Hi

I'm new to OSX, using 10.3.1 on my Windtunnel G4.  I'm trying to get
Abiword and a few other apps operative,  using Fink to install etc.  I
connect fine, and Fink seems to download whatever it wants without
problem, but in the case of Abiword although it goes right through the
process to setting up, it doesn't actually function (whereas Clisp
does).  What I get is this, when using the command 'abiword' in the
terminal:-

/sw/bin/abiword: line 1: xset: command not found

Gtk-WARNING**: connot open display



Can anyone advise me?  Sorry if it's a nube issue!!

Thanks to someone

Nikki

In article <071220031732396912%nikkn@kkered.nut>,
 Nikki <nikkn@kkered.nut> wrote:

> Hi
> 
> I'm new to OSX, using 10.3.1 on my Windtunnel G4.  I'm trying to get
> Abiword and a few other apps operative,  using Fink to install etc.  I
> connect fine, and Fink seems to download whatever it wants without
> problem, but in the case of Abiword although it goes right through the
> process to setting up, it doesn't actually function (whereas Clisp
> does).  What I get is this, when using the command 'abiword' in the
> terminal:-
> 
> /sw/bin/abiword: line 1: xset: command not found
> 
> Gtk-WARNING**: connot open display
> 
> 
> 
> Can anyone advise me?  Sorry if it's a nube issue!!
> 
> Thanks to someone

It sounds like you either haven't installed the X11 system from your 
Panther CDs or you're not executing the above command from an xterm 
window.  If the former case case, you should install the X11User 
package.  It can be found in the Packages folder on CD 3.

-- 
Tom Stiller

PGP fingerprint =  5108 DDB2 9761 EDE5 E7E3 
                   7BDA 71ED 6496 99C0 C7CF

In article <tomstiller-6A264D.07371107122003@comcast.ash.giganews.com>,
Tom Stiller <tomstiller@comcast.net> wrote:

> In article <071220031732396912%nikkn@kkered.nut>,
>  Nikki <nikkn@kkered.nut> wrote:
> 
> > Hi
> > 
> > I'm new to OSX, using 10.3.1 on my Windtunnel G4.  I'm trying to get
> > Abiword and a few other apps operative,  using Fink to install etc.  I
> > connect fine, and Fink seems to download whatever it wants without
> > problem, but in the case of Abiword although it goes right through the
> > process to setting up, it doesn't actually function (whereas Clisp
> > does).  What I get is this, when using the command 'abiword' in the
> > terminal:-
> > 
> > /sw/bin/abiword: line 1: xset: command not found
> > 
> > Gtk-WARNING**: connot open display

> > Can anyone advise me?  Sorry if it's a nube issue!!
> > 
> > Thanks to someone
> 
> It sounds like you either haven't installed the X11 system from your 
> Panther CDs or you're not executing the above command from an xterm 
> window.  If the former case case, you should install the X11User 
> package.  It can be found in the Packages folder on CD 3.

I sure as Hell haven't done something!!  I tried that command from the
ordinary Mac Terminal (apps/utilities) and I did have a go at finding
X11 to install from the disk (DVD in my case) and it said I couldn't
install it as it was already there!  So I've since done a 'fink install
xfree86', but I still can't raise Abiword (same Gtk-WARNING).

I'll admit to being somewhat muddled over Darwin, xdarwin, and X, and
Apple's X11 and the various other sources. I thought Fink would sort it
out (as it had the opportunity to pick up on any missing dependencies)
but still no go (I'm used to Debian which doesn't generally miss much). 
I'll check for that package, and if need be, scrub the lot and start
again. I must have screwed up somewhere.  Thanks for the tips Tom

Nikki

In article <081220030318551576%nikkn@kkered.nut>,
 Nikki <nikkn@kkered.nut> wrote:

> In article <tomstiller-6A264D.07371107122003@comcast.ash.giganews.com>,
> Tom Stiller <tomstiller@comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> > In article <071220031732396912%nikkn@kkered.nut>,
> >  Nikki <nikkn@kkered.nut> wrote:
> > 
> > > Hi
> > > 
> > > I'm new to OSX, using 10.3.1 on my Windtunnel G4.  I'm trying to get
> > > Abiword and a few other apps operative,  using Fink to install etc.  I
> > > connect fine, and Fink seems to download whatever it wants without
> > > problem, but in the case of Abiword although it goes right through the
> > > process to setting up, it doesn't actually function (whereas Clisp
> > > does).  What I get is this, when using the command 'abiword' in the
> > > terminal:-
> > > 
> > > /sw/bin/abiword: line 1: xset: command not found
> > > 
> > > Gtk-WARNING**: connot open display
> 
> > > Can anyone advise me?  Sorry if it's a nube issue!!
> > > 
> > > Thanks to someone
> > 
> > It sounds like you either haven't installed the X11 system from your 
> > Panther CDs or you're not executing the above command from an xterm 
> > window.  If the former case case, you should install the X11User 
> > package.  It can be found in the Packages folder on CD 3.
> 
> I sure as Hell haven't done something!!  I tried that command from the
> ordinary Mac Terminal (apps/utilities) and I did have a go at finding
> X11 to install from the disk (DVD in my case) and it said I couldn't
> install it as it was already there!  So I've since done a 'fink install
> xfree86', but I still can't raise Abiword (same Gtk-WARNING).
> 
> I'll admit to being somewhat muddled over Darwin, xdarwin, and X, and
> Apple's X11 and the various other sources. I thought Fink would sort it
> out (as it had the opportunity to pick up on any missing dependencies)
> but still no go (I'm used to Debian which doesn't generally miss much). 
> I'll check for that package, and if need be, scrub the lot and start
> again. I must have screwed up somewhere.  Thanks for the tips Tom
> 

If the X11 package is installed, it will be in /Applications/Utilities.  
Launch it by double-clicking the icon.  It should start an xterm right 
away but if it doesn't, select XTerm from X11's Applications menu and 
issue your 'abiword' command from that window.

-- 
Tom Stiller

PGP fingerprint =  5108 DDB2 9761 EDE5 E7E3 
                   7BDA 71ED 6496 99C0 C7CF

On Sun, 07 Dec 2003 16:19:30 GMT, Nikki wrote:
> In article <tomstiller-6A264D.07371107122003@comcast.ash.giganews.com>,
> Tom Stiller <tomstiller@comcast.net> wrote:

>> In article <071220031732396912%nikkn@kkered.nut>,
>>  Nikki <nikkn@kkered.nut> wrote:
>> 
>> > Hi
>> > 
>> > I'm new to OSX, using 10.3.1 on my Windtunnel G4.  I'm trying to get
>> > Abiword and a few other apps operative,  using Fink to install etc.  I
>> > connect fine, and Fink seems to download whatever it wants without
>> > problem, but in the case of Abiword although it goes right through the
>> > process to setting up, it doesn't actually function (whereas Clisp
>> > does).  What I get is this, when using the command 'abiword' in the
>> > terminal:-
>> > 
>> > /sw/bin/abiword: line 1: xset: command not found
>> > 
>> > Gtk-WARNING**: connot open display

>> > Can anyone advise me?  Sorry if it's a nube issue!!
>> > 
>> > Thanks to someone
>> 
>> It sounds like you either haven't installed the X11 system from your 
>> Panther CDs or you're not executing the above command from an xterm 
>> window.  If the former case case, you should install the X11User 
>> package.  It can be found in the Packages folder on CD 3.

> I sure as Hell haven't done something!!  I tried that command from the
> ordinary Mac Terminal (apps/utilities) and I did have a go at finding
> X11 to install from the disk (DVD in my case) and it said I couldn't
> install it as it was already there!  So I've since done a 'fink install
> xfree86', but I still can't raise Abiword (same Gtk-WARNING).

Did you look on Disk 3 of the Panther CD set?  And did you remove the old
beta version of X11.app, if it was previously installed in /Applications?
The new one goes in /Applications/Utilities.

And you may want to install the X11SDK.pkg as well, to keep fink happy.
You can find that in the Packages folder of the Panther "Xcode Tools" CD.

You should be able to double click on /Applications/Utilities/X11.app and
have an xterm appear.  You should also find xset in /usr/X11R6/bin,
provided it is in your PATH.  I'm not sure whether it's part of the basic
X11 installation or part of the SDK.

