no
86 convincent reason if lex is not found.
92 These libraries are not required to make Window Maker work, but they
93 are supported in case you want to use them. Version numbers are those
94 that I have (and therefore, guraranteed to work), but other versions
99 Older versions may not work!!!
100 Available at ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/libs/X/
102 There is builtin support for XPM files, but it will not
103 load images in some uncommon encodings.
105 - libpng 0.96 or newer and zlib
106 For PNG image support.
107 http://www.cdrom.com/pub/png/
109 - libtiff 3.4 or newer
110 For TIFF image support.
111 You can get it at ftp://ftp.sgi.com/graphics/tiff
113 - libjpeg 6.0.1 or newer
114 For JPEG image support
117 - libgif 2.2 or libungif
118 For GIF image support
119 ftp://prtr-13.ucsc.edu/pub/libungif/
122 If you want to use translated messages, you will need GNU gettext.
123 Other versions of gettext are not compatible and will not work.
124 Get the GNU version from ftp://ftp.gnu.org
131 These options can be passed to the configure script to enable/disable
132 some Window Maker features. Example:
134 ./configure --enable-kde --enable-gnome
136 will configure Window Maker with KDE and GNOME supported compiled in.
139 To get a list of other options, run ./configure --help
142 specify additional paths for libraries to be searched.
143 The -L flag must precede each path, like:
144 --with-libs-from="-L/opt/libs -L/usr/local/lib"
147 specify additional paths for header files to be searched.
148 The -I flag must precede each paths, like:
149 --with-incs-from="-I/opt/headers -I/usr/local/include"
152 enables the collapsing of all appicons of the WM_CLASS+WM_INSTANCE
153 into a single one. This feature is not supported at all by the
154 developers. If you have some trouble with it, contact it's author:
155 Christopher Seawood <cls@seawood.org>
158 disable use of the MIT shared memory extension. This will slow down
159 texture generation a little bit, but in some cases it seems to be
160 necessary due to a bug that manifests as messed icons and textures.
163 disable support for mwm window manager hints
166 enable support for OPEN LOOK(tm) window manager hints
169 enable support for GNOME window manager hints
172 enable support for kde/kwm window manager hints
175 remove things that are already supported in desktop environments,
176 like KDE and GNOME. Disabled things are: window list, root
177 applications menu, multiple window selection. Note that you will not
178 be able to exit Window Maker from itself anymore; you will have to
179 use kill with the SIGTERM signal or exit it from KDE. It is not
180 advisable to enable it.
183 XKB language status lock support. If you don't know what it is you
184 probably don't need it.
187 enable support of sound effects module
190 disables use of the XPM library even if it is available on your
194 disables use of PNG library
197 disable use of TIFF library
200 disable use of GIF library
203 disable use of JPEG library
206 disables shaped windows (for oclock, xeyes etc.)
209 PLATFORM SPECIFIC NOTES:
210 ========================
215 From: Anton Ivanov <aivanov@eu.level3.net>
216 To: Marcelo E. Magallon <mmagallo@debian.org>
217 Subject: Re: Is the WindowMaker package working ok on Alpha?
221 > I was reading some docs on the WindowMaker tarball, and found this:
223 > | - DEC/Alpha machines
224 > | You might need to pass the --disable-shm flag to configure,
225 > | like ./configure --disable-shm
227 > is anyone having problems with WindowMaker on Alpha? Can someone
228 > please test this? Should the flag be passed when building on Alpha?
230 Disclaimer: alphas under my command have never run X and are least likely to
231 suddenly start running it anytime soon.
233 Alpha used to have some ridiculously low amount of shared memory
235 So quite a lot of apps used to barf. Namely - cdrecord, mysql server, etc.
237 Check where is yours at the moment and raise it to a more appropriate
238 value by either catting to the appropriate /proc entry or changing the
239 /usr/src/linux/include/asm/shmparam.h.
241 Otherwise the shared memory on alpha should be fully functional and I
242 see no reason to disable it. Mine are bumped up to 32 or more on most
245 And If I recall correctly the comments in that file are actually
246 wrong. Value is not bytes, but in machine size word. For alpha *8.
248 As I said - I do not run X on them so all #include "stdisclaimer.h"
253 - SCO Unix - run configure like
254 CFLAGS="-belf -DANSICPP" ./configure
257 If you have gcc installed, run configure as:
258 CPP_PATH="gcc -E -x c" ./configure
259 Sun's cpp lacks some features needed by Window Maker and it can
260 cause problems when parsing the config files.
261 You also might need to use the --with-libs-from and --with-incs-from
262 to supply the directory where libtiff is located.
263 Someone mailed me that you also must make /usr/local/lib be the
264 first path in LD_LIBRARY_PATH to make it work.
266 If you have a Ultra Creator 3D or some other machine with high-end
267 graphics, be sure to start the X server with the default visual
268 set to 24bpp or you might experience problems with mangled colors.
