DISQUS

x11-leopard: Bring Back Tiger's X11 to Leopard in 3 Steps

  • rick Welch · 1 year ago
    Thank you SO much for this recipe. I was actually considering downgrading to Tiger.
  • Peter Fraterdeus · 1 year ago
    Actually the most up to date X11 for pre-Leopard is here:
    http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/mac...
    This is X11 1.1.3

    Thanks much for the recipe!
  • aaroniba · 2 years ago
    Jamie Kennea suggests an alternative way to remove Leopard's X11 package. I have not tried it:

    http://lists.apple.com/archives/x11-users/2007/...
  • aaroniba · 2 years ago
    Ben Byer from Apple posts new, better instructions. I have not tried them.

    http://lists.apple.com/archives/x11-users/2007/...
  • Nancy Wolk · 2 years ago
    Help! I tried these and now I can't load the X11 for Tiger. My install disk claims "can't install on this system"
    Now I am stuck with NO X11....

    Help? Please?
    Nancy Wolk
  • aaroniba · 2 years ago
    Is there any chance you have an intel machine, but are installing from a Tiger disk that is for PPC? That happened to me initially, so I found the Installer CDs that came with my laptop (an intel macbook), and installed X11User.pkg from there.
  • nwolk · 2 years ago
    I have an intel machine, but I was using the disks that came with the intel machine.. Sigh...

    I still can't load it.
    Sigh....
  • Nancy Wolk · 2 years ago
    Okay- I finally got it installed (I was using the wrong disks..I used my husband's disks by mistake.)
    I am still having trouble loading starting X11...
  • Jonathan · 2 years ago
    I used the downloaded X11, and I had to edit /System/Library/CoreServices/SystemVersion.plist and change the ProductVersion string from 10.5 to 10.3. (Use a terminal and edit it with vi. For some reason I couldn't get PropertyListEditor to open it as root. After that, it installed just fine.
  • Jonathan · 2 years ago
    Well correction. The downloaded X11 won't run because of various library issues. Symlinking /usr/X11 to /usr/X11R6 is easy. enough. Fixing a missing /usr/X11/lib/libXau.6.dylib , is a bit more difficult. :(
  • Slava · 2 years ago
    Hello Jonathan! I have the same problem. Would you please tell me how to fix a missing /usr/X11/lib/libXau.6.dylib ?
  • msprague9 · 2 years ago
    Hello Jonathan. I too would love to hear if/how you fixed the missing /usr/X11/lib/libXau.6.dylib.
  • Abhishek · 2 years ago
    i was unable to perform step 3 as the file "xinitrc" has read-only priveledges. i tried changing the owner of the file to "root" but it still doe not allow me to add write permissions. Thus i cannot modify the file mentioned earlier.

    when i click on the x11 application within utilities it does nothing. Thank you for your help.

    13" macbook, 2.0 Ghz dual core intel processors, 2 GB RAM, 80 GB HDD.
  • aaroniba · 2 years ago
    To edit the file /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc, you'll probably also want to use sudo for that. To edit it with emacs, for example, you could type "sudo emacs /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc".
  • igrant · 2 years ago
    This didn't work for me. It seems the installer doesn't install the package over the existing one, even though I ran the pkgutil --forget. I had to also run

    sudo mv /Applications/Utilities/X11.app /tmp/old.X11.app

    before installing the old version from the 10.4 CD.

    The editor I use (vi) can write read-only files. Depending on your editor you may need to change the /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc to make it writable first:

    sudo chmod u+w /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc
  • ADP · 1 year ago
    I am having editing problems. I changed the user permissions and still cannot edit the file. It is owned by WHEEL.

    Any ideas?
  • ADP · 1 year ago
    Nevermind, I got it to edit
  • rice · 2 years ago
    sudo rm /Library/Receipts/X11User.pkg
    Doesn't the above command need to be:
    sudo rm -R /Library/Receipts/X11User.pkg

    Otherwise it complains that X11User.pkg is a directory
  • schoen99 · 2 years ago
    I have a other Problem,

    when i first installed Leopard i tried the X11 connection to our MIS-System which runs on a red had linux server. It connects and displayed the Login-Window but this window doesnt accept any keyboard input. These Inputs lands on desktop or Terminal (when i start the query command vom Terminal)

    Then i installed X11 from Tiger like Ben Byer discribed on http://lists.apple.com/archives/x11-users/2007/...

