SuSe 8.1 xlogin troubles
 

I wanted to include Blackbox among the window managers available on the Xlogin window in SuSe 8.1, so I edited my ~/.xinitrc, adding the same (two) lines as there were for other window managers like fvwm2.

Since Blackbox still did not appear on the login window in the list of available WMs, I finally found kdm in the control center, and added blackbox to the list of available session types. I wondered why there were only 'default', 'kde', and 'failsafe' on
the list there, while I had other window managers like 'fvwm2', 'windowmaker', etc. on the login screen, but I thought I could give it a try.
I did not remember changing any other settings anywhere (at least not intentionally).

Now I have the following troubles:
- there are only default, kde, failsafe and blackbox on the list of available window managers on the login window, and the other window managers disappeared
- when I choose any window manager it does not start, but the xterminal shows up, intead, where I have to type the name of a window manager to start
- I cannot hide the xterminal, only minimize it (it will always be on the panel)
- when I choose system restart in kde, the system does not shutdown but stops at a certain stage, and I have to kill X (CTRL + ALT+ BACKSPACE) so as to continue system shutdown
- I cannot recover the original system configuration no matter what I try

Is there a way to recover my old xlogin system?

"- when I choose any window manager it does not start, but the xterminal shows up, intead, where I have to type the name of a window manager to start"

Whatever word you chose at the kdm window is simply passed as a parameter to the xinitrc script. The xinitrc script is supposed to take that keyword and then start the correct window manager program to run.

"so I edited my ~/.xinitrc, adding the same (two) lines as there were for other window managers like fvwm2."

You need to debug xinitrc. You have got it set up so that it never recognizes the window manager parameter and always falls through to the default which in your case seems to be to run a terminal.

You are right that my system falls back to the default, but I do not think that there should be any bugs in .xinitrc, since I undid all the changes in it.

I still have three important questions:
- how to add new item to the list of window managers appearing on the (original) login window
- what the h[e]ll are those session types I mentioned in my previous post. My system was hurt when I added blackbox as a fourth session type. It changed the login window, changed the list of available window managers, and the changes cannot be reset
- what files are concerned during xstartup
- any known SuSe specific issues (e.g. do not use kde control center, kdm, or SuSE)

Ever since I tried to change my session manager to xdm, which works without errors, but it automatically starts kde and I cannot choose between windows managers.
So I think I have to debug kdm.

Any help would be welcomed.

"- how to add new item to the list of window managers appearing on the (original) login window"

You can edit /etc/opt/kde3/share/config/kdm/kdmrc

Or

Login as root. Run the KDE Control Center and use the Session Management section.

"- what the h[e]ll are those session types I mentioned in my previous post. My system was hurt when I added blackbox as a fourth session type. It changed the login window, changed the list of available window managers, and the changes cannot be reset"

I think that blackbox setup does not do a good job of coexisting with the other window managers. It has a tendency to set things up so that only blackbox can be started. Other people have had this problem.

"- what files are concerned during xstartup"

kdm passes whatever window manager you choose as a parameter to startx which passed the parameter to .xinitrc. The .xinitrc script decides which program to run based on the value of the parameter passed to it.

"- any known SuSe specific issues (e.g. do not use kde control center, kdm, or SuSE)"

SuSE is OK. The faulty logic is in Blackbox setup.

"So I think I have to debug kdm."

Set up kdm to display the names of the window managers that you want. Then set up xinitrc to correctly decide which program to run.