Desktop issues

Owen · 3 October 2022 23:38

The results of garuda-inxi are appended.

I am a born-yesterday user of Garuda and Linux in general. Please be patient.

I am using Cinnamon and wanted to change it. Reinstalled Garuda from scratch and this time was not offered a choice of desktop environments. What did I do wrong?
The underlying issue is that either Garuda or Cinnamon is superimposing Garuda cursors over other software. This is annoying at best. With one work-critical program, it is superimposing a video-game gunsight over the program's own crosshairs. It is not entirely in synch with the crosshairs, which move in fixed increments, and causes two pixels to blink where they overlap. This is infernally distracting during a process where I can't afford to be distracted. So:

Is this characteristic of Garuda? If so, how can I prevent the problem. If I can't fix it, I will have to abandon Garuda--with great reluctance, as it seems otherwise a viable escape from the Borgs of Bellingham and Cupertino.

I have searched for answers but have not found anything on point.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

System:
  Kernel: 5.19.7-zen2-1-zen arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 12.2.0
    parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/@/boot/vmlinuz-linux-zen
    root=UUID=99d033ae-700a-4c92-8968-78ccb176889b rw rootflags=subvol=@
    quiet quiet splash rd.udev.log_priority=3 vt.global_cursor_default=0
    loglevel=3
  Desktop: Cinnamon v: 5.4.12 tk: GTK v: 3.24.34 wm: Mutter vt: 7
    dm: LightDM v: 1.32.0 Distro: Garuda Linux base: Arch Linux
Machine:
  Type: Desktop Mobo: MSI model: H110M PRO-VD (MS-7996) v: 1.0
    serial: <superuser required> UEFI: American Megatrends v: 2.70
    date: 06/16/2016
CPU:
  Info: model: Intel Core i5-6400 bits: 64 type: MCP arch: Skylake-S
    gen: core 6 level: v3 built: 2015 process: Intel 14nm family: 6
    model-id: 0x5E (94) stepping: 3 microcode: 0xF0
  Topology: cpus: 1x cores: 4 smt: <unsupported> cache: L1: 256 KiB
    desc: d-4x32 KiB; i-4x32 KiB L2: 1024 KiB desc: 4x256 KiB L3: 6 MiB
    desc: 1x6 MiB
  Speed (MHz): avg: 2225 high: 2700 min/max: 800/3300 scaling:
    driver: intel_pstate governor: powersave cores: 1: 2700 2: 2700 3: 800
    4: 2700 bogomips: 21599
  Flags: avx avx2 ht lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx
  Vulnerabilities:
  Type: itlb_multihit status: KVM: VMX disabled
  Type: l1tf mitigation: PTE Inversion; VMX: conditional cache flushes, SMT
    disabled
  Type: mds mitigation: Clear CPU buffers; SMT disabled
  Type: meltdown mitigation: PTI
  Type: mmio_stale_data mitigation: Clear CPU buffers; SMT disabled
  Type: retbleed mitigation: IBRS
  Type: spec_store_bypass mitigation: Speculative Store Bypass disabled via
    prctl
  Type: spectre_v1 mitigation: usercopy/swapgs barriers and __user pointer
    sanitization
  Type: spectre_v2 mitigation: IBRS, IBPB: conditional, RSB filling,
    PBRSB-eIBRS: Not affected
  Type: srbds mitigation: Microcode
  Type: tsx_async_abort status: Not affected
Graphics:
  Device-1: NVIDIA GM107 [GeForce GTX 750 Ti] vendor: ASUSTeK driver: nvidia
    v: 515.65.01 alternate: nouveau,nvidia_drm non-free: 515.xx+ status: current
    (as of 2022-08) arch: Maxwell code: GMxxx process: TSMC 28nm
    built: 2014-19 pcie: gen: 3 speed: 8 GT/s lanes: 16 bus-ID: 01:00.0
    chip-ID: 10de:1380 class-ID: 0300
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 21.1.4 driver: X: loaded: nvidia
    unloaded: modesetting alternate: fbdev,nouveau,nv,vesa gpu: nvidia
    display-ID: :0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1920x1080 s-dpi: 92 s-size: 530x301mm (20.87x11.85")
    s-diag: 610mm (24")
  Monitor-1: VGA-0 res: 1920x1080 hz: 60 dpi: 92
    size: 531x298mm (20.91x11.73") diag: 609mm (23.97") modes: N/A
