Drakon FAQ

Drakon Process Manager

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The on-line help within Drakon will answer most of your questions. (If you find an omission, please report it.)

General installation
General configuration
Window manager issues
Miscellaneous

If you have a question that isn't answered here, please ask us.

General installation

How do I install the package that I downloaded?

If you downloaded the .tgz version, unpack it on the command line with "tar -xzf file_name.tgz" and then follow the simple instructions in the top level README file. Each archive within the package contains a lib directory with libraries that need to be installed in order to run the program. The README file explains the best place to put these libraries.
If you downloaded the .rpm version, unpack it on the command line with "tar -xzf file_name.tgz", log in as root, and either use an RPM Manager program or install the package(s) with "rpm -i --force file_name.rpm". If the installation fails because it cannot find the appropriate version of libstdc++, run "rpm -i --force --nodeps *.rpm".

Can I install the RPM on Linux systems other than RedHat?

Yes. Caldera, Corel, Mandrake, and SuSE all support it directly. If the RPM does not work on your system, please try the tar package.
For Debian, do the following:

Download the Linux-Intel binary.
Run "alien" on the .rpm file.
Run "dpkg -i --force-overwrite" on the resulting .deb file.

I just downloaded and installed the rpm. Where is the binary?

Run "rpm -qlp" on the .rpm file to list the files that it installed.

The binary that I downloaded doesn't work on my system. Does this mean that I have to obtain the source?

If you are only missing a system library (e.g. libucb.so on Solaris), then search for it on your system and add its directory to your LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable.
If you are missing libXpm, you can obtain the source from its home page or a binary from our ftp site.
Otherwise, the answer is yes. Please contact us.

When I start the program on Fedora 8, it crashes with the message The X server does not have any PostScript fonts at all, not even Helvetica. How do I fix this?

Install the xorg-x11-fonts-75dpi package.

When I start the program, it crashes before I even get a window. How do I fix this?

Try deleting the file ~/.program_name.pref and the directories ~/.jx/ and ~/.jxcb/. Also, make sure that you have write permission on your home directory. If this doesn't fix the problem, please contact us.

When I start the program using MI/X on Windows®, it crashes in JXFontManager.cc. How do I fix this?

Install the fonts Helvetica and Courier. (None of the defaults fonts provided by MI/X are PostScript fonts.)

Why can't you make the installation process as easy as it is on Windows?

We would like to, but web browsers on UNIX don't allow you to automatically run a program after you have downloaded it. This is primarily for security reasons. You have to set the executable flag on the program after you have downloaded it.
You also have to switch to root before you can install any RPM packages. (If you are running your web browser as root, you are really asking for trouble. For security reasons, you should never do anything as root unless you absolutely must.)
In addition, the JX Application Framework cannot be packaged as an RPM. We therefore have to provide a tar file instead. Also, browsers on Windows think that .rpm files are Real Player files, so we have to use the .tgz suffix to allow people to download our software to a Windows machine (from which they then transfer the file to their UNIX machine).
That said, we are always open to suggestions for improving and simplifying the installation process!

General configuration

When I type in an input area in a dialog window, buttons and checkboxes get activated. How do I avoid this?

We are not sure what causes this. We think that it may be the result of strange bugs in particular window managers. What is happening is that the program is somehow being told that the Meta key is pressed. Apparently, if you hold down the Meta key, this toggles the setting, i.e., turning the Meta key off, so that you can type normal characters. The best solution is to switch to a different window manager.

Where is the Meta key?

On Linux-Intel, it is usually labeled Alt. The default on Debian Linux running on a UK keyboard apparently maps Meta to the Windows Logo key. On other UNIX machines, Meta is sometimes labelled with a diamond. If you can't find it by trying the various strangely labelled keys on your keyboard, please ask your system administrator.

Why don't the Meta menu shortcuts work?

Add the following command to your ~/.xinitrc file:
xmodmap -e "keysym Alt_L = Meta_L Alt_L"

If you are using TightVNC, run vncserver with the -compatiblekbd option.

Why doesn't Meta-click work?

Your window manager is probably grabbing the mouse click so the program never gets it. Most window managers provide a configuration file that you can change so the mouse click isn't grabbed. If your window manager doesn't allow this, ask the developers to add this feature!
If you are using Enlightenment, holding down both Meta and Control will get around this problem.
With KDE, go to their control panel LookNFeel/Window Behavior/Actions and set "Modifier Key + Left button" to "nothing".

