Re: [gentoo-user] How the HAL are you supposed to use these files?

[Alan Mackenzie]

Hi, Iain,

On Tue, Feb 09, 2010 at 09:09:14AM +0930, Iain Buchanan wrote:
> On Mon, 2010-02-08 at 22:20 +0000, Alan Mackenzie wrote:
> [snip to the crux:]
> > Can this new-style fragmented XML configuration do anything that a
> > good old-fashioned, human-readable and compact xorg.conf can't?  If
> > so, what?  What am I missing here?

> presumably you're missing the previous conversation on this topic:
> http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.gentoo.user/225223/focus=225223

Yes, indeed.  I've read up about half of it now.  Have I understood
correctly, that if I carry on with this HAL, I need to use a heavyweight
window manager (such as Gnome) to be able to configure things with?

I "use" Gnome at the moment with an old Debian system, but that "use" is
basically confined to starting Firefox and sometimes xpdf, and
occasionally gimp, and switching between windows.  So I'm looking to use
a less bloated WM now.  I haven't decided which, yet, either xfce or
ratpoison, or maybe something in between.  Sometime I'd like to try
xmonad, because Haskell is such a sweet language.

> > Please, somebody, tell me all this HAL stuff is straightforwardly
> > explained in an easily accessible Gentoo document, so that I can hang
> > my head in shame and apologise for the noise!  ;-)

> isn't it just done for you?

I don't know.  It (i.e. startx) didn't work at all until I emerged xterm.
Now it starts with 3 working xterms with focus-follows-mouse.  I suppose
that counts as "working".

> $ slocate 10-input-policy.fdi
> /usr/share/hal/fdi/policy/10osvendor/10-input-policy.fdi

> iain@orpheus ~ $ equery belongs /usr/share/hal/fdi/policy/10osvendor/10-input-policy.fdi
>  * Searching for /usr/share/hal/fdi/policy/10osvendor/10-input-policy.fdi ...
> sys-apps/hal-0.5.14-r2 (/usr/share/hal/fdi/policy/10osvendor/10-input-policy.fdi)

> so why are you copying these files by hand?

Because the fine manual "The X Server Configuration HOWTO" encouraged me
to do so: "Just find a few that suit your needs most closely and copy
them ....";  "Just copy the ones you need, and edit them once they're
placed in the proper /etc location.".

Actually I hadn't got around to copying them.  I was fuming at the
vagueness of the instructions, and the vagueness of everything else to do
with HAL.  I've a lot of sympathy with David Bowman.  ;-)

So, is there any documentation in Gentoo for configuring HAL?

> --
> Iain Buchanan <iaindb at netspace dot net dot au>

-- 
Alan Mackenzie (Nuremberg, Germany).