Greetings, new FreeBSD 13.1 user here.
I am trying to install the Qtile window manager and am having a hell of a time. I have been using the FreeBSD Handbook up until this point and it has been great. However, when it comes to installing packages and ports, I am getting overwhelmed.
Qtile can be found using `pkg search qtile` and returns the package `py39-qtile`. I installed this using `sudo pkg install py39-qtile`. It seemed to install successfully. I added `exec /usr/local/bin/qtile start` to my `.xinitrc` file. When running `startx`, I would get a blackscreen, then it would return to the console. I don't remember the exact error, because I am long past this part. Something about libgdk pixbuf, which doesn't seem to be a required dependency. I tried rebooting, but that didn't solve the issue. I know Xorg works because I can run `su startx` and get into Tom's Window Manager. My user is already part of the `wheel` and `video` groups.
I uninstalled Qtile using `sudo pkg delete py39-qtile`. Then I tried to install it using ports. This is where I got completely lost.
> When installing FreeBSD, I explicitly chose to install the ports.
I ran `cd /usr/ports/x11-wm/qtile` which is what is listed on Freshports for Qtile. Here I found out that the ports version of Qtile was significantly older than the `pkg` version, which was already a year old itself... Regardless, I wanted to see if it would work. I then ran `make install clean`. This is where things got overwhelming. The console was just flooded with information. Then these pop-ups in blue windows (similar to the FreeBSD installer) appeared, asking me to confirm certain dependencies. I read some of the dependency names and they didn't seem to match the ones Qtile needed... It was like a bunch of extra Python stuff. It must have taken 10 minutes and 20 pop-ups to complete. After installation, I went to confirm if Qtile was installed using `which` and it returned nothing. I tried `whereis` and it just points the ports folder. So, lost again, I rebooted.
Now I thought maybe the problem was ports were way out of date. I returned to the Handbook for help. After trying to find how to update ports, I found this Warning: "Before compiling any port, be sure to update the Ports Collection as described in the previous section." So, I am looking around for this previous section. Where is it? I tried `git -C /usr/ports pull` but it's not a git directory. I scrolled up more and tried `pkg update -f`. This updated the repositories, but when I checked Qtile, it was still version 0.14, whereas the pkg was 0.18. So I had to deviate from the Handbook because I have no clue what to do. A Google result said I need to use `portsnap fetch` and then `portsnap extract`. Neither of these commands are listed in the Handbook. I ran both these commands. The latter must have taken 10-12 minutes, because it rebuilt the entire ports directory. It did update though. Qtile is now 0.18. So I ran through the steps again. `cd /usr/ports/x11-wm/qtile && cd make install clean`. This time however was very different. I only got 2 pop-ups and the install finished very quickly. I ran `startx` but still had the same issue. Qtile will not launch. It says Qtile cannot be found, there also keybinding errors, and xinit connection to the server lost.
Any help would be appreciated. I am coming from Arch Linux and have used the AUR before which is supposed to be similar to ports. Never expected this much trouble.
I am trying to install the Qtile window manager and am having a hell of a time. I have been using the FreeBSD Handbook up until this point and it has been great. However, when it comes to installing packages and ports, I am getting overwhelmed.
Qtile can be found using `pkg search qtile` and returns the package `py39-qtile`. I installed this using `sudo pkg install py39-qtile`. It seemed to install successfully. I added `exec /usr/local/bin/qtile start` to my `.xinitrc` file. When running `startx`, I would get a blackscreen, then it would return to the console. I don't remember the exact error, because I am long past this part. Something about libgdk pixbuf, which doesn't seem to be a required dependency. I tried rebooting, but that didn't solve the issue. I know Xorg works because I can run `su startx` and get into Tom's Window Manager. My user is already part of the `wheel` and `video` groups.
I uninstalled Qtile using `sudo pkg delete py39-qtile`. Then I tried to install it using ports. This is where I got completely lost.
> When installing FreeBSD, I explicitly chose to install the ports.
I ran `cd /usr/ports/x11-wm/qtile` which is what is listed on Freshports for Qtile. Here I found out that the ports version of Qtile was significantly older than the `pkg` version, which was already a year old itself... Regardless, I wanted to see if it would work. I then ran `make install clean`. This is where things got overwhelming. The console was just flooded with information. Then these pop-ups in blue windows (similar to the FreeBSD installer) appeared, asking me to confirm certain dependencies. I read some of the dependency names and they didn't seem to match the ones Qtile needed... It was like a bunch of extra Python stuff. It must have taken 10 minutes and 20 pop-ups to complete. After installation, I went to confirm if Qtile was installed using `which` and it returned nothing. I tried `whereis` and it just points the ports folder. So, lost again, I rebooted.
Now I thought maybe the problem was ports were way out of date. I returned to the Handbook for help. After trying to find how to update ports, I found this Warning: "Before compiling any port, be sure to update the Ports Collection as described in the previous section." So, I am looking around for this previous section. Where is it? I tried `git -C /usr/ports pull` but it's not a git directory. I scrolled up more and tried `pkg update -f`. This updated the repositories, but when I checked Qtile, it was still version 0.14, whereas the pkg was 0.18. So I had to deviate from the Handbook because I have no clue what to do. A Google result said I need to use `portsnap fetch` and then `portsnap extract`. Neither of these commands are listed in the Handbook. I ran both these commands. The latter must have taken 10-12 minutes, because it rebuilt the entire ports directory. It did update though. Qtile is now 0.18. So I ran through the steps again. `cd /usr/ports/x11-wm/qtile && cd make install clean`. This time however was very different. I only got 2 pop-ups and the install finished very quickly. I ran `startx` but still had the same issue. Qtile will not launch. It says Qtile cannot be found, there also keybinding errors, and xinit connection to the server lost.
Any help would be appreciated. I am coming from Arch Linux and have used the AUR before which is supposed to be similar to ports. Never expected this much trouble.
