on Wed, Jan 10, 2001 at 11:02:40AM -0500, Jeff Binder (jeffb2000@earthlink.net) wrote:
> I have been trying to get X working on my SuperMac c500 (an old world
> PowerMac), and I was having trouble getting the ADB mouse working. The
> problem is, the settings I have now cause X to crash at startup, leaving
> just a white screen. Worse, X automatically launches when I start the
> computer up. How do I stop X from starting up so I can get to the
> command line?
X display manager Pre-shrunk Ultra-Mini HOWTO
Karsten M. Self <kmself@ix.netcom.com>
Written: Sat Oct 14, 2000
Modified: 2001/01/03 21:00:31
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X has started and (pick one or more):
- It's broken.
- It exits immediately.
- You don't want it.
You can usually kill an X session with the key combination
<ctrl><alt><backspace>. For a managed (xdm, gdm, wdm, kdm, etc.) X
session, this usually just restarts the session manager.
You can switch to an alternate virtual console, VC, sometimes called a
virtual terminal, VT. Prefrably one with a command-line login prompt.
Use the key combination <ctrl><alt>F[1-6] -- where F[1-6] represents any
of the function keys numbered F1-F6. A default Debian GNU/Linux
installation runs a getty (terminal login) on the first six VCs. You
can also use the 'chvt', though this assumes a command line, which you
didn't have in the first place, eh? Note that you can issue the 'chvt'
command remotely, in the event your console is hosed, but your system is
still responsive, and you have network access to the machine.
You don't want to run an XDM login session?
To disable xdm for the current system session:
$ /etc/init.d/rc.d/xdm stop
To disable xdm startups for *all* system sessions:
$ /usr/bin/update-rc.d -f xdm remove
To allow *remote* xdm control but disable local control: comment out
the localhost display in /etc/X11/xdm/Xservers, e.g.:
$ mv /etc/X11/xdm/Xservers /etc/X11/xdm/Xservers.bak &&
sed -e '/^[ ]*:[0-9] local/s/^/# /' < /etc/X11/xdm/Xservers.bak \
> /etc/X11/xdm/Xservers
To remove xdm from your system:
$ apt-get remove xdm
Note that I recommend *not* using an X display manager on your system
for the following reasons:
- It needlessly complicates the X initialization sequence, and makes
debugging and troubleshooting more difficult.
- It means that your system is incurring the overhead of running an X
session when you explicitly *aren't* using the console (though you
may be using the system remotely or in batch processing). This is
a waste of resources.
- Though xdm does simplify remote X sessions to an extent, it is an
insecure means of accessing your system, and leaves your entire X
session open on the wire for snooping.
Yes, you can run an X display manager such as XDM, GDM, KDM, WDM, etc.,
and many people do. My preference is not to.
My preferred X startup method is:
$ startx -- :1 1>.startx.log 2>&1 & exit
...executed from a console login. This startx X (on display :1 rather
than :0 -- if I *do* want to run an X display, it won't interfere), logs
all X server output to the file .startx.log, including error output, and
exits the console session.
--
Karsten M. Self <kmself@ix.netcom.com> http://kmself.home.netcom.com/
What part of "Gestalt" don't you understand? There is no K5 cabal
http://gestalt-system.sourceforge.net/ http://www.kuro5hin.org
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