On Tue, Sep 04, 2001 at 06:13:37AM +0000, Johnny Ernst Nielsen wrote: > >On Mon, Sep 03, 2001 at 11:43:07AM -0400, richard wrote: > >> New install and just got X to work. xdm starts twm, which is lame, on > > >> VC7 with a login. You can't get out of it on that console. Startx won't > > >> work anywhere of cours. > >> > >> I want to use e.g. icewm. How do I reconfigure xdm to default to a > >> different > >> window manager, and/or turn xdm off? I couldn't find the script to > >> change in /etc/X11. > >> > >> I wrote a test .xsession file (did make executable) with just exec > >> xterm. Even though allow-user-xsession does in > >> /etc/X11/Xsession.options, that $HOME/.xsession doesn't prevail and > >> still stuck with twm. > > > >If you don't want a graphical login remove xdm with apt-get. > > > >To load icewm from xdm or startx, if the executable name is "icewn" put > - > >exec icewm > >in ~/.xsession > > > >Make sure all "exec" lines are backgrounded with "&" except one. > > > >For example - > > > >#!/bin/sh > >exec xterm & > >exec icewm > > > >Used in this manner .xsession doesn't have to be set as executable. > > FYI > I don't think it is a good idea to use exec more than once. > In the above case do not exec xterm. > > I read somewhere (in bash' man pages I think) that exec substitutes the > current > shell with the exec'ed command. > In the case of X the effect would be that when ending the exec'ed command > X would also end. > In the above case I am not sure what would happen if the user decided that > he did not need the xterm any longer, but would like to stay in X. > I'm not in front of a Linux box right now, so I can't test what will happen. > > > See man bash or try apropos exec - or just test the above setup of course > :o)
I've been using the .xsession configuration as listed above for several years with no problems. The reason I've been using .xsession in this manner is because I learned that way in the beginning and it has always worked for me. At any rate I decided to do a little investigative work. Many times I have read .xsession has to be set executable. Mine is not and as far as I can tell doesn't have to be. I tried .xsession with "exec" and without "exec." I didn't see any difference from the standpoint of a user. When I closed out an xterm it went away and didn't bring X down whether "exec" was used or not. So I took a look at the XFree86 HOWTO. Found what I was looking for - http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/XFree86-HOWTO/x116.html Basically what Mr. Raymond says is the last command in the file should be started with "exec" and not backgrounded with "&" The last command is the window manager. Used in this manner the window manager replaces the xinit process and if the window manager is closed then X will shut down. So with the above knowledge in hand I will retract what I said and offer the revised example:) #!/bin/sh xterm & exec icewm kent -- "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." --Albert Einstein
