Three Users, Three Window Managers

GNewbie · 03-17-2007, 03:25 AM

hi all,

i'd like to set up three new ubuntu users, ubuntu, kubuntu and xubuntu, each with a different window manager (ubuntu, kubuntu and xubuntu, respectively).

can i do this and, if so, how can i do this?

tia...

jschiwal · 03-17-2007, 04:29 AM

You are listing distro names and not window managers. KDE, Gnome are desktop environments. I don't know what xubuntu uses. Install one distro, such as Ubuntu and then install the kde packages.

aysiu · 03-17-2007, 04:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jschiwal

You are listing distro names and not window managers. KDE, Gnome are desktop environments. I don't know what xubuntu uses. Install one distro, such as Ubuntu and then install the kde packages.

Actually, Ubuntu, Xubuntu, and Kubuntu are all the same distro--Ubuntu.

Ubuntu is Ubuntu with Gnome
Xubuntu is Ubuntu with XFCE
Kubuntu is Ubuntu with KDE

In answer to GNewbie's question, you can just install all three and each user can have a different default desktop environment.

If you already have Ubuntu installed, just install the other two:

Code:

sudo aptitude update
sudo aptitude install xubuntu-desktop kubuntu-desktop

GNewbie · 03-17-2007, 05:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aysiu

Actually, Ubuntu, Xubuntu, and Kubuntu are all the same distro--Ubuntu.

Ubuntu is Ubuntu with Gnome
Xubuntu is Ubuntu with XFCE
Kubuntu is Ubuntu with KDE

In answer to GNewbie's question, you can just install all three and each user can have a different default desktop environment.

If you already have Ubuntu installed, just install the other two:

Code:

sudo aptitude update
sudo aptitude install xubuntu-desktop kubuntu-desktop

thanks - how do i define the default desktop?

GNewbie · 03-18-2007, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aysiu

Actually, Ubuntu, Xubuntu, and Kubuntu are all the same distro--Ubuntu.

Ubuntu is Ubuntu with Gnome
Xubuntu is Ubuntu with XFCE
Kubuntu is Ubuntu with KDE

In answer to GNewbie's question, you can just install all three and each user can have a different default desktop environment.

If you already have Ubuntu installed, just install the other two:

Code:

sudo aptitude update
sudo aptitude install xubuntu-desktop kubuntu-desktop

aysiu,

i followed th esteps you outlined, but i've gotten in some trouble.

my system wants to boot kubuntu by default. when i open a session with ubuntu (which i want to be my default), i have no option to shut down my computer.

what i want to do is create 3 users, one each that defaults to ubuntu, kubuntu and xubuntu.

while downloading the kubuntu-desktop and xubuntu-desktop, i ran into the following that may address my issue...

│ A display manager is a program that provides graphical login │
│ capabilities for the X Window System. │
│ │
│ Only one display manager can manage a given X server, but multiple │
│ display manager packages are installed. Please select which display │
│ manager should run by default. │
│ │
│ (Multiple display managers can run simultaneously if they are configured │
│ to manage different servers; to achieve this, configure the display │
│ managers accordingly, edit each of their init scripts in /etc/init.d, │
│ and disable the check for a default display manager.)

i can't identify the init scripts in /etc/init.d.

how do i associate a window manager to a user?

tia...

gilead · 03-18-2007, 06:26 PM

Does your distro have the xwmconfig utility? If so, just login as each user, run it and select a different window manager each time. If you don't have it, you can manually do what xwmconfig does by creating the $HOME/.xinitrc file for each user. Here's mine (a very basic one) for starting fluxbox:

Code:

#!/bin/sh
# $XConsortium: xinitrc.cpp,v 1.4 91/08/22 11:41:34 rws Exp $

userresources=$HOME/.Xresources
usermodmap=$HOME/.Xmodmap
sysresources=/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xinit/.Xresources
sysmodmap=/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xinit/.Xmodmap