269 This is a wmaker bug and will be fixed.
271 - GNU/Linux in general
272 Make sure you have /usr/local/lib in /etc/ld.so.conf and that you
273 run ldconfig after installing.
274 Uninstall any packaged version of Window Maker before installing a new
278 RedHat systems have several annoying problems. If you use it,
279 be sure to follow the steps below or Window Maker will not work:
281 * if you installed the Window Maker that comes with RedHat, uninstall
284 * make sure you don't have the LANG and LINGUAS environment variables
287 * make sure you have /usr/local/bin in your PATH environment
290 * make sure you have /usr/local/lib in /etc/ld.so.conf before running
293 * if you have problems that mention an error message with --no-reexec
294 uninstall libtool-1.2b and install libtool-1.3 instead. libtool-1.3
295 can be found in ftp.gnu.org Also read the TROUBLESHOOTING section;
297 * if you installed the Window Maker package from RedHat and are
298 installing a new version of it by hand (compiling yourself), uninstall
299 the package from RedHat before.
301 * make sure you have a symbolic link from /usr/include/X11 to
302 /usr/X11R6/include/X11 (if not, type ln -s /usr/X11R6/include/X11
305 * make sure you have /lib/cpp pointing to the cpp program
307 If you have any doubts in doing any of the stuff above, please
308 don't hesitate to contact the RedHat user support. They will
309 kindly answer to all your questions regarding their system.
310 They also know much more about their own system than us
311 (we don't use RedHat).
315 You will need to have the latest version of Xpmac. Older versions
316 seem to have bugs that cause the system to hang.
319 If you want JPEG and TIFF support, make sure you have libtiff-dev
320 and libjpeg-dev installed.
323 If you installed the Window Maker package from SuSE,
324 uninstall it before trying to compile wmaker or you
327 - MetroX (unknown version)
328 MetroX has a bug that corrupts pixmaps that are set as window
329 backgrounds. If you use MetroX and has weird problems with
330 textures, do not use textures in titlebars. Or use a different
336 Unpack WindowMaker-extra-<version-number>.tar.gz in /usr/local/share
338 You can get the file at ftp://ftp.windowmaker.org. This file is optional
339 and only have a few icons, and themes. Look for the latest <version-number>
341 Also there is a WindowMaker-extra.readme to instruct you where that package
347 For a quick start, type the following in your shell prompt:
352 then, login as root and type:
357 or if you want to strip the debugging symbols from the binaries and make them
358 smaller, you can instead type:
363 This will build and install Window Maker with default parameters.
365 If you want to customize some compile-time options, you can do the
368 1. (optional) Look at the CONFIGURE OPTIONS section above for the
369 options available. Also run:
373 to get a complete listing of other options that are available.
375 2. Run configure with the options you want. For example, if you
376 want to use the --enable-kde option, type:
378 ./configure --enable-kde
380 3. (optional) Edit src/wconfig.h with your favorite text editor
381 and browse through it for some options you might want to change.
383 4. Compile. Just type:
387 5. Login as root (if you can't do that, read the "I don't have the
388 root password :-(" section) and install Window Maker in your system:
393 User specific configuration
394 ---------------------------
396 These instructions do not need to be followed when upgrading Window Maker
397 from an older version, unless stated differently in the NEWS file.
399 Every user on your system that wishes to run Window Maker must do the
402 1. Install Window Maker configuration files in your home directory.
406 wmaker.inst will install Window Maker configuration files and will
407 setup X to automatically launch Window Maker at startup.
411 You can type "man wmaker" to get some general help for configuration
414 Read the User Guide for a more in-depth explanation of Window Maker.
416 You might want to take a look at the FAQ too.
419 I don't have the root password :(
420 ---------------------------------
422 If you can't get superuser privileges (can't be root) you can install
423 wmaker in your own home directory. For that, supply the --prefix option
424 when running configure in step 2 of building Window Maker. You will
425 also need to supply the --with-appspath option, to specify the path for
428 ./configure --prefix=/home/jshmoe --with-appspath=/home/jshmoe/GNUstep/Apps
431 Then make /home/jshmoe/bin be included in your search PATH, add
432 /home/jshmoe/lib to your LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable and run
435 Of course, /home/jshmoe is supposed to be replaced with your actual home
443 If you are upgrading from an older version of Window Maker:
445 1. Configure and build Window Maker as always
446 2. Install Window Maker (but do not run wmaker.inst)
447 3. Read the NEWS file and update your configuration files,
453 When you have some trouble during configuration (while running configure),
454 like not being able to use a graphic format library you think you have
455 installed, look at the config.log file for clues of the problem.
458 == Error with loading fonts, even if they exist.
