Now that you have gotten all of the GNOME packages by either RPM or tarball sources you will need to configure either your .xinitrc, .xsession, or .Xclients files to run GNOME. You should be running one of these files to start your window manager of choice. The files are located in your $HOME directory.
NOTE: If you are using xdm to start X you can use only the .xsession file.
Once you have determined which file you are using to start X you should add the following lines to start GNOME:
panel & background-properties-init & screensaver-properties-init & mouse-properties-init & exec [your favorite window manager] |
This will launch GNOME and your window manager while restoring your background, screen saver, and mouse properties from earlier GNOME sessions. Once these have finished loading you should see the GNOME panel at the bottom of your screen. The panel is the heart of GNOME and contains all of the GNOME applications and configuration menus. If you do not see the GNOME panel check your .xinitrc or .Xclients file and make sure you have typed in the appropriate lines that are listed above.
Next you will need to add the GNOME path to your system path. To do so, edit your .bashrc or your /etc/profile to include the following line:
export PATH=$PATH:/opt/gnome/bin/ |
You may have installed GNOME to another directory, if so you should simply use that path instead.
IMPORTANT: The files edited here are for users of the bash shell only. If you use a different shell you will need to determine which files you need to edit. If you are unsure, you are probably running the bash shell so give it a try.
Another way to start your GNOME session is to add the following lines to the X configuration file you use:
[your favorite window manager] & exec gnome-session |
This method is at an experimental stage at this time. Although it does start your GNOME session, there are some issues that need to be worked out before it is in a stable condition. This should be the default method of starting a GNOME session in the future.