My core question is: How do I boot with one or more window managers installed, BUT not start any of them automatically?

I've read discussions about /etc/inittab and setting the run level, but it's not clear to me what the Debian run levels below (documented in inittab) have to do with a window manager:
- 0 is halt
- 1 is single-user
- 2-5 are multi-user
- 6 is reboot

Something I read about Red Hat indicated there was a particular run level that was associated specifically with X11.

Anyway, mine (Debian Sarge) was 2 when I checked initially and I changed it to 1, but then it seemed like I could only login as root.

Bottom line is: I'd like to boot linux into a non-window manager environment, logging in as whoever I'd like to be, then start whichever window manager I want to use (because I have disk-space to spare at the moment... ).

Thanks ahead of time for any answers/suggestions.

Hi,

runlevel 2 or 3 should be ok to start without x.

Do you get a graphical login (like gdm, kdm, xdm) ?
If so, you could just #aptitude purge kdm gdm xdm

I don't let x start either on my debian. But if I want x to start automaticly after typing my login then I put a line in .bash_profile (maybe there's a line in yours which starts it).

Then when I'm logged in I start x with "xinit" , and the wm I start is in the .xinitrc file. When I want to use another wm I just edit that file(only takes seconds).

grtz

There is the utility SysV-Init Editor (KSysV) which allows you to remove Services from a run level.