Source: debian-reference Version: 2.59 Severity: normal
Section 7.5.2. makes it clear that ~/.xsession or ~/.Xsession customise the startup of X for a user. This fits well with what is is said in startx(1) and Xsession(5). A ~/.xsession is the client which controls the starting and stopping of X. This is referred to as the classic file to use to customise an X session and to completely override the system code. In section 7.5.3. it is said that ~/.xsessionrc is a new method to customise the X session without completely overriding the system code. It is the second section I am concerned with. In the first place it gives the impression that ~/.xsessionrc does something different from ~/.xsession but does not specify what. In the second place the official documentation on ~/.xsessionrc is severely lacking. The best it can do is in Xsession(5): > This allows the user to set global environment variables > for their X session, such as locale information Indeed it can, but global environment variables are just as happy being in ~/.xsession. It isn't mentioned in Xsession(5) that X programs and scripts can be run from ~/.xsessionrc but people do that to completely override the system code. The same programs and scripts will run from ~/.xsession. Is it not the case that whatever can be put in ~/.xsession can also be put in ~/.xsessionrc? So what is the purpose of ~/.xsessionrc? Why does it exist? What does it do better than ~/.xsession? A ~/.xsession must contain a command for a process which does not complete (e.g. 'exec fvwm'). If it doesn't it is not possible to put environment variables (or anything else there) there to be acted on by 50x11-common_determine-startup. This was the thrust of the report in #411639 and the reason ~/.xsessionrc was introduced. (Why 'exec gnome-session' or a similar line could not be put in ~/.xsession as a solution is beyond me). The purpose of ~/.xsessionrc deserves an entry in debian-reference but not under a heading of "Customizing the X session (new method)" and with rather more detailed treatment than it gets elsewhere. Regards, Brian.
