How to get AlienFX working on old desktop Alienware (R4)
The Aurora R4 Desktop anno 2011 with following USB hardware: idVendor: 0x187c idProduct:0x0513)
→ For lvl 1 n00bs ←
Wrote this to help other newbies through the jungle. Feel free to chime in if I have made any outrageous claims, statements or abusing my OS. As I am, very much, a beginner myself.
The outdated package alienfx 2.4.3-1 will work. It just needs some TLC.
It is unfortunately dependent on python-future. Python-future is not compatible with Python 3.13.
-
Installing.
The preferred method would be to use Octopi. Since the aforementioned dependency on python-future, that will not work.1.1 Using Octopi we can however install our other dependencies:
Install python, python-cairo, python-gobject, python-pyusb AND python-fissix -
“Fixing” python-future.
We are modifying the AUR-package to suit our needs. In this lucky case we can
redirect lib2to3 to fissix instead.2.1 Open Terminal (Fish)
2.2$ mkdir snuffaluffagus(for example)
2.3$ cd snuffaluffagus
2.4$ git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/python-future.git
2.5$ cd python-future
2.6$ nano PKGBUILD(or kate or other preffered editor)
2.7 Insert (at bottom):
prepare() {
cd “$srcdir”/future-$pkgver
find . -type f -name “*.*” -exec sed -i ‘s|lib2to3|fissix|g’ {} +
}
2.8 Save & Exit.
2.9$ makepkg -sri
2.10 Close terminal -
Install AlienFX.
Find it in Octopi and install. -
Setting a Theme.
4.1 Open Terminal (Fish)
4.2$ sudo alienfx-gtk
4.3 Nevermind the labels on the different “zones”.
-→ Current zones correspond with the R4:
* Left Keyboard = Left Sidepanel
* Middle-left Keyboard = Top Right
* Middle-right Keyboard = Top Left
* Right Keyboard = Right Sidepanel
* Right Speaker = Left Frontpanel
* Left Speaker = Right Frontpanel
* Alien Head = Alien Head
* Logo = Bottom Front
(Don´t forget to press Apply otherwise nothing will happen)
4.4 When you´re satisfied save your theme. (Lets call it: Starchild) -
Making it stick through reboot.
5.1 Open Terminal (Fish)
5.2$ sudo nano /usr/local/sbin/alienfx-go.sh(creating a bash script, it will be empty)
5.3 Insert: (#!-line MUST be the first line of the file)
#!/bin/bash/
alienfx -t Starchild
5.4 Save & Exit.
5.5$ sudo chmod 0700 /usr/local/sbin/alienfx-go.sh
5.6$ sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/alienfx.service(creating a systemd unit file, it will be empty)
5.7 Insert:
[Unit]
Description=AlienFX Theme from Boot
[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/local/sbin/alienfx-go.sh
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
5.8 Save & Exit.
5.9$ systemctl enable alienfx.service
5.10 Reboot
Hopefully your computer now looks like a shining X-mas tree. Merry alienFX!
