============================================ X session from remote
/etc/kde2/kdm/Xservers contains the command line for starting up X (ok, now I see the connection with kdm). By default this is:

:0 local@tty1 /usr/X11R6/bin/X -nolisten tcp

In order to have remote connections, you need to comment out the -nolisten tcp part:

:0 local@tty1 /usr/X11R6/bin/X # -nolisten tcp
============================================
How to use non-xandros apt sources -SAFELY-  Reply with quote       When using multiple non-xandros apt sources (for example debian unstable) there is the possibility that a xandros package may be upgraded to a non-xandros version. It may break something in the case of debian unstable, or invalidate your right to support priority. Since xandros is built on debian, this isn't a problem to deal with and I am suprised the guys at xandros didnt make this easier. I hope to help the adventurous make sure they never replace xandros-provided software with versions not provided by xandros, enabling them to add any apt source they please without risking removing even xandros's version of kde.

First, my config file and then an explanation. What follows is my apt preferences file, located at /etc/apt/preferences (which you will have to create if you wish to use my example):

Package: *
Pin: release l=Xandros Networks
Pin-Priority: 991

Package: *
Pin: release o=Xandros Corporation
Pin-Priority: 991

Package: *
Pin: release a=stable
Pin-Priority: 777

Package: *
Pin: release a=unstable
Pin-Priority: 333


When you have multiple distribution apt sources in your configuration, packages from each have an equal priority. With apt's default behavior, it will upgrade packages to the newest version available and install the newest version of any package needed as a dependency, regardless of where it came from.

However, in addition to the versioning number system, apt assigns a priority to all packages to be installed as well as those already installed. This allows you to assign preference to one source, version, distribtion, stability level, distributer, release, and so-on. You can even assign preference strong enough to force the downgrade of packages, which is quite usefull if you do something similar to dist-upgrading from debian stable to testing and then want to get back to stable again after realising something in testing just hasnt been tested enough.

Packages installed already have a priority level of 100, and 500 is the priority for all the default package files. 989 is the start for auto priorities and a priority less than 100 marks a package as non-automatic (non-automatic packages arent considered during auto-selection of package versions if a version of that package is already installed). If a priority is negative it is never auto-selected and if it is above 1000 apt has permission to select this package even to DOWNGRADE the currently installed version. Change the priority for xandros packages to 1001 if you have installed outside packages newer than those supplied by xandros and want to get back to a pure xandros system even if it meens downgrading packages.

I have xandros related sources set to 991 and not 990 because 990 is the priority set by the --target-release command. By being set to 991, xandros packages take priority even when I tell apt I want a package from a specific release, such as unstable. If this behavior is not what you desire, set the priority to 990 and apt will act as expected regarding version number preference decisions. With my configuration I will only install apps from unstable when I use the --target-release option to apt-get and even then I wont harm the xandros installation.

A note on the XANDROS UPDATE package

In order to access the full range of features in apt, you currently need to use the command-line tools. And while xandros update obeys preferences, it will still present to you packages you can not install. When these packages fail, xandros update will simply say an error occured without giving you any details about why.


I hope somebody finds my long-winded post usefull!! Peace and happy holidays!

-Travis W. Tilley-
Staff Writer, PCBurn.com