Re: starting Idesk automatically in IceWM on Lenny

["Tim Clewlow" <tim@clewlow.org>]

> On Friday 16 October 2009 11:10:04 Tim Clewlow wrote:
>> lol - that error makes quite a difference. It means pretty much what
>> it says, ie X is already running, or, the combination of config
files means the system ends up trying to start X twice.
> Yes, I am very sorry.  I know that it is essential to say
everything
> that
> remotely might be relevant.  I am very contrite.
>> I think the first thing to do is to comment out the 'startx' line in
>> the ~/.bash_profile file and then restart the computer. Hopefully
this will mean X does not start, ie it is not being started by a
command in some other config file. If this is the case, then log
in
>> and manually start it by typing 'startx'. It should then read the
xsession/xinitrc files and start up with icewm and idesk.
>> If after commenting out 'startx' from the .bash_profile file and
rebooting, X still startx, then we need to look at a whole bunch
of
>> possible files to see where it is being started from. Try the
>> first
>> option and we'll see if that works.
> As you predicted, startx at the command line prompt started IceWM.

> But iDesk
> was not running properly and there was no visible desktop
> background.  Also
> the mouse did not work as it should.  (E.g. right click on the
> desktop, which
> ought to have brought up a menu did nothing.)  The panel was there
and
> functioning, so I clicked on menu and started from there.  I
opened
> a
> terminal, and no ominous error message, but also no Idesk and no
icons - they
> had disappeared.  So I started idesk from the command line and it
is
> now
> running, apparently correctly, and continued to run after I closed
the
> terminal even tho' I had forgotten the & at the end.
> But there is still this grey greying out grid over everything
> instead of a
> desktop with icons that are not covered by a grid of any kind!
And
> if I
> use .bash_profile to start X and then start idesk from a terminal
I
> get a
> fully functional system with a proper desktop.  It is the trying
to
> start
> idesk automatically that seems to cause the problem. :-(
> Thanks again,
> Cheers
> Lisi

Ok, make sure you have a directory called .idesktop, ie create it
with:

    mkdir ~/.idesktop

and then kill X <ctrl><alt<backspace> and then start is again
'startx' - I'm hoping this means you now have an idesk icon. Will
fix the background and mouse after this.

Cheers, Tim.