LXDE Displays Unwanted wbar

[curaga]

The wiki is slightly out of date; however, the only difference to a 2.8.1 TC is that you have the X parts (Xlibs.core.gz, Xprogs.core.gz, Xvesa.core.gz) in your tce directory (not optional like normal extensions). You'll also need to have a WM extension in your optional directory, as flwm is not included in the core extensions.

The end result is the same as with a TC boot, but without wbar.

[SamK]

A couple of questions...

...you have the X parts (Xlibs.core.gz, Xprogs.core.gz, Xvesa.core.gz) in your tce directory (not optional like normal extensions).

When updates are issued for these X parts will they be updated and applied in the same way as extensions in the optional directory are updated?

The end result is the same as with a TC boot, but without wbar.

Apart from no wbar what are the principal advantages of building a GUI environment on MC?

[roberts]

They are not extension, they are additional initramfs images just as microcore.gz and tinycore.gz.
Therefore you would download them just as you would microcore.gz.

The advantage is you get to choose your window manager or full desktop environment as well as any icon choice.

By the far the easiest solution is to use the boot code of noicons!

[curaga]

The end result is the same as with a TC boot, but without wbar.

Apart from no wbar what are the principal advantages of building a GUI environment on MC?

It's the choice. You don't have unwanted things running, not even taking any space. If you wanted to use Xfbdev or Xorg instead of Xvesa, no Xvesa taking space then.

[SamK]

By the far the easiest solution is to use the boot code of noicons!

If the resulting 'bundle' of TC+extensions were to be used primarily by me, using "noicons" may well be the solution adopted.  However, the primary user has limited computer skills and is a long-time user of MS-Windows.

One of the design objectives is to produce a bundle which eases the transition from MS to TC. Openbox+LXDE was selected as it presents a Windows-like GUI.  Wine is also used to allow the use of Windows portable applications and provide familiarity during the transitional phase. 

Providing menu entries for the portable applications is achieved via an entry in bootlocal.sh to a script in /home/tc.  This mechanism also provides menu entries for TC extensions and scripts which do not provide their own menu entries.

The use of bootcodes is unfamiliar to the intended user and therefore deemed to be undesirable.  A UK keyboard layout is required and is setup from bootlocal.sh.  Initial cleaning of the cache is also conducted from bootlocal.sh.  From a maintenance point of view,  in the absence of an official means (other than "noicons") it is desirable to control the display of wbar from bootlocal.sh also.
 

[SamK]

Is it possible to boot without using the bootcode "noicons" and unset the variable "ICONS" with a command issued from /opt/bootlocal.sh?

No, because bootlocal.sh is a child script. Any changes to environment variables within it do not affect the init process.

If I recall correctly back in the days of MS-DOS 5 & 6 there were utilities that allowed changes to be made in the master environment from a local environment.  Do similar utilities exist that can be used in TC?
 

[roberts]

Boot options does not necessarily imply manually entering them.
Typically they are added to the stanza of the boot loader.

By your suggesting to use bootlocal does imply that a backup be pre-made or a remaster, either way, implies pre-setup boot media. Therefore on such media the boot loader could be deployed.

[gerald_clark]

If you don't want to edit .xsession, unset ICONS in .profile.

[danielibarnes]

If you don't want to edit .xsession, unset ICONS in .profile.

Unfortunately, that doesn't work. For Sam's benefit, the startup sequence is init --> /root/.profile --> /home/tc/.profile --> /usr/bin/startx --> /home/tc/.xsession. If you examine /usr/bin/startx, you will see:
export ICONS=`cat /etc/sysconfig/icons`

If you are going to add anything to /home/tc/.profile, I'd suggest:
rm -f /etc/sysconfig/icons
or
sed '/wbar/d' -i /home/tc/.xsession

[gerald_clark]

If you are going to add anything to /home/tc/.profile, I'd suggest:
rm -f /etc/sysconfig/icons

In that case this could also be added to /opt/bootlocal.sh
Aren't Linux's endless possibilities wonderful?

The "right way" and hundreds of other ways.

[danielibarnes]

In that case this could also be added to /opt/bootlocal.sh

I considered that, but I didn't mention it because bootlocal.sh is executed asynchronously. There is no way to guarantee it will execute before .xsession, although it is very likely due to the delays involved in starting X.

[gerald_clark]

That suggests a useful boot option.
'sync' that would not detach bootlocal.sh.
Though on second thought that might cause percieved unexplained hangs during boot.

[danielibarnes]

That suggests a useful boot option. 'sync' that would not detach bootlocal.sh.

That would undesirable because proper behavior of the script would be dependent on the boot option. Were the boot option not present, the behavior of the system would be undefined.

[gerald_clark]

Certainly it would be defined.
If sync was not set, bootlocal.sh would be run with the '&'
If set, the '&' would be omitted, and race conditions would be avoided.