balug-suse_configuration_tools_obtrusive_overwrite_manual_changes

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To: =?gb2312?q?x=20li?= <xli987@yahoo.com.cn>
From: <bear@pagansexcult.org>
Subject: Re: [Balug-talk] changing lilo.conf in SuseLinux8.0
Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2002 09:08:17 -0700 (PDT)

On Sat, 3 Aug 2002, [gb2312] x li wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I had a problem that Suse8.0 always goes to text mode
> after installation. So I changed, in lilo.conf vga=773
> and next time it boots into KDE3.0 graphic window. But
> when I use Control center trying to change the display
> settings, next time reboot, it goes back to text mode
> again and no matter what value in lilo.conf's vga=
> lie, any suggestions on how to go back to graphic mode
> ?

Your basic problem is that SuSE's setup tools are
too obtrusive.  You are changing lilo.conf directly,
rather than doing it through their tools, and your
preferences aren't being recorded in whatever setup
file their tools use.  Therefore, whenever you do
something through control center that causes the SuSE
setup tools to touch lilo.conf, they regenerate it -
without your hand changes.

I don't know your exact problem in terms of which tool
or what file, because I don't use lilo on my system.  But
I've observed this "obtrusive" property with the SuSE
setup tools in many many places.  I wound up uninstalling
most of SuSE's setup and control center stuff in order to
get them to leave my damn config files alone!

In your case, I'd read the man page on the "attrib"
command and then use it on lilo.conf in the appropriate
way to prevent anything from overwriting it.  Of course,
that means you will not be able to make lilo changes
through the control center, nor through anything else
for that matter, without first unprotecting that file.

Otherwise, your choices are digging through the
HTML/PHP/Apache "Help" system, SuSEhilf, to try to
find out what tool or file you need to change so that
the overeager SuSE tools are aware that you *want*
that line in lilo.conf and don't overwrite it next
time.

Don't get me wrong, I like SuSE.  I like its completeness
and integration, and the setup tools are helpful when
you're first installing and setting up.  But once you
start tweaking and tuning, or if they're fundamentally
wrong about something and you can't convince them to just
go with the config you want, they just have to go.

SuSE created a nice help facility too, but they didn't have
the decency to write it as man pages.  Instead, they set it
up in HTML/PHP, so "man" and "apropos" can't see it.  But
whatever. That's a rant for a different day.

			Good luck....

			Bear
===


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