How do I change the color/brightness settings?

[jhsu]

On the computer that I'm using now, I would like to change the color/brightness settings. It is related to the graphics card on this particular computer and NOT the monitor.

When I look at photos, Youtube videos, etc. using this particular computer, things look darker than they're supposed to. Navy blue, dark grey, etc. are indistinguishable from black.

How do I change the brightness settings? I've heard that there's something called xgamma I'm supposed to get into. How do I do this, or does Puppy Linux have a different solution available?

[Bruce B]

Lose some utilities and gain some.

No xgamma? 3.01 had it, so that's one place to find it.

Values between 0.100 and 10.000

Other than that use xgamma --help

Trial and error, until you get things where you want.

I think it only works on a session by session basis, and if so, and it works for you, then a script on ~/Startup to run your switches and values might work.

Can't swear by too much because I haven't used it much, except 3.01 had it.

Hope this helps to get you started.

Anyone have the file to upload?

[Bruce B]

One other thing, which I find unusual - I've had better success watching videos with Puppy's Xvesa. (although I use Xorg)

[jhsu]

Why was gamma removed after version 3.01? I hope that there is at least a PET package for it.

I am using version 4.11. What is the PET package I need? I tried installing and opening tkgamma (and all of its dependencies), but it doesn't seem to do anything.

[Bruce B]

Why was gamma removed after version 3.01? I hope that there is at least a PET package for it.

I am using version 4.11. What is the PET package I need? I tried installing and opening tkgamma (and all of its dependencies), but it doesn't seem to do anything.

Only Barry can answer this question with authority.

But I have a guess, which I think would fill in. Puppy is a mini-distro. To the extent that Puppy wishes to retain mini-distro status and recognition it has to be very size conscious.

I said in my leading sentence, in my first response, was, "Lose some utilities and gain some."

I meant that literally after noting it was not in my 4.00 install. If utilities were dropped from 3.01 and the size of 4.00 is not smaller, we gained software in other areas.

Personally, loving software as I do, and having ample space, I'd rather not one useful utility is dropped.

On the other hand, I understand the reasoning, or at least what I think it to be, that the distributor cannot allow it to keep increasing in size. Thus compromises.

If none is running < 4.00 and you don't get the one single piece of software you need, I can and will dig it up for you.

In the meantime maybe you can find the man page for xgamma and study it. The reason why is tkgamma did nothing for you, something needs to be looked into in order to know what to expect with xgamma as well as how to use it. Make sense?

[Bruce B]

Also a lot of the GUI utilities are 'user friendly' front ends for CLI software. To this extent, I wonder if Tkgamma installed xgamma and you just don't know it?

For a quick and dirty test, just type on the command line:

which xgamma

See if it returns the path and location.

[jrb]

Hi jhsu,
I am running puppy412 with xorg7.0 installed. See:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=35998
Before that I was running puppy4.0 with xorg7.0 as well.

xorg_BASIC-7.0.pet has xgamma in it. I've never used it but it is there when I ask "which xgamma". I have found xorg7.0 to be much more machine friendly than xorg7.3 but it is a few Megs bigger. As Bruce says "Lose some utilities and gain some."

[jhsu]

I see that going to xorg7.0 to get xgamma requires downloading and installing xorg_BASIC-7.0.pet and xorg_VIDEO_DRVRS-7.0.pet . To which directory must I download these .pet files, and how do I complete the installation once I have done so?

[jrb]

You can download a .pet to any directory. /root will do fine. Once its downloaded find it in ROX and click on it to install it. Once it is successfully installed you can delete the original .pet (or not if you think you might need it again). Download it somewhere on /mnt/home would be good.

One thing I have noticed. You need free memory at least twice the size of the .pet to get a successful install. Check your freemapplet tray monitor in lower right corner against size of .pet. If not enough you'll have to increase size of pup_save. There's another way too but try that first.

[Bruce B]

xgamma-kit.zip

kit includes xgamma html man page (not included with
Puppy)

xgamma from Puppy Linux 3.01

original file location was: /usr/X11R7/bin/xgamma

README.xgamma by Bruce

Files list:

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root
329 2008-12-23 10:00 README.xgamma
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root
7264 2008-12-23 09:56 xgamma
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root
3263 2008-12-23 09:55 xgamma.1.html

[jhsu]

Thanks, jrb. I downloaded and installed xorg_BASIC-7.0.pet and xorg_VIDEO_DRVRS-7.0.pet .

Where do I go from here? How do I change the xgamma values and then see the results? I have tkgamma installed as well, but it doesn't seem to do anything. (tkgamma allows me to move the sliders around, but I don't even see the colors in the tkgamma window change.)

[jhsu]

Thanks for the support, everyone.

I know this sounds dumb, but I realize now why the xgamma command wasn't working for me: I was still in Xvesa. I incorrectly thought I had switched to Xorg until I clicked on the Setup icon and the "Setup the X video" button, at which point I saw that I was still in Xvesa.