The default config that comes with awesome uses a PNG logo. This requires media-libs/imlib2 to be built with USE=png. However, that flag is not in the default set, at least not in imlib2-1.4.2-r1 on 2008.0 ~x86. SYMPTOMS: When logging in to awesome, you will see no tag/menu bar, clock or whatever, only the blue-greyish default background color. No keyboard shortcut will work, except for Ctrl-Alt-Backspace to kill X. Your xsession-errors file will include the following lines: W: awesome: image_new_from_file:145: cannot load image /usr/share/awesome/icons/awesome16.png: no loader for file format /usr/share/awesome/lib/awful/menu.lua:135: attempt to compare number with nil (The second line because of a reference to “icon.width” in menu.lua when there is no icon loaded.) WORKAROUND: Enable PNG support for imlib2 by adding the “png” USE flag to your make.conf or by adding it only for imlib2 (“echo media-libs/imlib2 png >> /etc/portage/package.use”), then re-merge imlib2 (“emerge -av1 imlib2”). PROPOSED SOLUTIONS (choose one): a) Depend on PNG support in imlib2 in the awesome ebuild. However, people nut running the default config might not need PNG support at all. b) Issue a warning after merging. This is probably the best simple solution. c) If the default config is the one suggested by the awesome devs, file a bug to upstream so that they include a check for icon being nil. However, they might laugh at you if you do. ;) d) Patch the default config yourself. e) Conditionally patch the default config depending on whether or not imlib2 has been built with PNG support.
I bet you didn't choose default/linux/[your arch]/2008.0/desktop profile or else you would have the png USE flag set.
You’re right, this is profiles/default/linux/x86/2008.0 without /desktop. The desktop profile pulls in an awful lot of stuff I don’t need or want. So okay, it’s partially my fault. However, one might argue that x11-wm/awesome users are not exacty fans of the desktop profile. Can we settle on a warning in the ebuild?
I just fixed in awesome-3.2.1.ebuild :) 3.2.1 depends on media-libs/imlib2[png].
