[xmonad] newbie #2: "could not find module" XMonad.NoBorders, XMonad.Layout.NoBorders, etc.

[Michael F. Lamb]

(Previously replied to author, not to list; sorry for the duplicate)

> My xmonad source is here: /root/xmonad/xmonad-0.5
> I did this for root (entered as root):
> runhaskell Setup configure
> runhaskell Setup build
> runhaskell Setup install
> The executable and xmonad.hs are here: /root/.xmonad

> I did this for username (entered as root):
> runhaskell Setup configure --user --prefix=/home/username
> runhaskell Setup build
> runhaskell Setup install --user
> The executable and xmonad.hs are here: /home/username/.xmonad

I'm a noob, but I think that "(entered as root)" in that
last block might be your problem. When you do the
instructions that contain --user, something gets registered
in the _current user's_ ghc-pkg database. The "current
user" in that case was root, not 'username' as it should
be.

If you have root access, I think you don't need the --user
suffix ever, you can install xmonad on a system level.
(Don't confuse this with installing for the user "root"
which is what you seemed to be trying to do in the first
block of steps.) I don't know much about this as I haven't
done it, and there might be tricky things you should do so
as not to tread on the toes of your package manager.

The --user instructions are valuable if you want to install
xmonad for a single user without ever needing root access.
This is what I suggest you do, so you can leave your system
software to your package manager and easily blow away your
custom-compiled software if it breaks in hairy way that you
can't figure out.

Finally: maybe it's debatable, but you shouldn't be logging
into X and running window managers, etc., as root.