460 Try rebuilding without NLS support.
462 == Error when configuring
464 ltconfig: unrecognized option `--no-reexec'
465 Try `ltconfig --help' for more information.
466 configure: error: libtool configure failed
468 remove the --no-reexec option from aclocal.m4 and libPropList/aclocal.m4
470 Also make sure the autoconf and automake versions you have installed are:
475 Note that it must not be libtool 1.2b, it must be libtool 1.3,
478 == Cant find proplist.h or libPropList.something
480 Download and install libPropList from the places pointed to
481 somewhere else in this file.
484 == configure doesn't detect libtiff, or other graphic libraries.
486 Delete config.cache, then rerun configure adding the following options to
487 configure (among the other options you use):
488 --with-libs-from="-L/usr/local/lib"
489 --with-incs-from="-I/usr/local/include -I/usr/local/include/tiff"
490 Put the paths where your graphic libs and their corresponding header files are
491 located. You can put multiple paths in any of these options, as the example
492 of --with-incs-from shows. Just put a space between them.
495 == configure doesn't detect libXpm.
497 * Check if you have a symbolic link from libXpm.so.4.9 to libXpm.so
500 == Segmentation fault on startup
502 * Check if the version of libXPM you have is at least 4.7
504 * Check if you have an updated version of ~/GNUstep/Defaults/WindowMaker
506 If you're not sure, try renaming ~/GNUstep to ~/GNUtmp and then run wmaker.inst
508 == "...: your machine is misconfigured. gethostname() returned (none)"
510 * the hostname of your machine is set to something invalid, that starts
511 with a parenthesis. Do a man hostname for info about how to set it.
514 == The root menu contains only 2 entries. ("XTerm" and "Exit...")
516 * Window Maker is not finding cpp (the C preprocessor). If your cpp is
517 not located in /lib/cpp, edit src/config.h and correct the path in
520 == checking lex output file root... configure: error: cannot find output from true; giving up
522 * Read the REQUIREMENTS section of this file.
525 LOCALES/INTERNATIONALIZATION
526 ============================
528 Window Maker has national language support. To enable national language
529 support, you must compile Window Maker with some additional parameters.
532 0 - You must have the GNU gettext package installed. It can be
533 obtained at ftp://prep.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu/gettext-nnn.tar.gz
535 Steps 1 to 3 can be skipped if you use the Install script.
537 1 - You have to select the languages you want to support. Set the
538 LINGUAS to the list of locales you want. English is always
541 setenv LINGUAS "pt ja de"
546 export LINGUAS;LINGUAS="pt ja de"
549 The list of supported locales can be found in po/README.
550 English is the default language.
552 Read po/README if you wish to translate and maintain locale files
555 2 - Additionally, if your language uses multi-byte characters, such
556 as Japanese or Korean, you must set the MultiByteText option to YES
557 in ~/GNUstep/Defaults/WMGLOBAL
559 3 - Configure, build and install Window Maker normally.
561 4 - To select a particular locale at runtime you must set the LANG
562 environment variable to the locale you want. For example, if you want to set
563 the portuguese locale, you must run
571 in Bourne sh and similars
573 Note: If you have the LC_CTYPE environment variable set, you must
574 unset it before running wmaker.
576 For menu definition files, Window Maker searches for them in the
577 following order (for brazilian portuguese, in this case):
584 5 - If you chose a language that uses multi-byte characters, you must
585 configure the fonts appropriately. Read the manual page for XCreateFontSet
586 to have more details about it. You must change the ~/G/D/WindowMaker file
587 for fonts used in titlebars, menus and other things. For fonts used in
588 dialog windows, change ~/G/D/WMGLOBAL. The %d in the font names must not be
589 removed. You can also use the supplied wsetfont script for the task.
590 Read the script itself for instructions.
592 For example, you can specify the following in ~/G/D/WindowMaker:
594 WindowTitleFont = "-*-helvetica-bold-r-normal-*-12-*,-*-*-medium-r-normal-*-14-*";
595 MenuTitleFont = "-*-helvetica-bold-r-normal-*-12-*,-*-*-medium-r-normal-*-14-*";
596 MenuTextFont = "-*-helvetica-medium-r-normal-*-12-*,-*-*-medium-r-normal-*-14-*";
597 IconTitleFont = "-*-helvetica-medium-r-normal-*-8-*,-*-*-medium-r-normal-*-12-*";
598 ClipTitleFont = "-*-helvetica-bold-r-normal-*-10-*,-*-*-medium-r-normal-*-12-*";
599 DisplayFont = "-*-helvetica-medium-r-normal-*-12-*,-*-*-medium-r-normal-*-12-*";
601 and in ~/G/D/WMGLOBAL:
603 SystemFont = "-*-*-medium-r-normal-*-%d-*-*-*-*-*-*-*";
604 BoldSystemFont = "-*-*-medium-r-normal-*-%d-*-*-*-*-*-*-*";
606 The above 2 fonts are only used by applications that use WINGs (WindowMaker
609 The wsetfont script that's supplied will allow you to change the font
610 settings in a easier way. Take a look in the script for details on usage.