FAQ

WiP - we're updating this as part of the spring cleaning sprint (2009-05-18, /ermo)

This document is Public Domain

Foresight Linux Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Version 2.0 alpha

This FAQ version should reflect the state of the upcoming 2.1.1 release

Foresight

Why the name Foresight Linux?

Because in Foresight you always get software you otherwise will have to wait for in other distributions.

What is so special about Foresight?

1. It gives you the latest in GNOME software
2. It uses the modern Conary package manager.
3. Our community is cool
4. It is more easy to build packages of your own as in any other distribution.
5. Foresight uses "rolling releases".
6. It's green

I would like to try Foresight Linux on a live CD/DVD, is there one available?

There are a number of ways to try out Foresight Linux, including a LiveCD, VMware image and others.

• Visit our Downloads page for more information.

The username is "Live" and has no password. Clicking the 'Live' user on the left enters it for you and will log you in. The reason GDM is presented is so a language can be selected, the default theme was used because it made this easier, ironically it made it less obvious how to login compared to the default GDM theme.

How do I verify that the iso image that I downloaded is good.

We provide sha1 hashes of all iso images. It is always a good idea check the download before burning what could be a bad disc.

* If you are running Linux already then you can download the sha1sum file for the iso that you are working with from the Foresight Linux web site. Once you have the text file and the iso it is time to check it. For example to check the 2.1.1 x86 DVD run the following:

sha1sum \-c foresight-2.1.1-x86-dvd1

* If you are currently running the Windows operating system we recommend that you download md5summer. Then you will need the iso that you want to use and also the sha1sum file to match it from the Foresight Linuxweb site. Once you have all 3 of these:

1. Open md5summer.

2. Select the sha1sum file.

3. If all is good you should see something like this.

How long should I expect a Foresight install to take?

This depends highly on your system. We recommend at least 256 MB of RAM - better more.

• Intel Core Duo T2300 with 1GB RAM, x86 2.0.6 DVD: 15 minutes from start of install to logged in and running applications.

Where can I check if the software I need is packaged for Foresight?

You can search and browse for packages built for Foresight using the Repository Browser at rBuilder Online. Even though the package you are looking for isn't packaged specifically for Foresight, chances are that it will still work. If it doesn't, you can always use the Conary package manager roll back feature to reset your system to its prior state.

How is security handled in Foresight?

Foresight Linux takes security very seriously. The Foresight Linux Security Team (make that a link to a new blank wiki page) publishes regular updates. See also http://www.foresightlinux.org/security/flea.html for archives.

• If you have questions, want to help or thinky you have found a security issue you can also enter the #foresight-security chat channel.
• To subscribe to the Foresight Security mailing list click here.

Package Management

Foresight uses the Conary Package manager. To interact you can use PackageKit (http://www.packagekit.org/).

• Add/Remove Software from the System->Administration menu
• If updates are available you will see notifications of PackageKit throught the notification area.

see also How do I use PackageKit?

or you can use the conary command line tool:

• man conary

PackageKit.

What is the Conary Package Manager?

From the Conary wiki:  Conary replaces existing software package management solutions (such as RPM and dpkg) with one designed to enable loose collaboration across the Internet. Unlike traditional packages, Conary packages are defined by components and files stored in networked repositories.

Conary is written primarily Python, and a little C.  Conary is the package manager behind rPath Linux, the base of Foresight Linux.  To learn more about Conary, visit the Conary wiki.

Is Conary really better than RPM?

Take a look for yourself at the OpenSSH package recipe for Conary vs. the RPM package.

How do I add additional packages in Foresight?

1. sudo conary update packagename
2. Look at rBuilder to find further packages. There you can click on the name of the results and from that trove you see a Version string like : /reponame.rpath.org@rpl:devel/5.1-1-1. To install this package you would then make a conary command: "conary update packagename=reponame.rpath.org@rpl:devel". This will fetch the package from the given repository. (Please be aware that not all package may be a good choice and do have the same quality. So also take a look at the Project where the trove belongs. If unsure ask in IRC, mailing list or forum which trove you could use in Foresight).

See also HOWTO add package X!

Solutions to Update Problems

Localization

How do I change the localisation of OpenOffice.org 2 ?

UPDATE THIS

My desktop is in English. How can I switch?

Before you log in press "F10" at login screen. "Select Language" and choose your local language.

We are working on a new theme that shows a button for this switch

Audio & Sound

You have no sound ?

This is a rare issue but check the following:

1. Check if other applications can produce sound. If yes its not a general desktop problem but a problem of only one application.
2. Did you disable sound somehow (maybe via notebook button, please also check cabling and power)
3. Right click on the loudspeaker symbol (standard location in the upper right corner) and select to Open Sound Mixer. Then play with the controlers, disable and reenable one volume control by clicking on the small loudspeaker symbols (like for master, PCM) and test after each step if sound is working again. Often this helps.

If you still don't get sound in JIRA (see HOWTO file an issue in JIRA[].

I get "Win32 LoadLibrary failed to load: avisynth.dll"

You do NOT really need avisynth.dll! Just place "-playlist" between the mplayer command and the URL.

How do I get Banshee to play MP3 files?

You must install the package: gst-plugins-ugly.

Administering Foresight

Miscellaneous questions

I think I have found a bug. Where should I report it?

If you are unsure if this is a bug come to the IRC irc://chat.freenode.org/foresight and describe your problem. Please be prepared to paste some stuff in the Pastebin. Or you can file a bug report in JIRA issue tracker.

How do I disable unwanted services?

In Foresight we use similar stuff as Red Hat/Fedora. So you can use chkconfig to do that.

sudo service exampleservice stop
sudo chkconfig --del exampleservice

This will stop exampleservice and then remove autostart from init scripts.

How do I use proprietary (accelerated) video drivers with Foresight Linux ?

Look at: How to install ATI or nVidia Binary Drivers on Foresight 1.4

Why does Compiz not work after I installed the ATI propietary 3D drivers?

ATI's binary drivers do not work with Compiz due to not supporting the texture_from_pixmap OpenGL extension.  Use the open source ATI driver, "radeon" to enable Compiz. 

Kernel ( I need ntfs support, suspend,...)

Our kernel has most of the stuff anyone might need built in. So in 99.9 % cases there should be no need to recompile. If you need the Kernel sources add the trove kernel:build-tree via commmand line:

sudo conary update kernel:build-tree

I see labels in /etc/fstab. How are they set?

See "man e2label" (Change the label on an ext2/ext3 filesystem). Read the label of a partition with "e2label partition" or set it with "e2label partition label". The nice thing about labels is that if something changes in the naming of partitions (like /dev/hda ->/dev/sda recently) the kernel still can work with the partition as it can recognize the label name.

Other questions

• How can I contribute to Foresight Linux?
• Minimum Requirements
• XEN
• HOWTO Rescue Foresight Linux Installation

Where do I find more information on how to use Foresight?

You should read the "Foresight User Guide":

• Applications > Foresight > Foresight User Guide

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