Solution to problem starting GNOME for the first time

[Peter Zion <peter pgz org>]

Wondering what all the fuss was about, I downloaded the GNOME 1.0
sources and compiled them, following the instructions in the document
located at http://www.gnome.org/start/gnometar.shtml, including all the
'ldconfig -v's.  However, when I first started GNOME I was presented by
the blank X screen with the X cursor.

I found no solution reading through the archive of this list.  After
some twiddling, I found that the gnome-session command didn't seem to be
finding the /usr/local/share/default-session file.  Once I performed a
'cp /usr/local/share/gnome-session ~/.gnome/session' command, GNOME
started (more or less) fine.  I think this will solve many of the
problems people have been having compiling GNOM from the source.

I have a question and a suggestion.  My question is whether the
default.session file was installed in the correct place.  If not, then
perhaps the config file for the package which created it, or the
instructions on how to build GNOME, needs to be changed.  My suggestion
is the gnome-session produce some warning on the console when no
commands are present in the session file, and an error when there is no
session file and the default session cannot be found.

-- 
Peter Zion                               P.O. Box 1803
mailto:peter@pgz.org                      Kingston, ON
ICQ: 30346210                           K7L 5J6 Canada