Bug#201855:

[ilmari@ilmari.org (Dagfinn Ilmari Mannsåker)]

Dan Jacobson <jidanni@jidanni.org> writes:

> Actually, there must be some applications where autologin is needed:
> E.g. we want any child in the classroom to only need to press the
> button on the front of the computer to get the science demo to start
> or continue running if it ever stops.

You are aware that there are other display mangers than xdm available?

% apt-cache search x-display-manager
gdm - GNOME Display Manager
kdm - KDE Display Manager
wdm - WINGs Display Manager - an xdm replacement with a WindowMaker look
xdm - X display manager

Of these at least the first two can do autologin, I have never used wdm,
but it wouldn't surprise me if it had the capability too.

Speaking of classrooms: DebianEdu (previously/also known as Skolelinux),
the Custom Debian Distribution for schools uses KDM (and the rest of
KDE) for the desktop, so that situation is covered.

-- 
ilmari