Further information:
Using a completely random xorg.conf file, containing only garbage, does
not produce the problem - gdm continues trying to start the X server,
but it doesn't interrupt the text login prompt.
The problem only arises if X successfully loads its config and attempts
to take over t
Public bug reported:
Binary package hint: gdm
When I upgraded to Karmic, my nvidia drivers were not recompiled for the
new kernel (this is a separate issue that was easily resolved). As a
result, X could not start.
This highlighted a bug in gdm, where it just tries to restart the
crashed X serve
