Hi Osamu, I recommend one package that detects all installed Window managers, and allows the user to select which one to start, or click a checkbox that updates an /etc/wmconfig file to make that window manager the default. And also it should have a "hot key" so that if you press F12 for example in an emergency the whole Window system can be brought down and you can login at a command prompt instead of that annoying wdm login thing. This is awful when someone gets their X setup wrong and the screen goes mad, the mouse goes nuts and you can't login because nothing works and you need a command prompt to get back into XFree86Setup!
PLEASE add the hot-key to kill off the graphical login to get a good ol' command line back! This feature is missing as far as I know and it should be showed in big letters on wdm - "To kill wdm and get a shell, hit F-whatever." Thanks ! Your email was very helpful. Now I know why .xinitrc didn't work but .xsession did! By the way, what does a programmer need to learn to develop a new window manager, do you know? (Read the source code for a simple WM, because there is nothing else?) Kind Regards, James ----- Original Message ----- From: "Osamu Aoki" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: "James Buchanan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, January 26, 2003 8:44 PM Subject: Re: Window Managers > On Sat, Jan 25, 2003 at 09:01:42AM +0000, Karsten M. Self wrote: > > on Sat, Jan 25, 2003 at 04:28:45PM +1100, James Buchanan ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote: > > > Hi, > > > > > > When I run `startx' I would like afterstep to run, and I would like a > > > menu giving me a list of all the window managers/desktop environments > > > that I can run. How do I tell startx to run afterstep by default? I > > > have done `man startx' but it's all incomprehensible gibberish to me! > > > :-( I did look at xinitrc but again, I can't read shell scripts. > > No not there. ~/.xsession :-) > > > > None of it looks obvious to me unfortunately. Oh yes, apparently > > > Gnome is installed, but how do I run it? > > > > Systemwide: > > > > # update-alternatives --config x-window-manager > > I wish it is as simple. Since x-session-manager has priority over > x-window-manager, nothing really happens for the window manager. > x-session-manager loads its window manager (sawmill ...). > > Anyway, Branden was going to review this mess of window/session manager > initialization soon. Anyway, it is non-trivial configuration to > understand. So many random codes by different packages :-( I was and I > am still confused. > > > For your own use, make the following the last line of ~/.xsession > > > > exec afterstep > > > > ...and take a look at WindowMaker if you like Afterstep. > > Yeh, ~/.xsession is the key on Debian. > > Also one of the following are interesting. > exec wmaker # install wmaker, nice and clean > exec blackbox # install blackbox, very slick and light > exec fluxbox # install fluxbox, blackbox + nice tab thing > exec fcwm # install xfce, Mac OS-X like > exec icewm # install icewm, Light & windows like > > -- > ~\^o^/~~~ ~\^.^/~~~ ~\^*^/~~~ ~\^_^/~~~ ~\^+^/~~~ ~\^:^/~~~ ~\^v^/~~~ +++++ > Osamu Aoki <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cupertino CA USA, GPG-key: A8061F32 > .''`. Debian Reference: post-installation user's guide for non-developers > : :' : http://qref.sf.net and http://people.debian.org/~osamu > `. `' "Our Priorities are Our Users and Free Software" --- Social Contract > > > -- > To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] > -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
