packagegroup-gnome-desktop is not a desktop

packagegroup-gnome-desktop is not a desktop

[Mike Looijmans]

As an alternative to XFCE, I wanted to try and create a Gnome desktop environment. I ignorantly assumed that "packagegroup-gnome-desktop" (what's in a name) would create some basic desktop, much like packagegroup-xfce-extended does.

However, adding that to my image results in all screens remaining black, even though it creates a 700MB image, it doesn't appear to have a display manager.

What am I missing?
Met vriendelijke groet / kind regards,

Mike Looijmans
System Expert


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Re: [oe] packagegroup-gnome-desktop is not a desktop

[Markus Volk]

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Hi,
packagegroup-gnome-desktop should install enough to eventually run 
'gnome-shell' from a login-shell (if using systemd and wayland)
I've seen that gdm is not installed in packagegroup-gnome-desktop, so 
that might be the part of the puzzle that you're missing.

On Wed, Aug 27 2025 at 05:54:54 +00:00:00, Mike Looijmans via 
lists.openembedded.org <mike.looijmans=topic.nl@lists.openembedded.org> 
wrote:
> As an alternative to XFCE, I wanted to try and create a Gnome desktop 
> environment. I ignorantly assumed that "packagegroup-gnome-desktop" 
> (what's in a name) would create some basic desktop, much like 
> packagegroup-xfce-extended does.
> 
> However, adding that to my image results in all screens remaining 
> black, even though it creates a 700MB image, it doesn't appear to 
> have a display manager.
> 
> What am I missing?
> Met vriendelijke groet / kind regards,
> 
> Mike Looijmans
> System Expert
> 
> 
> TOPIC Embedded Products B.V.
> Materiaalweg 4, 5681 RJ Best
> The Netherlands
> 
> T: +31 (0) 499 33 69 69
> E: mike.looijmans@topic.nl <mailto:mike.looijmans@topic.nl>
> W: www.topic.nl <http://www.topic.nl/>
> 
> Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail
> 
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Re: [oe] packagegroup-gnome-desktop is not a desktop

[mike.looijmans]

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Part of the puzzle maybe, but still don't know how to start a gnome desktop.

There's some "glue" missing I guess between x11 or wayland (I support both) and the gnome things, but I can't find what that is.

Is there a "gnome desktop" image recipe out there somewhere that I could use as a reference?

I now just end up with an image that has tons of "gnome" things installed, but nothing really gets started and there's no clue as to what should be running...

M.

On 28-08-2025 01:24, Markus Volk wrote:
Hi,
packagegroup-gnome-desktop should install enough to eventually run 'gnome-shell' from a login-shell (if using systemd and wayland)
I've seen that gdm is not installed in packagegroup-gnome-desktop, so that might be the part of the puzzle that you're missing.

On Wed, Aug 27 2025 at 05:54:54 +00:00:00, Mike Looijmans via lists.openembedded.org <mike.looijmans=topic.nl@lists.openembedded.org><mailto:mike.looijmans=topic.nl@lists.openembedded.org> wrote:
As an alternative to XFCE, I wanted to try and create a Gnome desktop environment. I ignorantly assumed that "packagegroup-gnome-desktop" (what's in a name) would create some basic desktop, much like packagegroup-xfce-extended does. However, adding that to my image results in all screens remaining black, even though it creates a 700MB image, it doesn't appear to have a display manager. What am I missing? Met vriendelijke groet / kind regards, Mike Looijmans


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Re: [oe] packagegroup-gnome-desktop is not a desktop

[Markus Volk]

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On Thu, Aug 28 2025 at 14:39:44 +02:00:00, mike.looijmans@topic.nl 
wrote:
> I now just end up with an image that has tons of "gnome" things 
> installed, but nothing really gets started and there's no clue as to 
> what should be running...

gdm should be started automatically using systemd service:
flk@intel-corei7-64:~$ sudo systemctl status gdm
Password:
* gdm.service - GNOME Display Manager
     Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/gdm.service; enabled; 
preset: enabled)
     Active: active (running) since Thu 2025-08-28 15:01:08 CEST; 51s 
ago
 Invocation: fb3be9d01865490aa251ee2393f6d5b4
   Main PID: 1111 (gdm)
      Tasks: 4 (limit: 154363)
     Memory: 5.5M (peak: 9.8M)
        CPU: 40ms
     CGroup: /system.slice/gdm.service
             `-1111 /usr/sbin/gdm