    But the same Problem. I hope someone of you can help me with this.

    Thx for your answers.
  • phil · 1 year ago
    This didn't work for me. I did all those steps and the old version refused to install... "Newer Software already exists on your computer."
  • ADP · 1 year ago
    Which version of X11 installer did you use? Use the one that came with Tiger, not the updater a previous posted listed.
  • phil · 1 year ago
    OK, now everything is completely hosed. No X11 at all. I can't install the old version, and the new version won't run anymore after copying the files back. Guess I'll have to completely reinstall Leopard, or just wait for the next update.
  • ADP · 1 year ago
    I got it to work! Thanks. I had to try a few versions of X11 before using the one you provided in your instructions.

    However, one bug.... I have TWO X11 icons in the doc. One is a functioning application and one doesn't work at all. Any idea why it is launching two apps but only loading fully one of them.
  • inoce1e · 1 year ago
    First tried the Ben Byer recipe

    http://lists.apple.com/archives/x11-users/2007/...

    Then had to symlink /usr/X11R6 to /usr/X11

    And do the step3

    "edit the file /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc and go to the bottom of the file and replace "exec quartz-wm" with "exec /usr/X11R6/bin/quartz-wm".

    It works fine for me, back to a usable X11 but still have two X11 on the dock

    Thanks to all
  • Josh · 1 year ago
    I tried the Ben Byer recipe mentioned above but get an error on this step:
    sudo ditto -Vx --noqtn /Volumes/X11\ Update\ 2006/X11Update2006.pkg/ Contents/Archive.pax.gz /

    Output:
    >>> Copying /Volumes/X11 Update 2006/X11Update2006.pkg/
    ditto: /Volumes/X11 Update 2006/X11Update2006.pkg/: Is a directory

    >>> Copying Contents/Archive.pax.gz
    ditto: Contents/Archive.pax.gz: No such file or directory


    Any help anyone can provide would be most appreciated. Leopard's X11 crashes all the time and I'm crippled by it.
  • Tino · 1 year ago
    There must not be a space between the Slash and the word "Contents".
  • Adrián Nieto-Montes de Oca · 1 year ago
    Not having to go through all this trouble was the main reason why I switched to Mac... unlike a PC, it used to be easy to run a Mac, and you did not have to be a computer nerd to do it. Not anymore.
  • le_sacre · 1 year ago
    tried the above instructions, and everything seemed to work with no errors. however, i still can't open X11. strangely, i get erratic behavior when i try. in all cases, a second X11 pops up in my dock, and the first X11 icon bounces. sometimes, it bounces once and then fails (the second icon disappears). sometimes, it keeps bouncing, and the second X11 process starts taking 100% of my cpu and stops responding. other times, the second X11 process actually spawns a window, takes up a lesser chunk of cpu, but still fails to respond (when i force quit the warning says "Xquartz quit while unresponsive." i can't figure even figure out why these different failure patterns occur seemingly at random. but it's definitely not working.

    i think i may try reinstalling the leopard version and following Byer's methodology, and seeing what happens.

    MBP here, using the Tiger installation disc that came with my machine.
  • le_sacre · 1 year ago
    doing the above partially worked (reinstalling Leopard X11, then using Byer's instructions exactly (well, with typos fixed)). i think that my /Applications/Utilities/X11.app now launches the Tiger version of X11 (is there a way to check this? i only use X11 for matlab (an old unsupported release, R13, v6.5.1), and my only clue is that it seems to be working more like it used to instead of brokenly). however, the X11-launcher.app that Ben suggested would launch the Leopard version of X11 seems to do nothing at all, and when i launch /usr/X11/X11.app (version 2.0) it spawns a couple of icons and processes in the background, but when i click the icon it quits instantly.

