Indeed, i must have overseen that. However recompiling(on the pi4 itself, using Pat's mesa Buildscript) brought some boost for glxgears, maybe just because it picked up some native compiler Flags.
I think it was just that missing "hdmi_safe" in config.txt, resulting in a black screen, that put me on a mesa/kernel recompilation journey.

Is it just me with Firefox segfaulting while starting?

No problems with Firefox here on an RPi4 4 GB last updated as of last weekend.

TKS

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gcc's defaults for Slackware ARM are the same as those used in the ARM build scripts, so the optimisations would be the same.

No - it works for me. There will be a bunch of updates coming soon, so I recommend upgrading them all and trying again. If it still breaks, try figuring out where the issue is with gdb.

The xorg.conf file sets the driver as 'fbturbo' because that supports the officially supported devices.

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instructions at: http://sarpi.fatdog.eu/files/extra/SARPi.README

i've followed this mostly:
except the piping part didn't work, so i extracted the image and dd'ed it to the microSD

step 2 describes loading a usb stick, but not doing anything with it until later...
step 3:
all i'm getting here is the "rainbow"

First thing I notice is that you're quoting from the README file that's shipped with every SARPi installer image. Second thing I notice is that it's a Slackware ARM 14.2 README file. Third thing I notice is that it' refers to a "sarpi-installer" image file intended for the original Raspberry Pi (1). Unless I have made a mistake in the READMEs, each one is individual to SARPi installer image for the RPi device on which it is designed to run. For example, the README for the RPi4 installer looks a little like this:

Assuming that you're using a Raspberry Pi 4 [because this is a RPi4 thread] there is no SARPi installer for Slackware ARM 14.2 on the RPi4. Have you checked to make sure you've downloaded the correct image for your Raspberry Pi device?

The rainbow splash/loading screen can hang for a number of reasons. Most common one is that the system cannot find or run the kernel, It can also be due to the firmware not loading properly because it's been corrupted or is incomplete - which could be due to the firmware files or a faulty SD card. Another consideration is power supply because if the currrent is warbly or too low then all you will see is the rainbow splash screen when you try to boot it.

If you can indulge me with further information on which RPi version you are attempting to install Slackware ARM on and which SARPi installer you're currently using in order to achieve it, I'll be more than happy to advise.

the image i dd'ed to the microsd was:
which was found here: http://sarpi.fatdog.eu/index.php?p=rpi4getcurrent

the readme linked on the file description of the pi4 installer is actually the one for the pi1, however the readme in the pi4 installer zip file is essentially the same, with only the filenames being different.

i've been using pi's for a few years, and it seems there's something missing from step 1, namely installing the firmware, and the kernel on the microSD card, but since this is an "installer" image, i thought that would have already been part of it.

i do notice there are two different installers,
with the difference being the first one is the disk image, and the second being the contents of the files on the image.

OK. Can you please tell me, or direct me to, the description and/or link in question for the README that's incorrect for the SARPi version? If there's an error then it needs correcting.

The README itself is basically for those who know the processes involved and are familiar with such. The SARPi tutorial is for those who perhaps aren't as au fait. The http://sarpi.fatdog.eu/files/extra/SARPi.README is an example file based on the Raspberry Pi (1) - and is therefore not relevant to the Raspberry Pi 4 - as stated at the top of the file :
I assure you there's nothing missing from the /boot partition it you have followed instructions correctly. Without boot-firmware present you would not be running any kernel and without the kernel there's not much going to happen. MoZes' minirootfs certainly doesn't seem to like it when there's no kernel!

There are not two different SARPi installers for the same version of files. There is an img.xz compressed image archive and a compressed .zip archive containing the appropriate /boot files - both include the boot-firmware and kernel. The kernel, modules, and boot-firmware are also available as individual Slackware ARM packages.

i have put the link next to the url that it is referenced to...

with my training being mostly in the hardware realm my understanding of instructions for software can sometimes be a bit obtuse, usually because instructions assuming "you should already know this" kind of go over my head... i really don't see in any of the readmes the actual "nuts and bolts" of how the various parts of this are finally assembled into a working, bootable pi image... i know a pi4 has 3 partitions on the microusd, the first being the firmware, the second being "settings" and the third being the root partition with the kernel. the readme files on the installer zip file don't seem to address this directly...


edit... to give you an idea how "obtuse"... i cringe when i see "tail, or so..." it's either there or it isn't there for me to see what's in the last part of a log file....

OK. I now see why this issue has arisen - because you have chosen to follow a set of instructions that are intended as an example. The link to the example README is there so that users know what they're looking for just to satisfy curiosity. The instructions, on the page you refer to, does say "See the included SARPi.README for information" and not "follow this link because these are the relevant README instructions". The file itself is titled "### Slackware ARM 14.2 on a Raspberry Pi 1 ###" and says "# Example README to install Slackware ARM 14.2 on a Raspberry Pi (1)" clearly at the top so people know it's just for show. I thought I'd made it clear but apparently not clear enough for all people. You are using a Raspberry Pi 4 not a Raspberry Pi (1) so why would anyone follow instructions not based on the device they are using? However, I can see why some confusion has arisen and that link will be vanishing anon, as a result of your understanding and evaluations. Thank you very much for your input.

For future reference; installing Slackware ARM on a Raspberry Pi successfully is virtually assured by following instructions properly. The SARPi Project does not offer support on how to read instructions properly.

I would suggest for you to ignore the README and become overly familiar with the SARPi Slackware ARM Installation Guide which is a; step-by-step, end-to-end, hand-holding type walk-through aimed at Slackware ARM newbies and facilitated by pretty pictures and screenshots. As I stated previously, the README is for those who are already familiar with the installation of Slackware ARM and it is a very brief 'How-to' for the RPi devices.

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unclejed613, as a newbie to both SlackwareARM and Raspberry Pi myself (Oct last year), I would also suggest you follow the Sarpi website instructions to install -current on RPi4.

It’s a recipe, long but well laid out. I read it through 3 times before starting and gave myself lots of time to install. I also took the time as I went through the installation to verify things I wasn’t sure of. My installation worked the first time with only a couple of minor glitches.

After making a bunch of changes to SlackwareARM, and a wifi issue appearing (which exaga addresses in another thread here), I reinstalled it in December, and the second installation went a bit faster and even smoother for me.

So I got to a working SlackwareARM -current on RPi4 following the recipe, even without understanding all the instructions.

Learning what those instructions mean, and how to create a package (ex. arduino) from source and install it on SlackwareARM are my next objectives this year (I’m in no hurry.)

Thanks again to everyone who has made Slackware, SlackwareARM, and SlackwareARM on RPi possible!

TKS

My Slackware ARM started working like it had a rocket up it's 455 literally overnight! I said back in July/August 2019 that MoZes was up to something, but now it seems that Patrick may have also been up to something. I've done some sniffing around and hit brick walls every time. So, this must be some real covert Slackware Team thing that we're not supposed to know about. Like 'Area 51' - it's there and you can see it but officially it doesn't exist [only in your mind... with strong overtones of plausible-deniability] and therefore cannot be discussed. We may never know what's changed but we can certainly enjoy the results in our ignorance.

The speed of Slackware ARM on the RPi4 is pretty neat though. I really love it!

[EDIT] the RPi4 wireless thing was firmware related. when i used the latest RPi-Distro firmware it worked first time once i'd configured the wlan0 interface correctly.

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The 4B is my first RPi and first SBC, so I have no experience to compare it to. I can compare it to Raspbian that I'm running on this same RPi4. That seems to run a touch slower than SlackwareARM for a few things, although not inconveniently so. I was pleasantly surprised - from what I had heard of SBCs and ARM, I expected things to load and run much more slowly than on my desktop. But then I've really just started and haven't heavily loaded my RPi yet.


I see in your other thread today that you've updated to kernel 5.4.x, and after the update wireless NICs work, so I'll try that and hopefully avoid the steps in your thread from yesterday "Raspberry Pi 4 wireless NIC not found - solutions". Thanks for the update. I'll let you know how it goes here once I get a chance to update.


TKS

Don't rule anything out. Especially with a new kernel version. I still had to do some jiggery-pokery to get wlan0 up and running but the process was the same as before.

[EDIT] When I upgraded using the packages the wireless continued to work as before.

Updated to kernel 5.4.7 and wlan0 came up with no problem.

Posting from my RPi4 on SlackwareARM -current with Sarpi supplied kernel 5.4.7.

Next: installing xwxixcxdx NetworkManager.

TKS

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