> I'll admit to being somewhat muddled over Darwin, xdarwin, and X, and
> Apple's X11 and the various other sources. I thought Fink would sort it
> out (as it had the opportunity to pick up on any missing dependencies)
> but still no go (I'm used to Debian which doesn't generally miss much). 
> I'll check for that package, and if need be, scrub the lot and start
> again. I must have screwed up somewhere.  Thanks for the tips Tom

Try "fink list xfree86" to see what the options are.  If you are using
Apple's X11.app, then you want system-xfree86, which is a placeholder
package.  If the listing shows that something different has been
installed, you may have a conflict between that and X11.app.

Fink still works for me, although I am still using what I built for
Jaguar at the moment.  Some things don't yet build right under Panther,
but using gcc_select to make gcc 3.1 the default may help with that.




-- 
Dave Seaman
Judge Yohn's mistakes revealed in Mumia Abu-Jamal ruling.
<http://www.commoncouragepress.com/index.cfm?action=book&bookid=228>

In article <tomstiller-636789.11304007122003@comcast.ash.giganews.com>,
Tom Stiller <tomstiller@comcast.net> wrote:

> In article <081220030318551576%nikkn@kkered.nut>,
>  Nikki <nikkn@kkered.nut> wrote:
> 
> > In article <tomstiller-6A264D.07371107122003@comcast.ash.giganews.com>,
> > Tom Stiller <tomstiller@comcast.net> wrote:
> > 
> > > In article <071220031732396912%nikkn@kkered.nut>,
> > >  Nikki <nikkn@kkered.nut> wrote:
> > > 
> > > > Hi
> > > > 
> > > > I'm new to OSX, using 10.3.1 on my Windtunnel G4.  I'm trying to get
> > > > Abiword and a few other apps operative,  using Fink to install etc.  I
> > > > connect fine, and Fink seems to download whatever it wants without
> > > > problem, but in the case of Abiword although it goes right through the
> > > > process to setting up, it doesn't actually function (whereas Clisp
> > > > does).  What I get is this, when using the command 'abiword' in the
> > > > terminal:-
> > > > 
> > > > /sw/bin/abiword: line 1: xset: command not found
> > > > 
> > > > Gtk-WARNING**: connot open display
> > 
> > > > Can anyone advise me?  Sorry if it's a nube issue!!
> > > > 
> > > > Thanks to someone
> > > 
> > > It sounds like you either haven't installed the X11 system from your 
> > > Panther CDs or you're not executing the above command from an xterm 
> > > window.  If the former case case, you should install the X11User 
> > > package.  It can be found in the Packages folder on CD 3.
> > 
> > I sure as Hell haven't done something!!  I tried that command from the
> > ordinary Mac Terminal (apps/utilities) and I did have a go at finding
> > X11 to install from the disk (DVD in my case) and it said I couldn't
> > install it as it was already there!  So I've since done a 'fink install
> > xfree86', but I still can't raise Abiword (same Gtk-WARNING).
> > 
> > I'll admit to being somewhat muddled over Darwin, xdarwin, and X, and
> > Apple's X11 and the various other sources. I thought Fink would sort it
> > out (as it had the opportunity to pick up on any missing dependencies)
> > but still no go (I'm used to Debian which doesn't generally miss much). 
> > I'll check for that package, and if need be, scrub the lot and start
> > again. I must have screwed up somewhere.  Thanks for the tips Tom
> > 
> 
> If the X11 package is installed, it will be in /Applications/Utilities.  
> Launch it by double-clicking the icon.  It should start an xterm right 
> away but if it doesn't, select XTerm from X11's Applications menu and 
> issue your 'abiword' command from that window.

Aha, getting closer! OK I found another X11User package and after I
fixed permissions that installed,  I found the icon in the App/Utils
folder/directory and it launches a bash shell nicely. BUT

bash: abiword: command not found

Now_ as I've installed several packages SINCE I installed abiword,
perhaps I should install it again, or at least do ... well if I were in
debian I'd do 'dpkg  --pending --configure'.  What do you reckon?

Anyway, thanks guys this is definitely reducing my ignorance!

