Re: Initializing X clients (Was: List mail being redirected?)

[JG <j2003gi@yahoo.es>]

Hi,

brownh@hartford-hwp.com (Haines Brown) writes:

> > > At present, my X server starts, but all I get is a blank blue
> > > screen. I try to start icewm (it seems to be ready to run) by
> > > adding an exec into /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc and in ~/.Xinitrc, but
> > > nothing happens.
> > 
> > This should be ~/.xinitrc (all lowercase). Actually, I always put it
> > in ~/.xsession , I believe both things should work, but try the
> > later. Also, make sure that they have executable permisions
> > 
> > $ chmod +x ~/.xinitrc ~/.xsession
> 
> Actually, the .Xinitrc was a typo; I usually use .Xclients. I tried
> your .xinitrc and .xsession, but they did not help. Actually, there's
> some more relevant information. 
> 
> First, I do get the debian logo white screen, and then the blue
> screen, and that I take implies the X server successfully loads
> (also, it reports no errors). 
> 
> Second, the actual error that shows up in .xsession-errors is:
> 
>   IceWM: Bad Option:
> 
> I take this to mean that the problem is not with X, but with IceWM. I
> also infer that the icewm executable is called, but it has an
> invalid option. However, the icewm binary has no options, and I've no
> user defined options that would cause this. 
> 
> Third, the actual command I use to start icewm is:
> 
>   exec icewm || exec xterm
> 
> and my understanding is that this opens an xterm if the window manager
> fails to run. But that does not happen. Hard to reconcile this with
> previous point unless the failure of icewm to load an option properly
> halts the process entirely at that point.

My advice would be: try something simpler first, and afterwards add
extensions. 

First: When you get the "blue screen", push mouse buttons one each time, in 
order (the left, center, right, if you don't have a center button, push
left and right at the same time). If icewm is running, one (or some) of
them will pop up a menu, where you can choose an application to start
(e.g. xterm).

Failing that: move all configuration out of the way, and start a simple
thing:

$ cd
$ mkdir broken
$ mv -i .icewm broken
$ mv -i .X* broken
$ mv -i .xsession .xinitrc broken
$ echo exec icewm > .xsession
$ chmod +x .xsession

Now, log in using X. This sould work.

After that, try to move one file in the directory "broken" to your home
directory, and log off and in again, and see the result. Do this for
each file at a time, and you will find the one that breaks the setup,
and you have to fix.

Hope this helps,

Jaume

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