Why does the backspace key delete the character to the right instead of the character to the left?

This is a problem with your X server configuration. Somehow, your backspace key is generating Delete instead of BackSpace. On UNIX, the problem can be solved by adding
xmodmap -e "keycode 22 = BackSpace"
to your ~/.xinitrc file. If you are using an X server for Microsoft Windows®, please consult the appropriate documentation.

When I iconify (minimize) a window on the Gnome desktop, the window doesn't redraw when I deiconify it. How do I fix this?

Switch from using the Sawfish window manager to the Enlightenment window manager. This is a preference somewhere in the Gnome configuration editor.

When I used XVision, the Meta key doesn't work. How do I fix this?

Make a copy of the appropriate XVision key mapping file in <XVision installation directory>\System\keymap and then modify it to change the description on the first line (DESC) and to map the desired Windows virtual key code (usually VK_MENU) to the X keycode "0xffe7 (Meta_L)". Save this file and then run <XVision installation directory>\Xkg.exe. From this application's File menu, open the key mapping file you just created. This compiles your .txt file into an .xkg file. Choose "Save" from the File menu and quit the application. Now open the XVision properties dialog and choose the Devices tab. Your new keymap should appear in the Keyboard Map drop down list, based on the change you made to the first line of the .txt file. Select it and then let XVision restart.
Thanks to Ian Wakeling for figuring this out.

Window manager issues

Which window manager do you recommend using?

All programs that are written with the JX Application Framework will work with any window manager, except for the bugs mentioned below. We at New Planet Software prefer fvwm2 because it supports icons for iconfied windows. This allows Drag-and-Drop onto iconfied windows as well as visible ones.

Why do my windows keep appearing in random places, even after I use the "Save window size as default" option?

Your window manager is ignoring the program's attempts to place the windows. We know how to fix this for the following window managers:

fvwm
Comment out "NoPPosition" from ~/.fvwmrc

fvwm2
Use "UsePPosition" instead of "NoPPosition" in ~/.fvwm2rc

sawfish
Select the Placement item for Sawfish in the Gnome control panel and change the Method to "None".

twm
Set "UsePPosition on" in ~/.twmrc

Why do I get the error:

Error detected in JXWindow::HandleMapNotify():
Your window manager is not setting the WM_STATE property correctly!
As the error says, the problem is that your window manager is not fully compliant because it doesn't set the WM_STATE property on every window. Our only advice is to notify the developers and then switch to a window manager that works.

Why does WindowMaker quit when I exit the program?

I have no idea, but it seems to be a problem with WindowMaker. Upgrade to the latest version of the window manager. (Emacs apparently also causes this problem with some older versions of WindowMaker.)

Why do the windows move when I use the Windows or Files menu?

Existing window managers exhibit two different behaviors when placing windows. The program attempts to deduce the behavior at run time, so you can use it with any window manager. If your windows jump around more than once or twice, please notify us.

Why do the windows not pop to the front when I use the Windows/Files menu?

This is a window manager problem. Notify the developers and then switch to a different window manager.

Why do I see psychedelic colors in the progress display windows?

As far as we know, this is caused either because you are using a very high resolution on your monitor or by a window manager problem. It is not dangerous, so enjoy the show.

Why do my windows migrate across the screen from one session to the next?

This problem has only been reported for fvwm2. The fix is to create the file ~/.jx/wm_offset. This must contain the x and y offset caused by your window manager. For fvwm2, this file should contain "1 1" (without the quotes).

Why can't I type in the window after selecting an item from a menu?

This problem has only been reported for AfterStep 1.8.0 and only occurs if you click and release to open the menu and then click and release again to select the menu item. It does not occur if you click to open the menu and drag to select the item. This is clearly a bug in AfterStep because it is not known to happen with any other window manager.

Miscellaneous

When I drag my window to a dock, the dock refuses to accept the window. Why?

The docking compartment is probably too small. Expand the compartment until it is larger than the minimum size of the window.

Can I change the default font size?

You can change the default menu font size by creating the file ~/.jx/menu_font with the following format:
font_name
font_size

Does the program support themes?

No. We have a design, but there are still unresolved issues, and everybody seems to be satisfied with the current appearance. Please note that implementing Themes is one of the Bazaar projects for JX. If you want to see it happen, please consider volunteering!

Have you considered porting the program to Gnome/GTK+ or KDE/Qt?

No. The program already runs correctly in both environments, and porting it would require a complete rewrite from scratch.