5.3: want to install XFree86

[Lane]

On Sunday 26 December 2004 23:31, Theodore D. Sternberg wrote:
> I've had it with Xorg and would like to go back to XFree86.
> Unfortunately, when I go to /usr/ports/x11/XFree86-4 and type "make", it
> doesn't do anything; it just gives me this message...
>
>     ===>  XFree86-4.4.0_1,1 is part of XFree86-4.
>
> and exits.
>
> XFree86 was giving me everything I needed, back under FreeBSD 5.1.  Xorg,
> in contrast, is one huge hassle.  "Xorg -config" produces an xorg.conf.new
> file that doesn't work (I have ATI Rage 128).  Then, reading some of the
> traffic on this mailing list I see talk about preloading AGP and ATI from
> /boot/loaders.conf, and I know I'd be getting in way too deep if I did
> that.
>
> To further confirm my ignorance, I'll ask this: what exactly is Xorg?  Is
> it just a different X server (and associated configuration tools)?  Or is
> it something more broad-based than that?
>
> If I succeed in building an XFree86 server, can I just make the
> appropriate symlink -- /usr/X11R6/bin/X --, install my old XFree86.conf
> file in /etc/X11, and run with that?  Or is it going to be more
> complicated?
>
> Ted Sternberg
> Fremont, California
>
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Hey, Ted.

X.Org is/are the guys that originally developed, and now maintain the X window 
system.  The X window system is the base upon which most window managers sit.

A window manager is the thing that we call a "desktop" .. like KDE, fvwm2, 
gnome, sawfish, and several others that are lesser-known.

If you are using FreeBSD 5+ then Rage support is built into the kernel and/or 
automatically loaded at boot and will be available to you if you install X 
from ports.  

The message you are getting seems to imply that X is already installed ... 
although you just about have to be a mind-reader to know it.   The reason I 
say that is because I get the same message, and I *know* that X is installed 
over here.

Here's what I'd do ... and to be sure, others will say NOT to do this ... but 
here goes:

cd /usr/ports/x11/XFree86-4
make deinstall
make clean
make all install clean
login <non-root-user>
startx

good luck!

lane