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Installing and Setting up Gnome

Gnome is a popular choice with Linux users because of it's simplistic goals. Unlike KDE, Gnome is modular and you can choose certain apps that you want to install. I will help you set it up.

Information
You will need to install Xorg before you can use this tutorial

Installing Gnome

Installing Gnome is as easy as
pacman -S gnome
You will then be presented with a list. If you want to install all of them type "n". If you want to fine tune what you want to install, type "n".

If you typed "n", you will be able to choose which apps to install. Here's a list to explain the apps in more detail:

  • epiphany - Gnome's web browser.
  • gnome-applets - Applets for the Gnome panel
  • gnome-backgrounds - Desktop backgrounds
  • gnome-control-center - Control centre. This is not in the menus by default. If you like having a central place for configuring everything, this is for you
  • gnome-desktop - The Gnome Desktop. This is quite necessary for a desktop environment
  • gnome-icon-theme - Gnome's default icon theme
  • gnome-media - Gnome media tools
  • gnome-mime-data - This is necessary for Gnometo run
  • gnome-mount - For mounting cds, flash drives etc.
  • gnome-panel - Gnome's panel
  • gnome-session - Session for Gnome to start (you will need this!)
  • gnome-themes - Themes for Gtk+ and metacity (window manager)
  • gnome2-user-docs - Documentation for Gnome
  • libgail-gnome - Accessibility libraries
  • metacity - Window manager (you will need this
  • nautilus - Gnome's file manager
  • yelp - Program for displaying documentation

After pacman finishes downloading and installing the packages that you have chosen, you may want to add some basic apps. Type
pacman -S gnome-extra

Again, if you want to fine tune what you want to install, press "y", and if not "n". Here's another list explaining the apps:

  • bug-buddy - Bug reporter. If you aren't going to report bugs, you won't need to install this
  • dasher - Accessibility
  • eog - Eye of Gnome. Image viewer
  • evince - PDF (Portable Document Format) viewer
  • file-roller - Archiver
  • gcalctool - Calculator
  • gconf-editor - Configuration editor that lets you change settings you wouldn't be able to normally
  • gdm - Login manager. You will probably want this
  • gedit - Gnome's text editor
  • gnome-audio - Gnome's default sounds
  • gnome-games - Gnome games
  • gnome-mag - Desktop magnifier
  • gnome-netstatus - Panel applet that shows the status of your network connection
  • gnome-nettool - Networking tools
  • gnome-power-manager - You will only need this if you are using a laptop
  • gnome-python-desktop - Gnome Python interfaces for libraries not part of the core platform
  • gnome-system-monitor - System monitor showing processes and the ability to kill (close) misbehaving applications
  • gnome-terminal - Terminal emulator. You will probably want this
  • gnome-utils - Utilities for Gnome
  • gnome-volume-manager - Daemon to automount devices such as CDs and flash drives
  • gok - On screen keyboard
  • gucharmap - Unicode character map
  • nautilus-cd-burner - Plugin for Nautilus that lets you burn data to CDs
  • orca - Screen reader and magnifier
  • seahorse - Application for managing PGP keys
  • sound-juicer - CD ripper
  • tomboy - Note taking application
  • totem - Video player
  • vino - VNC server
  • zenity - Display graphical dialog boxes from shell scripts

When pacman downloads and installs that for you, you can now get to setting up Gnome.

Setting up Gnome

Open up /etc/rc.conf with you favourite text editor and go down to the part that says "DAEMONS". Add the following so it looks like this:

DAEMONS=(...portmap fam hal..)

Now if you installed GDM, you can open up /etc/inittab to make it start up every time you boot Arch Linux. Go down to

# Boot to console
id:3:initdefault:
# Boot to X11
#id:5:initdefault:

and change it to:
# Boot to console
#id:3:initdefault:
# Boot to X11
id:5:initdefault:
Now scroll down right to the bottom and uncomment the following line:
x:5:respawn:/usr/sbin/gdm -nodaemon
Now reboot and you can start customising Gnome right away!