xdm init level question

["Paul D. Smith" <pausmith@nortelnetworks.com>]

I'm sure this has been discussed before (I have an uneasy feeling it may
be a "oh no, not this again" question); maybe someone can put the
rationale into a file in /usr/share/doc/ somewhere?  I tried searching
the list archives (user, x, boot, etc.) with various keywords (init,
xdm, level, etc.) but came up empty.

Why is xdm started at runlevel 2 in Debian?  In all the systems I'm
familiar with, both Linux and proprietary, xdm was always started at a
runlevel after 3 (typically 5).  This way you could boot the box into a
non-graphical login merely by specifying a different runlevel.

Is there some new standard that specifies a graphical login at runlevel
2 now?  Why this difference in behavior?  If there's some documentation
somewhere that describes this I'm happy to go look there.

Also, in this environment what is the correct way to boot into a console
login and avoid starting XDM?  I find it hard to believe the "correct"
way is to edit /etc/init.d/xdm and add in an "exit 0" to the top, which
is what I've been doing :-/.

-- 
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 Paul D. Smith <psmith@baynetworks.com>         Network Management Development
 "Please remain calm...I may be mad, but I am a professional." --Mad Scientist
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   These are my opinions---Nortel Networks takes no responsibility for them.