  Message: Unable to show GL data. Required tool glxinfo missing.
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel 100 Series/C230 Series Family HD Audio
    vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus-ID: 00:1f.3
    chip-ID: 8086:a170 class-ID: 0403
  Device-2: NVIDIA GM107 High Definition Audio [GeForce 940MX]
    vendor: ASUSTeK driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel pcie: gen: 3 speed: 8 GT/s
    lanes: 16 bus-ID: 01:00.1 chip-ID: 10de:0fbc class-ID: 0403
  Sound Server-1: ALSA v: k5.19.7-zen2-1-zen running: yes
  Sound Server-2: PulseAudio v: 16.1 running: no
  Sound Server-3: PipeWire v: 0.3.58 running: yes
Network:
  Device-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet
    vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: r8169 v: kernel pcie: gen: 1 speed: 2.5 GT/s
    lanes: 1 port: d000 bus-ID: 02:00.0 chip-ID: 10ec:8168 class-ID: 0200
  IF: enp2s0 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 237.89 GiB used: 13.46 GiB (5.7%)
  SMART Message: Required tool smartctl not installed. Check --recommends
  ID-1: /dev/sda maj-min: 8:0 vendor: SanDisk model: SD8SBBU240G1122
    size: 223.57 GiB block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B speed: 6.0 Gb/s
    type: SSD serial: <filter> rev: 6000 scheme: GPT
  ID-2: /dev/sdb maj-min: 8:16 type: USB vendor: SanDisk model: Cruzer
    size: 14.32 GiB block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B type: N/A
    serial: <filter> rev: 1.00 scheme: MBR
Partition:
  ID-1: / raw-size: 223.27 GiB size: 223.27 GiB (100.00%) used: 13.46 GiB
    (6.0%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda2 maj-min: 8:2
  ID-2: /boot/efi raw-size: 300 MiB size: 299.4 MiB (99.80%) used: 608 KiB
    (0.2%) fs: vfat dev: /dev/sda1 maj-min: 8:1
  ID-3: /home raw-size: 223.27 GiB size: 223.27 GiB (100.00%) used: 13.46
    GiB (6.0%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda2 maj-min: 8:2
  ID-4: /var/log raw-size: 223.27 GiB size: 223.27 GiB (100.00%) used: 13.46
    GiB (6.0%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda2 maj-min: 8:2
  ID-5: /var/tmp raw-size: 223.27 GiB size: 223.27 GiB (100.00%) used: 13.46
    GiB (6.0%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda2 maj-min: 8:2
Swap:
  Kernel: swappiness: 133 (default 60) cache-pressure: 100 (default)
  ID-1: swap-1 type: zram size: 15.59 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) priority: 100
    dev: /dev/zram0
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 36.0 C pch: 39.0 C mobo: N/A gpu: nvidia
    temp: 42 C
  Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A gpu: nvidia fan: 30%
Info:
  Processes: 229 Uptime: 1h 46m wakeups: 0 Memory: 15.59 GiB used: 2.8 GiB
  (18.0%) Init: systemd v: 251 default: graphical tool: systemctl
  Compilers: gcc: 12.2.0 Packages: pm: pacman pkgs: 1350 libs: 325
  tools: paru Shell: fish v: 3.5.1 default: Bash v: 5.1.16
  running-in: gnome-terminal inxi: 3.3.21
Garuda (2.6.8-1):
  System install date:     2022-10-03
  Last full system update: 2022-10-03 ↻
  Is partially upgraded:   No
  Relevant software:       NetworkManager
  Windows dual boot:       No/Undetected
  Snapshots:               Snapper
  Failed units:

petsam · 3 October 2022 23:53

Welcome to Garuda!

Good buy, and send a message from where you have gone.

It is very disturbing to be trolled/mocked from people that request support. I would expect some minimum respect for offering a free Operating System to the public.

Work critical?.. and you play games while working on a work-critical program?
What kind of work is that? Collecting mines in a virtual minefield?

Haven’t you read any documentation on the wiki, the forum, or the very post you created on this topic?

Do us all a favor and repeat the topic in a better way.
For now it is closed.