# merge in defaults and keymaps

if [ -f $sysresources ]; then
    xrdb -merge $sysresources
fi

if [ -f $sysmodmap ]; then
    xmodmap $sysmodmap
fi

if [ -f $userresources ]; then
    xrdb -merge $userresources
fi

if [ -f $usermodmap ]; then
    xmodmap $usermodmap
fi

# Start the window manager:
exec /usr/X11R6/bin/startfluxbox

GNewbie · 03-18-2007, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gilead

Does your distro have the xwmconfig utility? If so, just login as each user, run it and select a different window manager each time. If you don't have it, you can manually do what xwmconfig does by creating the $HOME/.xinitrc file for each user. Here's mine (a very basic one) for starting fluxbox:

Code:

#!/bin/sh
# $XConsortium: xinitrc.cpp,v 1.4 91/08/22 11:41:34 rws Exp $

userresources=$HOME/.Xresources
usermodmap=$HOME/.Xmodmap
sysresources=/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xinit/.Xresources
sysmodmap=/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xinit/.Xmodmap

# merge in defaults and keymaps

if [ -f $sysresources ]; then
    xrdb -merge $sysresources
fi

if [ -f $sysmodmap ]; then
    xmodmap $sysmodmap
fi

if [ -f $userresources ]; then
    xrdb -merge $userresources
fi

if [ -f $usermodmap ]; then
    xmodmap $usermodmap
fi

# Start the window manager:
exec /usr/X11R6/bin/startfluxbox

gilead, thanks for the lead. i installed ubuntu-desktop first. i then used aptitude to install kubuntu-desktop and xubuntu-desktop. for some reason, kubuntu's start up screen appears when i first start the computer - the ubuntu start up screen used to display prior to my installing kubuntu-desktop.

i don't have xwmconfig and it didn't show up in synaptic (i did expand my repositories beyond the basic ones).

i assume $HOME/.xinitrc means [fill in name of home directory here]/.xinitrc.

i have no clue what follows, so i'm not sure it will do me any good.

i'm thinking about just ditching kubuntu and xubuntu for now - until i can learn enough to set them up to run under different users.

will...

Code:

sudo apt-get remove kubuntu-desktop kubuntu-artwork-usplash

do the trick?

do i need to also execute...

Code:

sudo apt-get autoremove

or will that impact my ubuntu setup since i installed ubuntu first?

tia...

JaseP · 03-18-2007, 11:10 PM

Don't confuse the boot screen with the default window manager. You can, afterwards switch to using gde as the default login manager, as opposed to kdm. In either, with the full version of the window managers installed, you should have the option so set a window manager for each of the different user accounts.

GNewbie · 03-19-2007, 01:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaseP

Don't confuse the boot screen with the default window manager. You can, afterwards switch to using gde as the default login manager, as opposed to kdm. In either, with the full version of the window managers installed, you should have the option so set a window manager for each of the different user accounts.

JaseP, okay, even if i can google a way to change the boot screen to the ubuntu boot screen*, the option to shut down is removed when i'm using gnome. it is there when i'm in xubuntu.

using ubuntu's gnome, i have to logout and then open up a secure gnome terminal session (this is from memory and i've surely messed up the name) and type "halt" to exit ubuntu.

i think i could work through this if i could just get the shutdown back in ubuntu.

*here it is...

http://ubuntu.wordpress.com/2006/02/...buntu-install/

GNewbie · 03-19-2007, 01:59 AM

solution:

from:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=244662

------------------------

Menu: System > Administration > Login Window

In the "Local" tab of "Login Window Preferences", make sure that "Menu Bar: Show Actions menu" is checked.

------------------------

i think the problem occurred b/c i changed from a themed login to a plain login and the above preference is a default in themed but not in plain.

thanks for the help - now i get to figure out how to default to a window manager by user.

GNewbie · 03-19-2007, 02:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GNewbie

JaseP, okay, even if i can google a way to change the boot screen to the ubuntu boot screen*, the option to shut down is removed when i'm using gnome. it is there when i'm in xubuntu.

using ubuntu's gnome, i have to logout and then open up a secure gnome terminal session (this is from memory and i've surely messed up the name) and type "halt" to exit ubuntu.

i think i could work through this if i could just get the shutdown back in ubuntu.

*here it is...

http://ubuntu.wordpress.com/2006/02/...buntu-install/

well, i tested the link to get the ubuntu splash back... and i get the ubuntu splash on shut down and the kubuntu splash on start up. -lol-

i'll add this to my todo list for tomorrow.