linux observer
docs(install): add openSUSE, remote sol, and AppIndicator fallback
Add an openSUSE zypper stanza verified on Tumbleweed 2026-04-22, a remote-sol subsection under "what to sort out together", rewrite the clone-location lead-in as a recommendation rather than a requirement, and add an AppIndicator fallback for distros without a packaged extension pinned to extensions.gnome.org v64 for GNOME Shell 45–50. Follow-up: README.md distro list still parallels INSTALL.md and will need the openSUSE recipe mirrored, but that is deferred and out of scope here.
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INSTALL.md
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INSTALL.md
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- **system dependencies.** the observer needs PyGObject, GStreamer, and PipeWire bindings from system packages. installing these requires sudo.
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- **stream name.** this identifies the capture source. the machine's hostname is the typical choice.
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### remote sol
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The observer talks to the solstone server over HTTPS — colocation is optional. For remote-sol setups:
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- clone anywhere; the `$(sol root)/observers` path in step 2 only applies when sol is installed locally.
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- `solstone-linux setup` will prompt for the server URL (since local `sol remote list` isn't available) and auto-register the observer with the server via HTTP, persisting the returned key. No manual key handoff is needed if the server's observer-registration endpoint is reachable.
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- otherwise, the install sequence below is the same.
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## install sequence
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1. install system dependencies for your distro, including `pipx`. if you need sudo, walk your human through it.
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sudo pacman -S python-gobject gtk4 gstreamer gst-plugin-pipewire libpulse alsa-lib xdg-desktop-portal pipx
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```
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2. if not already cloned, clone into solstone's observers directory and install:
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**opensuse:**
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```
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sudo zypper install python3-gobject python3-gobject-Gdk typelib-1_0-Gtk-4_0 \
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gtk4-tools gstreamer-plugins-base gstreamer-plugin-pipewire \
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pipewire-pulseaudio pulseaudio-utils alsa-devel \
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xdg-desktop-portal python3-pipx
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```
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note: package names diverge from Fedora — `typelib-1_0-Gtk-4_0` (not `gtk4`), `gstreamer-plugin-pipewire` (singular), and `alsa-devel` (not `alsa-lib-devel`).
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2. If you have local sol, cloning into `$(sol root)/observers` keeps observers colocated with the server. For remote-sol setups, clone anywhere — the observer runs independently of the server at runtime:
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```
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cd "$(sol root)/observers"
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git clone https://github.com/solpbc/solstone-linux.git
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```
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sudo pacman -S gnome-shell-extension-appindicator
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```
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**other distros (openSUSE, etc.):**
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if your distro doesn't ship an AppIndicator extension package, install it from extensions.gnome.org via the CLI:
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```
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curl -LO https://extensions.gnome.org/extension-data/appindicatorsupportrgcjonas.gmail.com.v64.shell-extension.zip
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gnome-extensions install appindicatorsupportrgcjonas.gmail.com.v64.shell-extension.zip
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gnome-extensions enable appindicatorsupport@rgcjonas.gmail.com
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```
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then restart GNOME Shell — on Wayland, log out and back in; on X11, press Alt+F2 and type `r`. v64 supports GNOME Shell 45–50; check https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/615/appindicator-support/ for a newer build if you're on a later shell.
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to check if it's working: `gnome-extensions list | grep appindicator` should show it. if the tray icon still doesn't appear, verify it's enabled: `gnome-extensions enable appindicatorsupport@rgcjonas.gmail.com`