Owen · 4 October 2022 03:09

"Good buy, and send a message from where you have gone.

“It is very disturbing to be trolled/mocked from people that request support. I would expect some minimum respect for offering a free Operating System to the public.”

Please consider this that message.

I was not trolling you. I was trying to make clear how critical this simple-sounding issue is to me. It interferes with my focus on work that can’t be done without it. And yeah, if I can’t fix this problem Garuda Linux will not be my refuge from the Big Two operating systems. That will be extremely disappointing, as I like everything about it (so far) except this one problem.

Contrary to your fantasy, Garuda is anything but free. Instead of money, you charge the time and labor required to achieve the standard of knowledge you find appropriate. These are resources I can use to pursue my life and very much prefer to. So, I suspect, do the many people who might benefit from Linux but are put off by its reputation as a playground for unfriendly geeks. Its well-earned reputation, I find.

Someone on a Linux forum asked whether learning Windows had not been equally difficult. No, it wasn’t. I bought my first computer in 1979, a year before CP/M became available for it. I bought my second before Microsoft released DOS. And my third and my fourth. I did install it on the fourth when DOS became available for it. Eventually, I learned Windows . Not one of those operating systems required a tenth the effort you expect of people who just want to do their work without Microsoft and Apple. Their learning curves were much shallower.

You probably honor the precept that “With great power comes great responsibility.” If you applied that idea to yourself, you and your colleagues might polish Linux enough to compete with Windows and MacOS. Until then, Linux will remain only a masturbatory pleasure for the technical priesthood. I am sorry that narcissistic joy seems more important to you than making Linux widely usable.

At this point, I don’t really care whether anyone answers the question I posed, quite civilly I did and do believe. The software I care about runs well under Windows 7. I can buy a few older computers, maintain them despite my lack of software expertise, and throw them out as needed. I will be able to continue doing that until I decide to retire, probably around age 90. And I will do it without ever again having contact with Microsoft.

Pretty sure I can even get Windows 7 working on the newly upgraded system I planned to use for Linux.

Finally, I am as offended as you are by this exchange. I use graphics-heavy software in my work, but it is the absolute farthest thing from a video game. Or was until I tried to use it under Garuda via Crossover. The suggestion that I might play games while trying to earn a living is arrogant stupidity.

Thank you for this educational experience. You remind me why I grew up and became an end-user.

BluishHumility · 4 October 2022 04:10

I believe there has been a misunderstanding regarding the cursor. @Owen is right, the Cinnamon spin ships with a default cursor theme that is somewhat playful–it takes various forms depending on the active window, but it’s always rocket ships and jet planes, “video game”-type cursors.

You can change the cursor in the theme settings. I also found the cursor a little distracting after a while and changed it. Search around in the settings.

The Default Themeing In CInnamon Desktop Environment

No, it is not a characteristic of Garuda’s. It is just a special icon set that the maintainer of the spin likes, so he ships it in the ISO.

Also, this problem:

You may be accustomed to other distros like Fedora or OpenSUSE, where the desktop environment is presented as a choice during the installation process. With Garuda, each desktop spin is offered as a separate ISO. You will have to download a whole new ISO if you want to change your desktop choice.

I think it is important to address the tone this thread has taken.

You may not have meant it this way, but when people “threaten” to leave Garuda for another distro it is somewhat maddening. No one here gets any benefit out of you using Garuda or not. The devs pour their hearts into this distro, on their free time, and share it with the community for free. Suggesting it isn’t good enough is insulting. Ever hear the expression, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”?

If you hosted a huge community barbecue and spent all day cooking in the hot sun trying to make the best food you can for everyone to enjoy, for free, and someone came up to you and said “Well if you don’t have the mustard I like I’m just going to eat somewhere else,” wouldn’t that grind your gears a little bit?

I can tell you are upset, but come on–this is ridiculous. You are making yourself sound foolish.

No one was being critical of any knowledge you may or may not have. People are welcome in the community whether they know how to change their icon theme or not. It was the tone that was problematic.

What the fsck is that?!

@Owen, I think your first message may have been misinterpreted a bit, but your second message was downright inappropriate. I’m not asking for you to apologize–I’m not your mother–but if you can’t manage to interact with the community in a respectful way, then fire up your Windows 7 machine and happy trails.