Startx is sometimes still referred in (old) documentation as a way to start an X server. While that is certainly true, what you most likely want instead, is a graphical login manager. A graphical login manager will present you with a username & password prompt, graphically, in X. You can also then choose what type of session to start (common choices are gnome, kde, or old-fashioned xsession), and what language.
install the 'gdm' package for the default graphical login program in Debian. Use /etc/init.d/gdm start|restart|stop to manipulate whether you want the login screen to show up on tty7, if it fails, possibly after trying for a few times, see /var/log/gdm/:0.log (0 -> for the first display) for details.
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startx is obsolete, use gdm/kdm/xdm instead
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coolboarderguy
- Posts: 7
- Joined: 2005-02-23 05:20
Hi All,
Jereon, may I ask, as a newbie, when do you use the commands, at the 1st prompt, before booting or after you have signed in. I'm getting the text sign in, although I thought I had asked for kdm and xserver/kde. Does Debian always start with the text based sign in and no xserver/desktop till you've configured it to do otherwise..? Cheers.
Jereon, may I ask, as a newbie, when do you use the commands, at the 1st prompt, before booting or after you have signed in. I'm getting the text sign in, although I thought I had asked for kdm and xserver/kde. Does Debian always start with the text based sign in and no xserver/desktop till you've configured it to do otherwise..? Cheers.
coolboarderguy...
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Jeroen
- Debian Developer, Site Admin
- Posts: 483
- Joined: 2004-04-06 18:19
- Location: Utrecht, NL
- Contact:
If you have installed gdm, which is the default on desktop server task, you should start with having a graphical login prompt at boot. You'll have a text login possibility at the first 6 consoles, and the 7th one will contain gdm which gets normally the focus automatically.
Same for kdm, if not, something is misconfigured, and you'd indeed need to login at a text prompt.
Same for kdm, if not, something is misconfigured, and you'd indeed need to login at a text prompt.
Jeroen> ...what you most likely want instead, is a graphical login manager.
There are some of us who think that display managers are more trouble than they are worth. I find it much easier to boot into the command line, log in, and then start the graphic session. If I was one of those people who likes to play around with multiple work environments, I would launch the graphical session using one of the following commands:
$ xinit /usr/bin/fluxbox
$ xinit /usr/bin/wmaker
$ xinit /usr/bin/startkde
$ xinit /usr/bin/gnome-session
$ startxfce
You get the idea...
The xfce programmers had the good sense to write a script -- startxfce -- that checks to see if X is running and, if it isn't running, launches it. It's a shame that no other group has seen the value in doing that.
And of course it's no big deal starting a second X session.
$ xinit /usr/bin/fluxbox -- :1
Or a third.
$ xinit /usr/bin/fluxbox -- :2
Or more.
About the only problem with not using a display manager is that unpriviliged users are not allowed to shut down the computer. One gets around this by installing sudo and granting partial root powers to them.
There are some of us who think that display managers are more trouble than they are worth. I find it much easier to boot into the command line, log in, and then start the graphic session. If I was one of those people who likes to play around with multiple work environments, I would launch the graphical session using one of the following commands:
$ xinit /usr/bin/fluxbox
$ xinit /usr/bin/wmaker
$ xinit /usr/bin/startkde
$ xinit /usr/bin/gnome-session
$ startxfce
You get the idea...
The xfce programmers had the good sense to write a script -- startxfce -- that checks to see if X is running and, if it isn't running, launches it. It's a shame that no other group has seen the value in doing that.
And of course it's no big deal starting a second X session.
$ xinit /usr/bin/fluxbox -- :1
Or a third.
$ xinit /usr/bin/fluxbox -- :2
Or more.
About the only problem with not using a display manager is that unpriviliged users are not allowed to shut down the computer. One gets around this by installing sudo and granting partial root powers to them.