I need the x11 for dummies instructions

[edX]

ok, i've tried reading the faq's and i'm still lost. i have 3 apps that i want to get to work - Gimp, OpenOffice, and R-1.5.1.

we all know i am a complete idiot and paranoid when it comes to anything with command lines so i would like as much GUI interaction as possible. i've installed x11, x11sdk, and the developer tools. i've done a complete instalation of R. what else do i need to do and in what order to get these apps running properly? PLEASE, assume i know nothing (because that's exactly how much i know) and give very explicit directions - what to do first, second, etc..

i already have fink and fink commander sitting on my desktop uninstalled. i have gimp and openoffice uninstalled.

several of you have poked and prodded at me to do this, now i would really appreciate some help doing it

TIA

[edX]

ok, i managed to find an already packaged version of gimp, installed it and have gotten it to work with what i have in now plus the gtk. gimp is certainly not intuitive but i did figure a little out. certainly a project for later. after digging a bit it appears to be everything i hoped it would be. is there a manual for it somewhere?

really folks, i'd appreciate some help now while i've got the time to do this.

maybe if i try it as more questions - should i intall fink and then fink commander at this point? or should i go ahead and install openoffice?

[Giaguara]

http://manual.gimp.org/

X11 should be enough for OpenOffice. (Sorry, I need sleep now)

[dlloyd]

Assuming that you installed the Gimp from OpenDarwin, you may have problems with Fink, at least this is what the Fink people say.
I just got through helping BitWit to do pretty much what you want to do, so have a look here and more importantly here. In my numerous posts in these two threads, I do the 'X11 for dummies' routine. This is the reason I didn't immediately reply to your post as soon as I saw it, I am 'X11nd' out for now. If these don't answer everything, then please post questions here, and I will answer them to the best of my ability!

[edX]

yea, fink won't let me install. it says that i already have an sw folder so i need to update. well, when i followed their instructions for updating, i can't find fink to discover what version i have. (i didn't install any, but R or dev tools might have? ) can i just hide my sw folder and then install and then move the contents back into the new folder with drag and drop? this sure sounds easier to me than their complicated command line stuff that i can't even figure out which one i should use.

and yes, i installed opendarwin gimp before fink since nobody was bothering to answer my question and i was left exploring all this on my own. i did not associate the open darwin version with their warnings about macGimp (a commercial version) or openOSX Gimp.

i'm with Bitwit - why can't somebody write a complete beginner's guide to this stuff that's all in one place, all in one document and is understandable by a 12 yo?

[wiz]

well, you could have installed GIMP through fink, that would have simplified the whole process.

Infact install[ed] eveything though fink. (whatever is available that is)

[edX]

that's nice to know now nowhere have i seen that explained but i have seen it alluded to. so what about it - can i just remove the sw folder and then copy back by hand or even reinstall everything?

[edX]

well, i ended up trying the removal of the sw folder and installing. that went fine. i then took and moved the other files back. 6 of them were dupiclates so i left the ones fink installed and held onto them just in case. i tried to get fink to check on my gimp install and it told me i needed a something for gif's, so i said yes and it has been compilining for over a half hour so far. but all seems smooth. fink commander is now working as well and recognizes some stuff - but not R and not gimp. i'm guessing i will have two versions of gimp when i'm done. probably 2 of R as well. fink commander shows a newer version of R (actually calls it r-base). i suppose i will try letting it get it for me and see what happens once gimp is thru.

i can see now why this stuff has never presented any serious challenge to windows or apple. most people would rather pay the money than go thru this