How to install Gnome 2.30 in Salix 13.1
Although the Salix repository includes several packages for software that is included in the Gnome project, the Gnome desktop environment itself is not included in it. But since Salix is compatible with Slackware, you can use the excellent Gnome Slackbuild project to install Gnome 2.30.
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A warning for packagers
Gnome 2.30 requires several upgrades to system libraries that are already included in Slackware and Salix. Upgrading them to the Gnome Slackbuilds version will not harm your system, but your system will become backwards incompatible with Slackware and Salix. So if you install Gnome 2.30 from the Gnome Slackbuilds project, you will not be able to build packages that could be used by other Slackware or Salix users.
A warning for users
As several Salix packages will be replaced by their Gnome Slackbuilds equivalents, some Salix customizations will be lost, like the default Salix gdm theme, if you replace the Salix gdm package with the Gnome Slackbuilds package.
Now that we have cleared that up, here's how you can install Gnome:
Adding the Gnome Slackbuilds repository
In order to use the Gnome Slackbuilds repository, you need to add it to your repository lists in /etc/slapt-get/slapt-getrc. There are a few mirrors that host Gnome Slackbuilds packages, here's a list of them, for i486 and x86_64 architectures respectively:
i486
ftp://ftp.slackware.org.uk/gsb/gsb-2.30_slackware-13.1/ ftp://ftp.slackware.pl/pub/gnomeslackbuild/gsb/gsb-2.30_slackware-13.1/ http://www.slackware.org.uk/gsb/gsb-2.30_slackware-13.1/ http://slackware.rol.ru/gsb/gsb/gsb-2.30_slackware-13.1/
x86_64
ftp://ftp.slackware.org.uk/gsb/gsb64-2.30_slackware64-13.1/ ftp://ftp.slackware.pl/pub/gnomeslackbuild/gsb/gsb64-2.30_slackware64-13.1/ http://www.slackware.org.uk/gsb/gsb64-2.30_slackware64-13.1/ http://slackware.rol.ru/gsb/gsb/gsb64-2.30_slackware64-13.1/
You can add any of the above in your /etc/slapt-get/slapt-getrc file. When you do that, make sure the Gnome Slackbuilds repository has a higher priority than all Slackware and Salix repositories. I chose the first one in the list and added it as a custom repository in slapt-getrc, like this:
SOURCE=ftp://ftp.slackware.org.uk/gsb/gsb-2.30_slackware-13.1/:CUSTOM
You can of course do the same by using gslapt and editing the repositories list with gslapt's graphical interface.
Next update the slapt-get package database with:
slapt-get -u
(you can also do that with gslapt) and add the Gnome Slackbuilds GPG key (optional):
slapt-get --add-keys
Installing Gnome
First replace your installed packages with their counterparts in gsb:
slapt-get --upgrade
A complete gnome environment can be installed by simply running:
slapt-get -i gsb-desktop
That will include all the essential parts of gnome, plus several key gnome applications like totem, rhythmbox, epiphany etc. Also check if you have these two packages installed, they are needed, but not referenced by any of the gnome packages dependencies:
slapt-get -i esound libical
Finishing up
That's it! Gnome has been installed. Now all that is left to do is when you next login to gdm, is select to run a Gnome session and you can enjoy your new Gnome 2.30 desktop!
