Re: Failed to execute child process (no such file or directory), but the script DOES exist in $HOME/bin, openbox users, especially take a look, please.

[Brian <ad44@cityscape.co.uk>]

On Thu 22 Sep 2016 at 16:19:26 -0400, Greg Wooledge wrote:

> I've edited https://wiki.debian.org/LightDM and written
> https://wiki.debian.org/Xsession from scratch.  I hope this helps other
> people who were as lost and confused as I was.
> 
> If you're still wondering what kind of documentation I was looking for,
> you may use https://wiki.debian.org/Xsession as the answer.  That's
> what I wanted to see.  I will be able to point users to this page in
> the future.

Yes, I know it is a wiki and I can edit it but it is off my agenda for
the time being, so I will just content myself with a few comments which
might be acted on.

 > User configuration should be done by creating a ~/.xsessionrc.....

User configuration may be carried out in ~/.xsessionrc but it can also
be done in ~/.xsession, the startup program. Or both can be used.

If a window manager or desktop session is to be executed in ~/.xsession
('exec fvwm', for example) then one may as well put everything else
(environment variables, programs to start etc) there too. Nothing is
gained by spreading the load and its maintenance across two files or
putting it all in ~/.xsessionrc. Having everything in ~/.xsession fits
the traditional way of doing things and, importantly, it fits the startx
and Xsession documentation.

~/.xsessionrc was introduced in 2007 in response to a perceived problem.
If the choice of DE (or WM) and terminal is left in the care of the
system's x-session-manager, x-window-manager and x-terminal-emulator
nothing need be put in ~/.xsession. In fact, it lloks like nothing can
go in ~/.xsession because it requires 'exec fvwm' or some such line. (I
suppose if x-window-manager was fvwm and ~/.xsession had 'exec fvwm'
50x11-common_determine-startup would cope with it. The relevance of
~/.xsessionrc to the startup procedure would then become questionable). 

Anyway, this was seen to leave nowhere to put environment variables or,
for that matter, other configuration snippets. That is why we have
~/.xsessionrc. It is not a replacement for ~/.xsession; it is not a more
modern approach; but it does allow for a ~/.xsession without an exec
line.  Could a user use it for configuration? Of course she could.
*Should* all users be directed to use it? That doesn't fit in with the
documentation and the file's intended purpose of exporting variables to
the whole X session.

  > If you selected a GNOME session, additional configuration will be
  > read from the ~/.gnomerc file, if it exists.

GDM3 users (who needn't be GNOME users) have ~/.xprofile for their use.

  > You may dot in.....

A bit of jargon? I'd remove it (them) and replace with an example and a
mention of sourcing a file.

-- 
Brian.