Nikki

In article <091220030516110462%nikkn@kkered.nut>,
 Nikki <nikkn@kkered.nut> wrote:

> Aha, getting closer! OK I found another X11User package and after I
> fixed permissions that installed,  I found the icon in the App/Utils
> folder/directory and it launches a bash shell nicely. BUT
> 
> bash: abiword: command not found
> 
> Now_ as I've installed several packages SINCE I installed abiword,
> perhaps I should install it again, or at least do ... well if I were in
> debian I'd do 'dpkg  --pending --configure'.  What do you reckon?
> 
> Anyway, thanks guys this is definitely reducing my ignorance!
> 

Your environment doesn't include the path to abiword.  Generally this is 
accomplished by including "source /sw/bin/init.csh" in one of your 
initialization  files: ~/.bash_profile, ~/.bash_login, or ~/.profile.

-- 
Tom Stiller

PGP fingerprint =  5108 DDB2 9761 EDE5 E7E3 
                   7BDA 71ED 6496 99C0 C7CF

In article <tomstiller-A78D8E.13510808122003@comcast.ash.giganews.com>,
 Tom Stiller <tomstiller@comcast.net> wrote:

> In article <091220030516110462%nikkn@kkered.nut>,
>  Nikki <nikkn@kkered.nut> wrote:
> 
> > Aha, getting closer! OK I found another X11User package and after I
> > fixed permissions that installed,  I found the icon in the App/Utils
> > folder/directory and it launches a bash shell nicely. BUT
> > 
> > bash: abiword: command not found
> > 
> > Now_ as I've installed several packages SINCE I installed abiword,
> > perhaps I should install it again, or at least do ... well if I were in
> > debian I'd do 'dpkg  --pending --configure'.  What do you reckon?
> > 
> > Anyway, thanks guys this is definitely reducing my ignorance!
> > 
> 
> Your environment doesn't include the path to abiword.  Generally this is 
> accomplished by including "source /sw/bin/init.csh" in one of your 
> initialization  files: ~/.bash_profile, ~/.bash_login, or ~/.profile.

I think i understand the problem your having.
To execute abiword first make sure its executable with "ls -l" ... u 
should see some x's were the permissions are...however it should already 
have an executable property.  The real question is are you:

1) in an X11 terminal
2) are you executing with "/sw/bin/./abiword" or "./abiword" if your 
already in the bin directory

simply typing "abiword" will not execute the program in most cases. 
There are workarounds for this but first see if this works for you. You 
can also create an executable desktop icon for abiword if you didn't 
already know this...but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

-AJ

In article <mail-AC5F16.20062219122003@news.verizon.net>, A J
<mail@mail.net> wrote:

> In article <tomstiller-A78D8E.13510808122003@comcast.ash.giganews.com>,
>  Tom Stiller <tomstiller@comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> > In article <091220030516110462%nikkn@kkered.nut>,
> >  Nikki <nikkn@kkered.nut> wrote:
> > 
> > > Aha, getting closer! OK I found another X11User package and after I
> > > fixed permissions that installed,  I found the icon in the App/Utils
> > > folder/directory and it launches a bash shell nicely. BUT
> > > 
> > > bash: abiword: command not found
> > > 
> > > Now_ as I've installed several packages SINCE I installed abiword,
> > > perhaps I should install it again, or at least do ... well if I were in
> > > debian I'd do 'dpkg  --pending --configure'.  What do you reckon?
> > > 
> > > Anyway, thanks guys this is definitely reducing my ignorance!
> > > 
> > 
> > Your environment doesn't include the path to abiword.  Generally this is 
> > accomplished by including "source /sw/bin/init.csh" in one of your 
> > initialization  files: ~/.bash_profile, ~/.bash_login, or ~/.profile.
> 
> I think i understand the problem your having.
> To execute abiword first make sure its executable with "ls -l" ... u 
> should see some x's were the permissions are...however it should already 
> have an executable property.  The real question is are you:
> 
> 1) in an X11 terminal
> 2) are you executing with "/sw/bin/./abiword" or "./abiword" if your 
> already in the bin directory
> 
> simply typing "abiword" will not execute the program in most cases. 
> There are workarounds for this but first see if this works for you. You 
> can also create an executable desktop icon for abiword if you didn't 
> already know this...but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
> 
> -AJ

Thanks for your comments, AJ.  Since the original post I've done
further googling and reading.  One of the difficulties is that I made
the jump from 9.2 to 10.3 in one go with a new G4, and since I have
Panther (10.3.1) there are some discrepancies, as almost all the
howto's were written with Jag in mind.

