Journey with Arch Linux: Day 2 – Redoing everything with Net image instead and initial packages and some configurations

Alright, this is a post to carry on with my Arch Linux journey.

First obstacle was me trying to update using “pacman -Syu” and getting retarded errors like this: “error: failed to commit transaction glibc (conflict files)” which involves glibc. After few hours of trying to figure things out, I decided to wipe everything again and go with a net install (You’ll basically follow the same steps from the last post so I’m not gonna rewrite them).

So now this is what goes after installing with net image, customizing my GRUB menu.lst and adding a user.

So, first thing we gonna do is LOG IN FROM YOUR USER! Not your root, no, user that you created!

Then you now need to run “su”, write down the root password to start pushing stuff as root. Why this instead of logging as root straight up? Do you want to be struck by lightning by the gods of linux? Huh? HUH!? DO YOU WANT THEM TO SEND PUNISHMENT UPON YOU!? WELL I DON’T!!!

No really, as I mentioned earlier, you only use root if you’re physically offline and you need to fix something so kinky that your normal user can’t fix.

Anyway, let’s install “sudo” and be like the rest of the word by writing “pacman -S sudo”

Done? Alright, we’re note quite done yet with sudo, we net to let it allow sudo for a group. So what we’re going to do is edit the sudoers to do so. Here’s the steps:
1) Run “nano /etc/sudoers”
2) Look for the line where it says “# %wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL” and uncomment it by deleting the “#” part. (Be sure that your user is included in the “Wheel” group)
3)CTRL+X, Y then hit “Enter”

Now you can exit the root and start using your normal account with sudo.

Basically, this machine is ready to go as uselessly as 7 years old invoice from the grocery after buying embarrassing things. We need to give it a GUI just like any modern OS. We’re going to install X Window System (xorg).

Here’s what we’re going to do:
1) Run “sudo pacman -S xorg-server xorg-xinit xorg-server-utils” (Also, I find it funny to call it xorg [zorg]… Close enough to ZERG RUSH!)
2) Install mesa by running “sudo pacman -S mesa” … No, not Black Mesa, you gotta install mesa for 3D support…
3) Check out your video card name so we could figure out what video driver we should install. Run “sudo lspci | grep VGA” (You can go with just “lspci” and see other devices, but adding ” | grep VGA” only shows strings with VGA… Which is your video device).
4) Now list all available video drivers om the package database and choose accordingly by running “sudo packman -Ss xf86-video | less” (Use ” | less” so you can actually scroll up and down).
5) Because I use Samsung Series 9 (The video card is integrated. Means Intel), I’ll run this: “sudo pacman -S xf86-video-intel”.
6) Now, list out your input devices by doing “sudo pacman -Ss xf86-input | less”.
7) Since I’m using a laptop, I’ll run “sudo pacman -S xf86-input-synaptics”.
8) Install dbus by running “sudo pacman -S dbus”
9) Start the dbus daemon by running “sudo rc.d start dbus”
10) Let dbus autorun when your Arch boots by doing the following:
10.1) Run “sudo nano /etc/rc.conf”
10.2) Scroll down to “DAEMONS=” and add “dbus” inside the brackets
10.3) Press CTRL+X, Y then hit “Enter”
11) Install some xorg-related stuff by running “sudo pacman -S xorg-twm xorg-xclock xterm”
12) Install some pretty fonts by running “sudo pacman -S ttf-dejavu”

Long story short, you’re done installing your X Window System. Wanna try it? run this “startx”

Looks ugly, right? Write on each terminal (White box) “exit” until you quit startx then restart by running “sudo reboot”.

We’re done for today. Tomorrow I’ll write up my experience about installing a Window Manager and Desktop Environment. I’ll be talking less about commands and will explain steps in a less noobish way… I mean, serious,y I don’t have to tell you to run “reboot” to restart or run sudo (Or event CTRL+X, Y and hit “Enter”)… Seriously, you’re on yo own on that 😛

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