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installed a new Windows manager, how to use it ?

Hi, ive installed a new windows manager AmiWM
(amiga clone :D) those were the good old days!

anyway, ive configured, compiled, and installed it.

how do i setup X to use this WM ???

thanX

edit your $HOME/.xinitrc, and change the line starting with "exec" to the path of the new WM

e.g.

exec /usr/bin/amiwm

if it doesn't exist, you can just create it.

That works if you use the console login and startx (my recommended method).

Of course, if you use a gui login, you have to use it's config file rather then .xinitrc. That file should be <dot x something> in your user home directory.

in my ~/ i have a .Xauthority .Xclients and a .Xclients-default.

but they all look quite xomplicated, and have no idea how to configure them. :(

i use redhat 9, and a graphical login.

as for the .xinitrc there are if's else's else if's all over the place, not sure where of how to add in the amiwm command :(

but that for the reply's so far.

i hashed out my .Xclients file, and added the last line.
this had NO effect, loggin off then back in still loaded KDE.

#!/bin/bash

# Created by Red Hat Desktop Switcher

#if [ -e "$HOME/.Xclients-$HOSTNAME$DISPLAY" ]; then
# exec $HOME/.Xclients-$HOSTNAME$DISPLAY
#else
# exec $HOME/.Xclients-default
#fi

exec amiwm

In that case, to get where you want to go, you will either have to find the file that your gui login manager (probably gdm) uses and edit that file, or switch to console login and customize your .xinitrc file.

Code:

# Duron 950 box "uilleann" user fancy .xinitrc file

# Start the stuff I want to run when I startx



# The artwiz-fonts sometimes conflict with your locale settings. To get

# them to work you may have to put the following at the beginning of your

# .xinitrc file

# export LC=C

# export LC_ALL=C

# Esetroot ~/backgrounds/linux.png &

# Start        gkrellm        and put        it in the slit

gkrellm -w &

# This will run a screensaver as your background

# /usr/X11R6/lib/xscreensaver/hopalong -root &

# Start        the screensaver        daemon

xscreensaver &

# Finally, I start my window manager

exec fluxbox

# exec kde

# exec gnome-session

Perhaps this will help
Runlevels and XFree86

well thanx, i defaulted to runllevel 3, and started the gui via startx.

only to find that the WM half works, and makes x report many many invalid windows that that and the other errors :(

ohh well, but thatX, now i know how its done, ill go find som more WM's

You may have to :study: when you run something besides gnome/kde as most lightweight stuff requres some hand configuration. Have you explored any documentation on that WM?

As you see, I prefer fluxbox and I am familiar with some of it's features, but I had to read a lot...

gdm uses /etc/gdm/Sessions to work out what window managers to show (if you are using GDM). As far as i know you have to use this, not a file in the home directory (yep, just checked at GDM site) You need to do two things. Add an entry to Xsession to run your window manager, then make a new file in Sessions to add an entry to the GDM menu.
I: go down to the bit in Xsession that looks something like this:
enlightenment)
exec enlightenment
;;
twm)
xclock -geometry 50x50-1+1 &
xterm -geometry 80x50+494+51 &
xterm -geometry 80x20+494-0 &
xterm -geometry 80x66+0+0 -name login &
xsetroot -solid SteelBlue
exec twm
;;
openbox)
exec openbox
;;
waimea)
exec waimea
and put under your last entry :
amiwm)
exec amiwm
;;
(this assumes the command for AmiWM is amiwm, if it isn't, just change the word after exec.)

II:
Put this in a file called AmiWM or what ever you want the menu entry to look like:

#!/bin/bash -login

/etc/gdm/Sessions/Xsession amiwm
You can add other stuff in here too, if you want it to run when the WM runs, just don't forget to tell them to run in the background by putting & after each command. If that sounds confusing, here's my Waimea file for reference.

#!/bin/bash -login
#screensaver
xscreensaver &
/home/ed/bin/startBackgrounds &
/etc/gdm/Sessions/Xsession waimea

Now, with any luck that's all. Just restart GDM (either by doing 'skill gdm-binary', then 'gdm' or 'init 3' then 'init 5') and hopefully you'll now have the option in GDM to boot in to amiwm.

EDIT: damn, THREE whole posts while i type? That has to be a record. Hope this isn't redundant now.