COSMIC Desktop can't be launched after installed on Arch Linux

[Kayxue]

I just install cosmic-epoch-git AUR pack on Arch Linux, and after I logged in my user account with gdm, it just full black screen with a input cursor, I waited for a while and desktop still not shown, what should I do?

[Vixea]

You could try rebooting and try running again that fixes it for me, though I probably should've at least reported it anyway

[Drakulix]

Sounds like a couple of components aren't launching. Could you post the output of journalctl --user _EXE=/usr/bin/cosmic-session?

[Kayxue]

When I input that command when I run in command line mode it said No Entry, and when I started the cosmic desktop, I can't run that command because after I logged in to Cosmic Desktop, it just like a text editor, and when I pressed Ctrl + C and it logged out.

[Kayxue]

You could try rebooting and try running again that fixes it for me, though I probably should've at least reported it anyway

It didn't work for me

[Drakulix]

The mixing of these two issues is a little unfortunate, I feel like they are not remotely similar.

@Kayxue Thanks for providing the screenshop. This looks like the compositor is not launching successfully, which may very likely be due to running this in a VM.
It needs working 3D acceleration, please make sure that is enabled in VMware and that the vmwgfx driver is loaded correctly. Only then it might work.

We have not tested VMWare so far and I don't have the knowledge to provide you with more detailed instructions, but we have a similar issue with virtio, which you can follow, if you are interested: pop-os/cosmic-comp#136

@lnicola Sounds like you are getting to the desktop, when you have a "nub for a dock" a the bottom, so what is not working for you? Those missing theme errors should not be critical and cause any other issues.

[lnicola]

@Drakulix I'm not seeing any desktop, there's no right-click menu, the launcher doesn't show up on Win-/, and the "nub" is a 10-pixel gray line that appears when I click around the middle of the bottom side of the screen. Other than that, I only have a gray background with a text editing mouse cursor. I don't think it's supposed to work like that.

[Drakulix]

I don't think it's supposed to look like that.

That is what I am getting at, it is hard to know your exact configuration, so it might very well look like that, because you got a cursor and something rendering. So it is at least not crashing on your system, but might be badly configured or lacking some sane defaults on your install.

1. If the shortcuts are not working, you might be missing the config file for cosmic-comp. You can find the config.ron in the repository: https://github.com/pop-os/cosmic-comp. It goes into /etc/cosmic-comp/.
2. A gray background could either be a sign of cosmic-bg not launching (the component responsible for drawing a background image) or simply no background being set. I am not sure what default cosmic-bg is picking and what it does if that file is not available on your system.
3. Does the dock appear if you move the cursor above the line on the bottom? In that case cosmic-panel is running correctly.
4. We don't have a right-click menu.

[jokeyrhyme]

I've just updated the submodules in a branch for #136

I can confirm that my Archlinux system is able to launch COSMIC successfully with the launcher and desktop backgrounds working, etc

I have manually copied the default configuration files out of the respective repositories into:

• ~/.config/cosmic-comp/config.ron
• ~/.config/cosmic-panel/config.ron
• ~/.config/cosmic-settings/config.ron

[ryzendew]

AUR package is broken do not use it instead compile by hand and copy usr folder from cosmic-epoch/cosmic-systext to / and it works normally

[wcrabtree9]

I hate to comment on an old thread, but I'm having the same issue. Just the input cursor and the screen flickers about once a second. If I wait long enough it kicks me back to the login screen. Using NVIDIA.

[Drakulix]

I hate to comment on an old thread, but I'm having the same issue. Just the input cursor and the screen flickers about once a second. If I wait long enough it kicks me back to the login screen. Using NVIDIA.

Sorry, but this is way to little information to help you.

1. Are you also running the NVIDIA driver or nouveau?
2. Do you have some logs for us? (journalctl --user _EXE=/usr/bin/cosmic-session)
3. How did you install the desktop? (afaik there are now multiple packages in the AUR, the old ones still exist and the whole thing is quite the mess. We can't really put resources into debugging broken packaging for other distros.)

[wcrabtree9]

1. NVIDIA
2. Attached
3. yay -S cosmic-epoch-git
   cosmic_journal.txt

[jokeyrhyme]

@wcrabtree9 it might be worth checking the list of known NVIDIA issues to see if any of that covers what you're experiencing: #168

Issues with the Archlinux / AUR package should be reported there, if the issue cannot be reproduced by manually performing the cosmic-sysext installation method

[wcrabtree9]

@jokeyrhyme I looked through that and I'm not sure that I'm having an NVIDIA issue. I think it's a cosmic-comp issue? The DE just won't load at all. I login with COSMIC selected, then I just get the input cursor like the original post in this thread. The screen flickers about once a second, but I think it's from the DE trying to load. If I wait long enough it kicks me back to the login screen.

[mmstick]

@wcrabtree9 Perhaps you can try it out on Pop!_OS

[wcrabtree9]

As much as I like Pop!_OS, I'm on Arch right now. Did a clean build with yay, still having the same issue and logs are the same. Wish I knew enough to figure out what's keeping it from launching.

[jokeyrhyme]

Did a clean build with yay

@wcrabtree9 try out the manual systemd system extension (sysext) instructions

[wcrabtree9]

Hey @jokeyrhyme I ran the sysext instructions and still get the same issue, just the input cursor and the screen flashes about once a second. But this time I'm getting -- No entries -- when I look for logs.

Edit: tried restarting again and got logs.
cosmic_journal.txt

[Vixea]

Does this issue make any sense to keep open now?

[Mizorene]

In Vmware,just start 3d acceleration,it slove the flashing,at least it work for me.(Radeon 680M)