Steps to install on regular Ubuntu

[virtualritz]

I'm on Ubuntu 22.04.
I am following the steps in the README:

sudo cp -R cosmic-sysext /var/lib/extensions
sudo systemctl enable --now systemd-sysext
sudo systemd-sysext refresh

I now have cosmic as an option in my display manager during login. But if I choose it, I get a black screen.

Is there anything missing from the steps in the README or anything I misunderstood?

[virtualritz]

I updated my nvidia driver and I now get the cosmic desktop. With a menu bar at the top with date & time. That's it.

How do I get the apps etc.? Is there a way to build the Debian packages e.g.?

[Drakulix]

How do I get the apps etc.?

By default the desktop is lacking key-bindings, you need to copy this config file to /etc/cosmic-comp/config.run.
Then you can use Super + / to bring up the launcher and Super + a to bring up the App Library.

Is there a way to build the Debian packages e.g.?

You can build them like any other using dpkg-buildpackage in the respective repositories.

The instructions are by design distribution-agnostic for now. We expect proper packaging for different distributions to to happen once we release a first version and will gladly assist building them at that time.

[virtualritz]

When I have systemd-sysext running /usr becomes read-only which leads to all kinds of breakage when trying to e.g. run apt to update stuff:

mount | rg usr  
sysext on /usr type overlay (ro,relatime,lowerdir=/run/systemd/sysext/meta/usr:/run/systemd/sysext/extensions/cosmic-sysext/usr:/usr)

I guess this is not meant to happen? What config steps are missing from the README in that regard?

[Drakulix]

I guess this is not meant to happen? What config steps are missing from the README in that regard?

This has to happen, if you are using system extensions, as they are getting layered on top of your normal /usr-directory via an overlay-fs mount, which will make that folder read-only.
These are instructions to install, develop and test the desktop environment, not necessarily to daily drive it, because we don't consider it ready for that yet.
So if you are not by pure chance running an immutable system, which is not impacted by system-extensions, this is what happens.

You are of course free to install the files in the correct places, but you are on your own to build the necessary packages or when you later want to remove them again.

[wiiznokes]

I now have cosmic as an option in my display manager during login. But if I choose it, I get a black screen.

@virtualritz please, what driver did you use? And was wayland enabled? I have the same problem

edit: proprietary 525 seems to works. but i have no icons and stuff