It seems I may have bypassed a few things, but since it's only abiword
which isn't working, I was unsure. So give me a minute to explain what
I've done.

Standard 10.3 Installation and update, then added Developer Packages,
so I have X11, X11SDK and the compiler.  It's 3.3, and seems to be
compiling things OK (someone suggested I try 3.1 which I did but got
identical results).

So when it came to Fink, I downloaded the installer package (6.1 at
first) and merely clicked the dmg, just like any package. It seemed to
run fine, and opened a Terminal window to get permission to do
something (sorry) naturally I said 'Y' and so I went back to the
terminal and typed 'fink install clisp' and it downloaded and worked
fine all the way to setup. I've used clisp in Debian, so I did exactly
what I would have done in woody, typed 'clisp -q' and sure enough there
it was.

So I did 'fink install abiword' and all seemed to be rolling.  I
created a document 'nube' and in the terminal typed 'abiword nube'
which I'd expect to open the doc.  Instead I got the warning that (I
think it was this) gtk+ couldn't open the display.  So I went into X11
and tried from the shell there, which told me it didn't know the
command (it can handle 'pwd' and 'ls' etc).

NOW - when I read some of what I've come across, there are all sorts of
steps I didn't take - that Fink didn't ask for when I did that simple
installation, including the environment stuff you mentioned in your
post. So it looks like I have to do quite a bit more learning.  My unix
knowledge is recent and patchy.

SO I'll start again, not install Fink in such an easy way, try to
implement the advice you've given, and ... we'll see!

Thanks for taking the time to help

Nikki

On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 14:20:21 GMT, Nikki wrote:
> In article <mail-AC5F16.20062219122003@news.verizon.net>, A J
><mail@mail.net> wrote:

> Standard 10.3 Installation and update, then added Developer Packages,
> so I have X11, X11SDK and the compiler.  It's 3.3, and seems to be
> compiling things OK (someone suggested I try 3.1 which I did but got
> identical results).

> So when it came to Fink, I downloaded the installer package (6.1 at
> first) and merely clicked the dmg, just like any package. It seemed to
> run fine, and opened a Terminal window to get permission to do
> something (sorry) naturally I said 'Y' and so I went back to the

I'm assuming here that your shell is bash.  I think you may have said
that somewhere, but it's not where I can find it at the moment.  Bash is
the default under 10.3.  Some things are different compared to csh, which
was the default under Jaguar.

When fink opened a Terminal window and asked your permission for
something, what it was doing was almost certainly adding a line to your
..bash_profile:

	. /sw/bin/init.sh

This takes care of setting your PATH, among other things.

> terminal and typed 'fink install clisp' and it downloaded and worked
> fine all the way to setup. I've used clisp in Debian, so I did exactly
> what I would have done in woody, typed 'clisp -q' and sure enough there
> it was.

From that we can conclude that the ". /sw/bin/init.sh" successfully did
what it was supposed to do.

> So I did 'fink install abiword' and all seemed to be rolling.  I
> created a document 'nube' and in the terminal typed 'abiword nube'
> which I'd expect to open the doc.  Instead I got the warning that (I
> think it was this) gtk+ couldn't open the display.  

Your environment variable DISPLAY should be set to ":0.0".  Try "echo
$DISPLAY" in a Terminal window and then in an xterm to see the
difference.  You can start X11 apps from a Terminal window, provided your
DISPLAY is properly set, as in

	export DISPLAY=:0.0

>So I went into X11
> and tried from the shell there, which told me it didn't know the
> command (it can handle 'pwd' and 'ls' etc).

The problem here is that, although the shell in your Terminal window had
its PATH set correctly for fink, the one in your xterm did not.  I can
think of two likely reasons for this.  More in a moment.

> NOW - when I read some of what I've come across, there are all sorts of
> steps I didn't take - that Fink didn't ask for when I did that simple
> installation, including the environment stuff you mentioned in your
> post. So it looks like I have to do quite a bit more learning.  My unix
> knowledge is recent and patchy.

> SO I'll start again, not install Fink in such an easy way, try to
> implement the advice you've given, and ... we'll see!

No, don't reinstall.  There is no reason to think anything is wrong with
your fink installation.

As to why your xterm didn't have the proper PATH set.  One possible
explanation is that you already had that xterm window open before you did
the fink installation.  Starting a new xterm might (repeat, might) solve
the problem.

If that doesn't do it, then the problem is that, by default, xterm does
not start up a login shell for you, which means that this copy of the
shell (unlike the one in your Terminal window) does not read your
..bash_profile and therefore doesn't get the ". /sw/bin/init.sh"
initialization that you need.

One way to solve this, not the most convenient, is to type

	. .bash_profile

in your xterm when it opens.

Another way is to open a new xterm using the command "xterm -ls", where
the "-ls" flag stands for "login shell".  The shell you get in that
window will automaticall read .bash_profile for you, just like in a
Terminal window.  Unfortunately, that doesn't do anything for the very
first xterm that opens when you launch X11.

You can make this happen for you automatically the first time by setting
up a .xinitrc file in your home directory, if you don't currently have
one.  For example, this file might contain the lines

	xterm -ls &
	exec quartz-wm

That would set your PATH properly in the first window, but you would
still need to remember to type "xterm -ls &" to launch additional xterms.
A way to avoid all this mess is to use a resource file.  Mine is called
..Xresources in my home directory, and it contains lines like

	XTerm*LoginShell:             true
	XTerm*SaveLines:              400
	XTerm*ScrollBar:              true
	XTerm*VisualBell:             false
	XTerm*titeInhibit:            true
	XTerm*UtmpInhibit:            true
	XTerm*background:             SlateGrey
	XTerm*foreground:             white
	XTerm*JumpScroll:             false
	XTerm*pointerColor:           white
	XTerm*pointerColorBackground: white

which sets default properties for xterm windows.  You can include other
X11 apps here as well -- see the man pages for the apps you are using.

The important line in the resource file is the first one:

	XTerm*LoginShell:             true

which says to make every xterm start up a login shell.  That's what you
want to take care of the fink PATH problem.  Now you need to add a line
to your .xinitrc file to make this resource file get used.  Your .xinitrc
file should now look like

	xrdb -merge ${HOME}/.Xresources
	xterm &
	exec quartz-wm

assuming .Xresources is the file name you used for your resources.  You
don't need the "-ls" flag for any of your xterms any more, since it is
now the default setting in your resource file.

-- 
Dave Seaman
Judge Yohn's mistakes revealed in Mumia Abu-Jamal ruling.
<http://www.commoncouragepress.com/index.cfm?action=book&bookid=228>

In article <bs1qfr$39i$2@mozo.cc.purdue.edu>, Dave Seaman
<dseaman@no.such.host> wrote:

