Re: startx + ~/.xsession and no ~/.xinitrc, results in reduced functionality (xfce4, sid)

[Chris Bannister <cbannister@slingshot.co.nz>]

On Thu, Dec 12, 2013 at 02:23:48PM +0000, Brian wrote:
> On Thu 12 Dec 2013 at 00:21:18 -0700, Bob Proulx wrote:
> 
> > The man page for Xsession documents ~/.xsessionrc and ~/.xsession.  It
> > says that ~/.xsessionrc is only for setting variables and the
> > ~/.xsession is for executing commands.  (But in reality this is a grey
> > area.)
> 
> Let's attempt to get a colour transformation to black and white. :)
> 
> Firstly: .xsessionrc is for holding ***global environment*** variables.
> The emphasis is mine.
> 
> Secondly: 40x11-common_xsessionrc in /etc/X11/Xsession.d is sourced
> before 50x11-common_determine-startup. So .xsessionrc is read before
> .xsession and any environment variables set will become available to
> applications run by the commands in .xsession.
> 
> Thirdly: Everyone likes a test to do. :) Create .xsessionrc with
> contents similar to these:
> 
>    xterm &
>    TZ='GST-10' ; export TZ
>    exec <a window manager>
> 
> Now execute 'startx'. You have a functioning system? Execute 'date'.
> 
> Putting commands in .xsessionrc is very naughty. Are you still there,
> Charlie? For your own good, please stop doing it.

JFTR, I am running FVWM and have the following:
tal% less .xsessionrc
/home/chrisb/background.sh &

xterm -fn 10x20 -xrm "XTerm.vt100.background: #CCA8AA" -xrm \
  "XTerm.vt100.foreground: blue" -geom 120x15 &
tal%

I use startx. If I rename .xsessionrc to .xsession then X bails out 
on starting and I am returned back to the prompt. 

I had to change .xinitrc to .xsessionrc at some stage in the past when
some system change was altered. I can't remember whether it was an
upgrade of FVWM or an upgrade of X which caused this.

I do remember this issue in the past, a google was not very helpful -
and may even have been misleading - e.g. suggesting that .xsessionrc 
was the correct file to use. And since .xsession or .xinitrc didn't work 
I must have assumed it was correct.

So it seems I'm going to have to go through the startup sequence *again*
and try to figure out why X/FVWM won't start with a .xsession file. :(

Thanks Brian for putting me on the right path, although it is with mixed
blessings :) 

-- 
"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people
who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the 
oppressing." --- Malcolm X