Starting different desktop enviroments from the shell

[columbus]

Hello out there,
I have a simple question. I have installed some desktop enviroments on my system. Which of them I want to start I can choose with my display-manager. But if I switch to the shell e.g. to login as root... I cannot specify which DE I want to use.

How can I do this on the shell? startx kde or startx xfce? This doesn't work.

Gruss Christian

[Demetrius]

There are a couple ways to do it. The one I've always preferred is to specify your window manager or desktop using a file called '.xinitrc'.

Create a file in your home directory called .xinitrc, open it in a text editor and add the following text:

Code: Select all

#!/bin/bash
#exec enlightenment
#exec gnome-session
#exec startkde
exec startfluxbox

The above example would start Fluxbox when you issue the 'startx' command. The line that starts the window manager should be the last line of the script and should start with 'exec'. Everything after the first command that starts with 'exec' will be ignored as bash will terminate the script after the first command starting with 'exec'.

You can also start other programs in the background from this file like this:

Code: Select all

#!/bin/bash
gkrellm &
exec enlightenment
#exec gnome-session
#exec startkde
exec startfluxbox

The above example would start gkrellm in the background and load Enlghtenment as the window manager.

[Harold]

From the console prompt, you can start an graphical session with the environment of your choice using the following commands:
xinit /usr/bin/startkde
xinit /usr/bin/gnome-session
xinit /usr/bin/startfluxbox
xinit /usr/bin/icewm
xinit /usr/bin/wmaker
You get the idea...

The people who created Xfce anticipated users wanting to do this and they include a script. To start up Xfce from the console prompt, do startxfce4.