Hello,

I am using fedora core 1. I dont like the graphic login screen that lets you choose which window manager you would like to use. I like using xwmconfig or whatever the name of the windowmanager selector is. I have about 6 windowmanagers installed now. I only use two or three of them. I like window maker and fluxbox the most. I would like to start Xfree86 by typing "startx" or "xstart" (whichever I cant remember). I also like to wotk from a command prompt with out loading X or a window manager. Is there something I can change in an init script or something? I would really like to disable or get rid of the login screen or greeter or whatever its called. What I am guessing is that xwmconfig is just not installed on my system nor is it defualt with fedora core. Is this the case? How deeply rooted is the standard greeter that I want to do away with. Is this a difficult process to change the last bit of my systems boot process? I could really use a hint. Also on a slightly different note, switchdesk does not include my newly installed windowmanagers. Thanks for the help.. :-)

gplacek

FC1
Intel 500 Mhz
USB2 Que CD burner on USB1 (heh heh)
Voodoo 3 3000 16 MB (heh)
oLd NEC 3v monitor (ehh darn)
I'm broke but it gets the job done.

you need to change your runlevel in /etc/inittab.

find the part toward the beginning that says:

id:5:initdefault:

and change it to:

id:3:initdefault:

on my debian box it's id:2, so try that if id:3 doesn't work (though on FC it'll probably be id:3).

that will leave you at the console when you boot, so you can do stuff and then startx when you want. change what gui to boot into in ~/.xinitrc. i think there are other places to configure that, but making one for the user is the easiest solution, imho.

Thanks :-)
That was just the answer I was looking for.. I wanted to know how to get down into the nitty gritty of the boot process.

many thanks

Well,

what would one of the other places be to edit my x windowmanager? in my home dir I dont have a .xinitrc.
or is it somewhere else on fedora?
thanks

ok, I have a file in my home dir called .dmrc with this in it.
[Desktop]
Session=kde

Do you think that might be similar?

you probably have one in /etc/X11/xinit/ that you could copy over as ~/.xinitrc. then at the bottom add the wm you want to use:

# Start the window manager:
# exec wmaker
exec fluxbox
#exec gnome-session
# exec startkde
# exec xfdesktop
# exec fvwm

i don't know if that will bypass whatever gui login screen you have going -- i never really used those and i'm not sure how to disable them. making a .xinitrc in the home directory *might* bypass it, though. it might help someone tell you how if you knew what it was: the gnome login manager, the kde manager, etc.

I think gplacek already dealt with the GUI login issue.

~/.xinitrc is probably not created by default, but it's a simple shell script, so there should be no trouble creating it yourself (just make sure it's executable), or copying the system file as synaptical suggested.

If you want to have a choice of window manager when you startx, you can do something like this in place of the last line in ~/.xinitrc:

case $1 in
wm) WM=windowmaker ;;
ice) WM=icewm ;;
*) WM=fluxbox ;;
esac
exec $WM

This should allow you to type "startx wm" to get WindowMaker. If you type anything not in the list, or if you type just "startx", you should get Fluxbox.

Check for a file called .Xclients-default in your home directory. You can change the window manager in there the same way you could in .xinitrc. Fedora is weird that way. Don't ask me why.

mikshaw,

I like your solution alot, and I am about to mess around with that in a min. I just logged back on a few min ago and I saw another post by Black Mariah right after yours. Black Mariah's post was distro specfic so I tried that one first. However, although it worked, it took a very long time to load fluxbox, way too long, about 2 min. If anyone know why this took so long, let me know. I seemed to fbsetbg to my wallpaer, and my style files in the end, but like I said it was slow. After I exited flux there were several errors left on the screen, about missing or unloadable files.... hummm.. NOt sure about where the log for the exiting and loading output is, but I'd guess its in /var somewhere. Ok, on to ***mikshaw***.

I like your approach better. I am about to restore my ~.Xclient-default to what is was for the time being, and then try your idea of creating a ~.xinitrc . This is more what I was looking for to begin with (not that Black Mariah's Idea didnt work) It just dosent seem to like it. Futhermore I want to bypass all the RH and FC1 junk I can. I like FC1 but its not really the linux I'm looking for. I want to run slack10, which I have the iso's for, but I have a working system and a dual boot one at that. My girlfriend needs to use the adobe programs in winxp pro. But after I back up my files and look into the slack install and how to configure lilo to recognize my winxp partition, I will be scrapping my fedora install and replaceing it with slack 10. As we all know this sort of thing can be very time consuming. (installing an OS that is) heh heh. If anyone has any short pointers on this dual boot madness, let me know. Now I am off to slim down this huge FC1 system I have installed. I have shortened the boot time alot already, but changing the ~.Xclient-default slowed it down alot more. (however it did do what you said it would.) So, I will be trying the ***mikshaw*** method now.. :-) Thanks, to all my good Linux Questions friends for all the great help. Linux ROCKS

ok,

If I dont alread have a ~.xinitrc in my home dir, when I put on (or copy one) there, how will the system know that it is there? and why not put the new lines in my /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc file? I am just being cautious, I dont want to lock my self out of a GUI and have to use links to talk to the forum..

I havent started adding lines to my xinitrc yet. I am still trying to figure out why fluxbox is loading so slow. Here is something I found out. When I change user styles, the screen locks up for about a min or a little less. (I dont like) Not that I'm going around changing my user style alot, but I think this might have something to do with my problem. Where can I find the logs on what is happening when I startx, fluxbox, change styles, or exit fluxbox? Thanks guys. :-)

logs are in /var/log/, either /var/log/xorg.0.log or /var/log/XFree86.0.log

thanks man.. :-) I cat all the logs I could find even the XFree86, but found nothing like the errors that I was getting part of when I exit fluxbox. I will look at the errors on the term and see what I can do. :-) I will post back later if nothing turns up and let you know how it is working out.. I asked one of the moderators to move my thread to Fedora core distro specfic forum. I think that this has gone beyond the scope of the general forum.. I hope this happens somethime in the future if this is appropriate. Thanks to all who have helped me. :-)

BOOOOYAAAAKAAAA :-) :-)

Yes,,, I have found the answer !!!! I started looking at the errors about no such dir and could not create dir. so I searched out what I was doing wrong and went looking for copies of fluxbox I found 2 and they both took forever to start. Then remembered a command , "locate" I typed locate fluxbox. and I saw file in a dir that I had not been seeing. I was searching for flux* and flu* and such. but then I saw IT........ startfluxbox...... HAHAHA I feel pretty good that I found that. I had been using "exec fluxbox" in my ~.Xclients-default, when I should have been using "exec startfluxbox".... :-) :-) :-) MANY MANY thanks to all who have helped me.. This has been the most helpful thread I have started yet... I love linux questions.org. This is my last enrt in this wonderful thread.. AND THANKS TO ALL AGAIN.

peace and happy linuxing