Hi:

I've mannaged to compile and install Fluxbox. The problem is how to start it the fist time.

In Ubuntu systems, frequently (always?) there is only one Window Manager available. That makes it easy for GDM. It doesn't really have to look for anything but a default WM. That's why none of hte configuration files mention Metacity.

If GDM calls Fluxbox before Metacity, Metacity will not be launced. That
s what I want to do.

I have the command [exec /usr/local/bin/startfluxbox; ] but I do not know where to put it. I dont' want to force other accounts on this machine into running Fluxbox, I want one account running it.

I"ve been reading documentations now for several days now and have a good idea of what gdm does as I login. but I cannot estions and how to bypass this since GDM never directly addresses Metaticy.

I'm puzzled by the lack of real documentation oh what happens at login. It is different for each distribution so mostly there's generic HOWTO's which always leave more questions answers.

Is it as simple as writing a .xsessions file on my account and logging back in? Could I alias fluxbox to default somehow.. but I dont' know how to do this either


Cheers,
Maxque

Hi!

* you may install fluxbox from the ubuntu repository. In this way gdm will be aware of it and give you a possibility to select that session. I haven't tested myself, but it works with gnome/kde/fvwm

* You should be able to tweak the gdm configuration files to explain it about fluxbox. I do not know details.

* you may create the (executable) file ~/.xsession, which contains the command to start fluxbox. Now you have to select session "Xclient script" and it runs fluxbox for you. .xsession may also include a lot more, like setting parameters, running programs, selecting window manager...

Best,
Ott

I had this problem way back whgen my kids shared my linux box, and I was on the Mandrake(Now mandriva) crashtesters list. My kids gave me endless grief about these 'Half-assed window managers.'I ended up copying and pasting their glowing promises of help into an email to the list and called them to honour this.

The result was xtart(?sp) which was a python script which was dedicated to old men who upset their teenagers by loading half-assed window managers, and loaded the window manager of your choice.Try for it on their site. It was popular.

Yes, as you suspected, using apt-get method and the as usual release at least one behind the real stable release from any one project (acutally, fluxbox is not as behind as it once was and this time only by .1 release.) You do get to make your choice of window managers at the login before you enter yoru username and password.

That was the good part. The downside is that Fluxbox does not find all the apps like it should. update-applications command doesn't work as expected in some cases. As well, certain parts of Gnome still poke thru into Fluxbx, one piece in particular, maximus. Maximus maximinzed ever application on this netbook to full screen mode. F5 normally disables it but in Fluxbox this doesn't happen. So I risked installation it. It has no dependencies and hasn't seemed to affected the rest of the system except for the better.

Also, the one application I absolutelly needed to work, will not work in Fluxbox for some unknown reason. Sonic-Visualiser, not part of the distribution but released independently as a debian package. I installed it with dpkg -i, so its some other problem in which it launches correctly, loadds the audio files it should but then does nothing.
This is beyond my capabilities, unless I have specific instructions. I have an idea of what's going on but its complex.

doesn't' work really well because I'd also have to tell X about the screen size which is not usual, its 1024X613. Fluxbox launches way over sized and I have to CTL-ALT Backspace to kill X adn escape back to a login.


Best,
Ott[/QUOTE]

The problem isn't that I cannot load in somehow, I dont' knwo how to load it so it will integrate properlly with my Linux install. Linux is supposed to be so configurable, and I suppose it is if you've reached guru status which I have not. All I want is a system on which i can do my home work using the applications I must run. That application is Sonic-Visaliser which although it is not part of this particular distribution, has been a packaged by teh developer at CHARM in the UK as a Debian package. So I assume that it should run properly. It does, but not in Fluxbox on this machine it seems.

I don't understand. So does X assumes wrong screen size? If yes, something is wrong with X configuration. If it is just fluxbox, it is probably something with fluxbox config files (I have never used fluxbox).

fvwm just opens knows the X screen size and behaves accordingly.