Re: x-window-manager link
>
> Heather,
>
> Thanks for your help. I now have enlightenment v0.16.3 installed using the
> 'apt-get install kdebase enlightenment' command you suggested. During the
> install, apt-get said that I had the latest kdebase installed and then
> proceded to install enlightenment.
>
> Enlightenment looks cool! But unfortunately, that's as far as it goes... the
> KDE desktop is not automatically loaded. And, in fact, I cannot get to my
> KDE apps from the enlightenment menus. Bummer....
Ahh, but you *are* further along. I can now tell you how to make it always
come up permanently.
> I would like to issue the 'startx' command and have X start up and go
> directly into the KDE desktop.
>
> I can get to the KDE desktop now by issuing the 'xinit' command and then
> issuing the 'startkde' command in the X login window. If I close the login
> window, X stops and I'm back at the command line.
Excellent, now you can get Xsession to run your default clients all the
time:
on mine, which is Testing,
/etc/X11/Xsession.d there is a bunch of stuff which feels rather like the
initscripts (that is their filenames start with numbers, then what they're
up to). That's because it uses run-parts. Just slip in your own item,
numbered before 99 (because that execs the next phase). I haven't tried
this part, I'm not a live-in-the-desk-env type, but I suspect a symlink
to startkde would do nicely, as long as startkde itself doesn't have an
exec in it.
Or if it does, you could comment out the line for kwm in it, and swap in the
path to enlightenment, and then set x-window-manager to startkde.
> I am not currently running either xdm or kdm as both present me with a
> graphical login and then take me to the current window manager (now
> enlightenment, was twm).
You do not have to run the Login Gadget to enjoy the desktops. My Dad in
law lives in Gnome, when he's in X, but uses startx to get there when he
feels like it.
> Argh... I wish I knew how to figure out who's doing what to whom with all
> these "managers".... X display manager to X session manager to X window
> manager to X terminal manager, etc., etc., etc.
Well, the big resource to be shared (thus "served") in this case is the
Console. That is, kbd and mouse, and drawing on a screen. So the
clients are really the programs that run. (That's your X server, and why
"xterm" is a client, and you're not, and your machine isn't, really.)
IN an older time, good video was expensve, but hard disks insanely so.
Folks developed "X terminals" which were hardware designed ONLY to be a
a graphical workstation, as long as a file server could keep the big
applications, and the bootdrive images for these beasties. Then they
could spend all the money on videoram :) So the software to hand out
bootdrive images and make sure that X terminals can choose which fileserver
to get ther apps from (that's the Chooser) is called an X Terminal Server.
It usually also sercves dhcp...
The WIndow Manager just draws the window edges stuff, and is responsible
for mnaking sure mouseclicks go to the right app, for example. Think of it as
the fellow in charge of the root window.
Session is the fact that you're up and running, rather than quitting because,
um, your scripts all finished up. So strictly speaking the Last Client To
Load... whether via Xsession.d, $HOME/.xinitrc, whatever... should not be
something that will get "done" but should be something that is not
backgrounded, and when it is running does something, such as (most commonly)
your window manager because it waits for menu clicks on the menu option "log
out".
There are some custom programs designed to be a good pick as session manager,
they do things like memorize the running apps, remember to launch only ONE
xterm, etc. And of the newer wm's some offer that ability.
* Heather Stern * star@ many places...
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