Which OpenEmbedded branch are you on? I remember sending corrections 
for starting gdm some time ago:
<https://git.openembedded.org/meta-openembedded/commit/?h=master-next&id=d4ac4dcb70faeed3e3a933c378bfbcbe25a1f260>

I also build for gnome but that is far from being a tiny image:
<https://codeberg.org/flk/meta-image/src/commit/8ab5f7a156e44e30dd637361e0b9c1474537af4a/recipes-core/images/image.inc>
<https://codeberg.org/flk/meta-gnome-image/src/branch/master/recipes-core/images/gnome-image.bb>



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Re: [oe] packagegroup-gnome-desktop is not a desktop

[Markus Volk]

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I do it like this:
<https://codeberg.org/flk/meta-gnome-image/src/branch/master/recipes-gnome/gdm/gdm_%25.bbappend>

> 
> gdm should be started automatically using systemd service:
> 


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Re: [oe] packagegroup-gnome-desktop is not a desktop

[mike.looijmans]

On 28-08-2025 15:12, Markus Volk wrote:
> On Thu, Aug 28 2025 at 14:39:44 +02:00:00, mike.looijmans@topic.nl wrote:
>> I now just end up with an image that has tons of "gnome" things installed, 
>> but nothing really gets started and there's no clue as to what should be 
>> running...
>
> gdm should be started automatically using systemd service:
> flk@intel-corei7-64:~$ sudo systemctl status gdm
> Password:
> * gdm.service - GNOME Display Manager
>      Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/gdm.service; enabled; preset: 
> enabled)
>      Active: active (running) since Thu 2025-08-28 15:01:08 CEST; 51s ago
>  Invocation: fb3be9d01865490aa251ee2393f6d5b4
>    Main PID: 1111 (gdm)
>       Tasks: 4 (limit: 154363)
>      Memory: 5.5M (peak: 9.8M)
>         CPU: 40ms
>      CGroup: /system.slice/gdm.service
>              `-1111 /usr/sbin/gdm
>
>
> Which OpenEmbedded branch are you on? I remember sending corrections for 
> starting gdm some time ago:
> https://git.openembedded.org/meta-openembedded/commit/?h=master-next&id=d4ac4dcb70faeed3e3a933c378bfbcbe25a1f260 
> <https://git.openembedded.org/meta-openembedded/commit/?h=master-next&id=d4ac4dcb70faeed3e3a933c378bfbcbe25a1f260>

I'm on scarthgap (because Xilinx/AMD is there as well).

This patch at least puts a login screen on the display. I can move the mouse 
pointer on it, but I doesn't respond to any click or keyboard button.

>
> I also build for gnome but that is far from being a tiny image:
> https://codeberg.org/flk/meta-image/src/commit/8ab5f7a156e44e30dd637361e0b9c1474537af4a/recipes-core/images/image.inc
> https://codeberg.org/flk/meta-gnome-image/src/branch/master/recipes-core/images/gnome-image.bb
>
That'll be useful. In this case I'm not particularly looking at "small". 
Experimenting with what we could demo on an MPSoC board outputting to 4 HDMI 
ports (just bit-banging FPGA pins really really fast). XFCE looks nice, but a 
gnome desktop will appeal to a bigger audience... I'd also want to get wayland 
running (weston works but a desktop that only has a terminal window won't 
really appeal to people), which your image appears to be doing as well. I 
particularly like wayland's VSync handling.

M.

Re: [oe] packagegroup-gnome-desktop is not a desktop

[Markus Volk]

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On Fri, Aug 29 2025 at 13:58:05 +02:00:00, mike.looijmans@topic.nl 
wrote:
> This patch at least puts a login screen on the display. I can move 
> the mouse pointer on it, but I doesn't respond to any click or 
> keyboard button.

Normally the default user should be visible right in the middle and 
should be clickable (At least I never had issues with that). Do you 
have created one (besides 'root')


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