    i get the same exact behavior for both versions no matter whether i use the new or old version of xinitrc.
  • cmaceroni · 1 year ago
    Hi,
    I followed the three steps, and I got in trouble. After installing the 10.4 version,overcoming all the problems listed below, I started xterm and nothing. I tried to run quartz from the window and I got the message about missing library dylib. It looks difficult to solve that from the posts but I desperately need x11 for my work.
    So I put the 10.4 app in the trashbin, then I tried to re-install Leopard-X11 from the installation disks. Result: it does not work either! I guess (as a mac beginner) that some of the sudo commands delete libraries or other necessary pieces of software. Actually I looked for /System/Library/LaunchAgents/org.x.X11.plist and com.apple.pkg.X11User and they are not there.
    Can somebosy help and explain HOW TO UNDO the 'three steps'?
    Thanks from an absolute mac beginner!
  • cmaceroni · 1 year ago
    Hi everybody,
    I didn't get an answer but I found the solution of the issue (and restored the leopard x11) following these instructions:
    http://homepage.mac.com/sao1/X11/Troubleshootin...
    the only other thing you have to do in addition to what is explained there is to change owner and group of the downloaded file to the same (root - wheel on my macbook) of the other files in the destination directory.
    I post it here to help whoever had the same (bad) idea of applying the 'three steps' on a brand new macbook as mine.
  • Bernard Edlington · 1 year ago
    A not so broken version can be found at http://trac.macosforge.org/projects/xquartz/wik...
  • Carlos Le Mare · 1 year ago
    The third step can't be done because it is a directory, so I use "sudo rm -R /Library/Receipts/X11User.pkg"

    Thanks for the tip.
  • Russ H · 1 year ago
    THANK YOU!

    I just got my new iMac Intel, and when I launched X11 I discovered I couldn't put any X11 windows
    into my second display. Now it works great! Thanks!
  • K · 1 year ago
    Step 3: The final step is to edit the file /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc and go to the bottom of the file and replace "exec quartz-wm" with "exec /usr/X11R6/bin/quartz-wm".

    Assume there is no X11 in /etc/... what do I do?
  • Jan Voerman · 1 year ago
    Hi. That worked for me for a while, thanks. I just updated to 10.5.2 and X11 doesn't start anymore. Any ideas? Thanks in advance. Jan.
  • Mosse Rodbay · 1 year ago
    I am having the same issue!


    Mosse
  • Solra Bizna · 1 year ago
    You have to follow the instructions again. The update partially replaced your new (old) X11 install and left it in an unworkable state.
    -:sigma.SB
  • joerial · 1 year ago
    Can anyone help me understand why X11 in leopard crashes four minutes after it is launched? I upgraded X11 to 2.1.4

    I got the following error message whenever it crashes


    $ ./X11
    X11.app: main(): argc=1
    argv[0] = ./X11
    X11.app: Closing the display and sleeping for 2s to allow the X server to start up.
    X11.app: Launching /usr/X11/bin/xterm:
    argv[0] = /usr/bin/login
    argv[1] = -fp
    argv[2] = jrial
    argv[3] = /bin/sh
    argv[4] = -c
    argv[5] = /usr/X11/bin/xterm
    Last login: Sat Mar 1 23:34:20 on ttys000
    xterm: fatal IO error 32 (Broken pipe) or KillClient on X server "/tmp/launch-fy3uBg/:0"

    $
  • Robert Black · 1 year ago
    I wish I had seen this before. I had so much trouble with Leopard and IDL, that I did downgrade back to Tiger. (I cloned my system onto an external HD before upgrading, just in case. I even tried the X11 v 2.3 and 2.4, but they wouldn't even launch.
  • whizkid515 · 1 year ago
    The link that says "here" is for panther ppc. So it won't work. Change it to http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/x11updat...
    thanks!!!
  • aaroniba · 1 year ago
    OK, the link is updated. Thanks!
  • got_fucked_with_an_update · 1 year ago
    You know what's really great. It's almost a full year later and apple is still sucking the big ol' donkey dingus when it comes to X11. Good jorb guys!
  • martin Schoenauer · 1 year ago
    hi i de installed x11 leo succsesfuly...but cant find /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc on my mac ???
    where to find the file /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc