Re: xsession file

[bob@proulx.com (Bob Proulx)]

Bob Proulx wrote:
> Putting that all together gets you:
> 
>   #!/bin/bash --login
>   exec x-session-manager

Grr...  I should have said this.  I hate it when I send too quickly
and miss the obvious.  So I will try to make this worthwhile with a
little more explaination.

  #!/bin/bash --login
  exec gnome-session

I mixed my examples.  The system uses x-session-manager so that if
Gnome is installed then the alternative symlink points to
gnome-session.  But if KDE is installed then the alternative symlink
points to startkde.  In this way the system can generically start up
an X session manager and it will dynamically use the most appropriate
one that is installed at the time it starts.  The "alternatives"
dynamically adapt to whatever is installed.

  update-alternatives --display x-session-manager

But when a person is setting up their own personal configuration and
want to start a specific window or session manager then I think it is
better simply to select the desired manager explicitly.  Therefore in
the ~/.xsession file instead of using x-session-manager I think it
makes more sense to simply start gnome-session or startkde directly as
desired.

> Make sure it is executable or the the X startup will simply feed it to
> the 'sh' and won't run the desired shell as a login shell.

That is still true.

Bob