From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Received: from pigeon.gentoo.org ([208.92.234.80] helo=lists.gentoo.org) by finch.gentoo.org with esmtp (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1NedjU-0001bR-FG for garchives@archives.gentoo.org; Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:13:36 +0000 Received: from pigeon.gentoo.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by pigeon.gentoo.org (Postfix) with SMTP id D7080E100F for ; Tue, 9 Feb 2010 00:13:35 +0000 (UTC) Received: from mail-px0-f199.google.com (mail-px0-f199.google.com [209.85.216.199]) by pigeon.gentoo.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 97625E09A2 for ; Mon, 8 Feb 2010 23:45:35 +0000 (UTC) Received: by pxi37 with SMTP id 37so7305178pxi.9 for ; Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:45:35 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=domainkey-signature:mime-version:received:in-reply-to:references :date:message-id:subject:from:to:content-type :content-transfer-encoding; bh=tkLT7drJqNjdwJ73G28/TLpdhvmJ0uVUeCmoKKaQRR8=; b=CqC/hXkbr5N5c7c9PwLip1bd2kHHNQK/He2yBiOv2Buahv3SPheIH7sAlr7I1tHk1i ouPwReWCWB4TOlMWfsb1ztaLEoSskONo4yen33w3DjkzchRWz9vaJN/YbIYmvYKqsI+N OdpW83o48UWIAWRpI8/9Gnee5S3NRyT+4I+YU= DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date:message-id:subject:from:to :content-type:content-transfer-encoding; b=wfpNm5rc9kqfRz4VCqu0eEWM3+vM6K6QvfDMj95RbTIb1RJ6OmGevFuI8/mhuvWN2u 5c/0zCQxYO45XazisENjJnx7hw/JLeMcExRIn6janyY8KmKuo5UyHYIn075gyANRUVn8 qnGz9lhQi0elzY654QqJNERwpVfcBu7tn7fZk= Precedence: bulk List-Post: List-Help: List-Unsubscribe: List-Subscribe: List-Id: Gentoo Linux mail X-BeenThere: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org Reply-to: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.143.153.30 with SMTP id f30mr494425wfo.281.1265672734871; Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:45:34 -0800 (PST) In-Reply-To: <20100208222047.GA6553@muc.de> References: <20100208222047.GA6553@muc.de> Date: Mon, 8 Feb 2010 15:45:34 -0800 Message-ID: <5bdc1c8b1002081545v3f48f3b0t55622a047e4a1973@mail.gmail.com> Subject: Re: [gentoo-user] How the HAL are you supposed to use these files? From: Mark Knecht To: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Archives-Salt: 34183ddf-b327-4bba-8046-af43c79a6e9e X-Archives-Hash: 1589232a290aaf09ea9d63978277f025 On Mon, Feb 8, 2010 at 2:20 PM, Alan Mackenzie wrote: > Hi, Gentoo! > > I've just got a sparkling new installation of Gentoo on my new PC. =C2=A0= It > only took me ~5 hours, mainly because I'd already configured the kernel > in a trial run. =C2=A0:-) > > However, I'm now trying to get X up and running. =C2=A0"The X Server > Configuration HOWTO", section 3. "Configuring Xorg" says: > > =C2=A0 =C2=A0"Hal comes with many premade device rules, also called polic= ies. > =C2=A0 =C2=A0These policy files are available in /usr/....../policy. =C2= =A0Just find a > =C2=A0 =C2=A0few that suit your needs most closely and copy them to /etc/= ...." > > =C2=A0 =C2=A0"For example, to get a basic working keyboard/mouse combinat= ion, you > =C2=A0 =C2=A0could copy the following files... > =C2=A0 =C2=A0/usr/.........../10-input-policy.fdi > =C2=A0 =C2=A0/usr/.........../10-x11-input.fdi" > > . =C2=A0Am I the only person that finds this semantic gibberish? =C2=A0Is= there > any explanation somewhere of what a "policy" aka "device rule" is? =C2=A0= What > is the semantic significance of a "device rule"? =C2=A0What does it mean,= to > "rule a device", or what sort of restrictions are being placed on this > device? > > Given that one might desire a "basic working keyboard/mouse > combination", what is the chain of reasoning that ends up selecting the > file called "10-input-policy.fdi" from all the other ones? > > This file is an inpenetrable stanza of uncommented XML. =C2=A0Are its ver= bs > documented somewhere? =C2=A0What do "" and "" mea= n, > for example? > > Can this new-style fragmented XML configuration do anything that a good > old-fashioned, human-readable and compact xorg.conf can't? =C2=A0If so, w= hat? > What am I missing here? > > Please, somebody, tell me all this HAL stuff is straightforwardly > explained in an easily accessible Gentoo document, so that I can hang my > head in shame and apologise for the noise! =C2=A0;-) > > -- > Alan Mackenzie (Nuremberg, Germany). > > You are not the only person who finds that decipherable. I don't understand it and actually I don't even use them unless they are already where they need to be. hald runs default in rc-update and things just work. I've done two new AMD64 installations this week and things seem to be working fine so far. I'm using evdev in make.config for X mouse and keyboard. HTH, Mark