Re: starting Idesk automatically in IceWM on Lenny

[Lisi <lisi.reisz@gmail.com>]

On Friday 16 October 2009 01:33:17 Tim Clewlow wrote:
> It sounds like your system is not using the xsession method of
> managing an X session, which means it is using the native xinit
> method. That's ok, and just as easy to work with. First check if you
> have a file called .xinitrc in your home directory, if it exists,
> rename it to .xinitrc.sav to move it out the way for a bit (so you
> can always rename it back later if you want) with:
>
>     mv ~/.xinitrc ~/.xinitrc.sav
>
> Now create a brand new .xinitrc file in your home directory, it will
> be exactly the same as the .xsession file you made earlier, so if
> you still have the .xsession file just do:
>
>     cp ~/.xsession ~/.xinitrc
>
> Or if you need to create, or want to check, the new .xinitrc file
> then it should contain:
>
> #!/bin/sh
> xrdb -merge ~/.Xdefaults &
> icewm &
> idesk &
> while [ 1 ] ; do
> sleep 1000d
> done
>
> As long as no-one has modified the X startup scripts (which is very
> unlikely for most systems), this should work, well, hopefully :-)

I did this almost immediately on getting up.  (We obviously live in different 
time zones!)

I copied as you advised, then kept my xsession but renamed it.

Then restarted.  Everything appeared to be exactly the same.

I have (mea culpa) failed to report an error message that I get when I start a 
terminal.  This has happened throughout the saga so consistently that I no 
longer register it.

Here - belatedly :-( - it is:
lisi@Dunhurst:~$
Fatal server error:
Server is already active for display 0
        If this server is no longer running, remove /tmp/.X0-lock
        and start again.

It does not go back to the $ sign, but is immediately usable normally.

And here are excerpts from the global X files:

xinit in its entirety:

#!/bin/bash
# $Xorg: xinitrc.cpp,v 1.3 2000/08/17 19:54:30 cpqbld Exp $

# /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc
#
# global xinitrc file, used by all X sessions started by xinit (startx)

# invoke global X session script
. /etc/X11/Xsession

an excerpt from Xsession (what I hope is the relevant bit - the whole file is 
very long):

# initialize variables for use by all session scripts

OPTIONFILE=/etc/X11/Xsession.options

SYSRESOURCES=/etc/X11/Xresources
USRRESOURCES=$HOME/.Xresources

SYSSESSIONDIR=/etc/X11/Xsession.d
USERXSESSION=$HOME/.xsession
USERXSESSIONRC=$HOME/.xsessionrc
ALTUSERXSESSION=$HOME/.Xsession
ERRFILE=$HOME/.xsession-errors

xsession was not in fact there - I had to create it.

> Also, I think there is a better way to start X than using a bashrc
> file

I am convinced of that!  But Googling automatic startup found me that.
 
> - but we'll get to that later, first we need to get X starting 
> up the way you want it.
It is extremely kind of you to stick with me, and I am very grateful.  I know 
I am labouring this.  This is my first attempt to move away from DEs, and I 
am really keen to do it, but as you can see am pretty hopeless at it.

At the moment I am still basically working on my test rig.  And this started 
as a fresh installation of Debian Lenny.  I am wondering whether it might be 
an idea to reinstall in case my previous frantic efforts messed something up.

Cheers
Lisi