> On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 14:20:21 GMT, Nikki wrote:
> > In article <mail-AC5F16.20062219122003@news.verizon.net>, A J
> ><mail@mail.net> wrote:
> 
> > Standard 10.3 Installation and update, then added Developer Packages,
> > so I have X11, X11SDK and the compiler.  It's 3.3, and seems to be
> > compiling things OK (someone suggested I try 3.1 which I did but got
> > identical results).
> 
> > So when it came to Fink, I downloaded the installer package (6.1 at
> > first) and merely clicked the dmg, just like any package. It seemed to
> > run fine, and opened a Terminal window to get permission to do
> > something (sorry) naturally I said 'Y' and so I went back to the
> 
> I'm assuming here that your shell is bash.  I think you may have said
> that somewhere, but it's not where I can find it at the moment.  Bash is
> the default under 10.3.  Some things are different compared to csh, which
> was the default under Jaguar.
> 
> When fink opened a Terminal window and asked your permission for
> something, what it was doing was almost certainly adding a line to your
> .bash_profile:
> 
>  . /sw/bin/init.sh
> 
> This takes care of setting your PATH, among other things.
> 
> > terminal and typed 'fink install clisp' and it downloaded and worked
> > fine all the way to setup. I've used clisp in Debian, so I did exactly
> > what I would have done in woody, typed 'clisp -q' and sure enough there
> > it was.
> 
> From that we can conclude that the ". /sw/bin/init.sh" successfully did
> what it was supposed to do.
> 
> > So I did 'fink install abiword' and all seemed to be rolling.  I
> > created a document 'nube' and in the terminal typed 'abiword nube'
> > which I'd expect to open the doc.  Instead I got the warning that (I
> > think it was this) gtk+ couldn't open the display.  
> 
> Your environment variable DISPLAY should be set to ":0.0".  Try "echo
> $DISPLAY" in a Terminal window and then in an xterm to see the
> difference.  You can start X11 apps from a Terminal window, provided your
> DISPLAY is properly set, as in
> 
>  export DISPLAY=:0.0
> 
> >So I went into X11
> > and tried from the shell there, which told me it didn't know the
> > command (it can handle 'pwd' and 'ls' etc).
> 
> The problem here is that, although the shell in your Terminal window had
> its PATH set correctly for fink, the one in your xterm did not.  I can
> think of two likely reasons for this.  More in a moment.
> 
> > NOW - when I read some of what I've come across, there are all sorts of
> > steps I didn't take - that Fink didn't ask for when I did that simple
> > installation, including the environment stuff you mentioned in your
> > post. So it looks like I have to do quite a bit more learning.  My unix
> > knowledge is recent and patchy.
> 
> > SO I'll start again, not install Fink in such an easy way, try to
> > implement the advice you've given, and ... we'll see!
> 
> No, don't reinstall.  There is no reason to think anything is wrong with
> your fink installation.
> 
> As to why your xterm didn't have the proper PATH set.  One possible
> explanation is that you already had that xterm window open before you did
> the fink installation.  Starting a new xterm might (repeat, might) solve
> the problem.
> 
> If that doesn't do it, then the problem is that, by default, xterm does
> not start up a login shell for you, which means that this copy of the
> shell (unlike the one in your Terminal window) does not read your
> .bash_profile and therefore doesn't get the ". /sw/bin/init.sh"
> initialization that you need.
> 
> One way to solve this, not the most convenient, is to type
> 
>  . .bash_profile
> 
> in your xterm when it opens.
> 
> Another way is to open a new xterm using the command "xterm -ls", where
> the "-ls" flag stands for "login shell".  The shell you get in that
> window will automaticall read .bash_profile for you, just like in a
> Terminal window.  Unfortunately, that doesn't do anything for the very
> first xterm that opens when you launch X11.
> 
> You can make this happen for you automatically the first time by setting
> up a .xinitrc file in your home directory, if you don't currently have
> one.  For example, this file might contain the lines
> 
>  xterm -ls &
>  exec quartz-wm
> 
> That would set your PATH properly in the first window, but you would
> still need to remember to type "xterm -ls &" to launch additional xterms.
> A way to avoid all this mess is to use a resource file.  Mine is called
> .Xresources in my home directory, and it contains lines like
> 
>  XTerm*LoginShell:             true
>  XTerm*SaveLines:              400
>  XTerm*ScrollBar:              true
>  XTerm*VisualBell:             false
>  XTerm*titeInhibit:            true
>  XTerm*UtmpInhibit:            true
>  XTerm*background:             SlateGrey
>  XTerm*foreground:             white
>  XTerm*JumpScroll:             false
>  XTerm*pointerColor:           white
>  XTerm*pointerColorBackground: white
> 
> which sets default properties for xterm windows.  You can include other
> X11 apps here as well -- see the man pages for the apps you are using.
> 
> The important line in the resource file is the first one:
> 
>  XTerm*LoginShell:             true
> 
> which says to make every xterm start up a login shell.  That's what you
> want to take care of the fink PATH problem.  Now you need to add a line
> to your .xinitrc file to make this resource file get used.  Your .xinitrc
> file should now look like
> 
>  xrdb -merge ${HOME}/.Xresources
>  xterm &
>  exec quartz-wm
> 
> assuming .Xresources is the file name you used for your resources.  You
> don't need the "-ls" flag for any of your xterms any more, since it is
> now the default setting in your resource file.

Thanks Dave, I'm reading up around this topic as well, and with this
generous portion of info should have plenty to do at Christmas!  I've
done some experimenting with the enviromental variables, and when I did
#echo $DISPLAY  I got an empty line and a new prompt (that's in the
bash shell, Teminal) which does connect to the original problem of xset
being unable to open display "". If it doesn't know what to put in
between "" it can hardly open it!  Maybe your tips can solve that one.

I've been using Debian on two Macs but without X11, so this is new
territory for me. But if life isn't about learning, then it aint about
much, imho.

So I shall plod on, and am most grateful for your advice. Thanks.

Have a good Christmas/Hanukkah/whatever you call it...

Nikki