topic title: Newbie questions
Posts: 1,228
secipolla
Joined: 15 Jun 2008
#16
Try logging out and pressing F1. If it works, then you can change the default to xfce in .xinitrc
Posts: 38
SummonKnight
Joined: 11 May 2009
#17
secipolla wrote:Try logging out and pressing F1. If it works, then you can change the default to xfce in .xinitrc
hi secipolla, should i then edit the .xinitrc? how do i go about doing it? is it possible through the control center, or do i type in a command in the terminal?

thanks
Posts: 1,228
secipolla
Joined: 15 Jun 2008
#18
So you could prove xfce, then?
To edit .xinitrc - Control Center>Edit Login Options (the last item is the default)
or

Code: Select all

gksu leafpad ~/.xinitrc
Posts: 38
SummonKnight
Joined: 11 May 2009
#19
tried to edit .xinitrc file, by replacing the last line with startxfce, but it messed up my login.

what exactly should i do?

i am not familiar with editing files in linux.

thanks.
anticapitalista
Posts: 5,955
Site Admin
Joined: 11 Sep 2007
#20
Did you manage to login to xfce?

If you did, and you want antiX to 'automatically' start xfce desktop, then in antiX control centre-click on Edit login options and change this line by typing

*)
exec startfluxbox

to read

*)
exec startxfce4
Posts: 1,228
secipolla
Joined: 15 Jun 2008
#21
You see, you have all those options in .xinitrc so you can choose one of them to be the default (provided they're installed, of course). In the full antiX-8 the default is icewm-session (IceWM) and in antiX base is startfluxbox (Fluxbox).
Posts: 1,520
eriefisher
Joined: 07 Oct 2007
#22
.xinitrc belongs to the user(you) and must be edited by the user NOT root. The command should be:
leafpad .xinitrc
Posts: 38
SummonKnight
Joined: 11 May 2009
#23
thank you all.

i am able to get the .xinitrc file and edit it, but i am afraid of editing it as the last time i did, i could not log in anymore.

before this, i was able to autolog-in, but after messing up the .xinitrc file (my mistake was replacing one line, the second to the last, with"exec startxfce"), any attempt to log in with my user name and password brought me to a dark screen. i brought things back to the original by editing the .xinitrc file again using the antiX bootup cd-rom.

exactly what should i type in and where in the file?
Posts: 609
dark-D
Joined: 02 Jun 2008
#24
replace the text in your .xinitrc with this one

Code: Select all

case $1 in
icewm)
    exec icewm-session
    ;;

lxde) 
        exec startlxde
        ;;

xfce)
        exec startxfce4
        ;;

fvwm-crystal)
        exec fvwm-crystal 
        ;;

kde)
        exec startkde
        ;;

gnome)
        exec gnome-session
        ;;

openbox)
        exec openbox-session
        ;;

fluxbox)
    exec startfluxbox
    ;;
*)
    exec startxfce4
    ;;
esac
Posts: 38
SummonKnight
Joined: 11 May 2009
#25
ICE-M wrote:replace the text in your .xinitrc with this one

Code: Select all

case $1 in
icewm)
    exec icewm-session
    ;;

lxde) 
        exec startlxde
        ;;

xfce)
        exec startxfce4
        ;;

fvwm-crystal)
        exec fvwm-crystal 
        ;;

kde)
        exec startkde
        ;;

gnome)
        exec gnome-session
        ;;

openbox)
        exec openbox-session
        ;;

fluxbox)
    exec startfluxbox
    ;;
*)
    exec startxfce4
    ;;
esac

many thanks ice-m, that's very specific, will try it tonight __{{emoticon}}__
Posts: 38
SummonKnight
Joined: 11 May 2009
#26
hi ice-m, tried it a while ago, and it gave me the same problem of inability to log-in (dark screen and all).

i copied the entire text and replaced the .xinitrc file's contents with it; but the result was the same. anyway, when i restored the original (fortunately, this time i made a backup file in the home directory), i noticed that the only difference was indeed the line towards the end of the texts.

anyway, will try again. this time, i'll download xfce again using metainstaller.

btw, would it be possible for future releases of antiX to incorporate window managers other than fluxbox and openbox and icewm? would the speed take a hit if, for example, lxde was used? i noticed that even though the other windows managers are listed in the metainstaller-windows manager option, they do not appear automatically in the menubar's choices.

also, has anyone tried lxde for antiX? is it slower than icewm?

many thanks again.
Posts: 903
plvera
Joined: 11 Oct 2008
#27
Hello Summonknight:

I have tried lxde with Antix. It works well. It does act slower than icewm or fluxbox but it might not make much difference depending on your box and you are intending to do.

It does provide a nice desktop and it's easy to configure.

I hope this helps.

Regards,
Pedro
Posts: 38
SummonKnight
Joined: 11 May 2009
#28
thanks pedro.

i was finally able to change the windows manager by simply pressing f1 during the login phase, by choosing lxde.

the login messes up only when i choose other window managers like xfce or the fmv-crystal... i'm not sure why, but i thought i already downloaded these and installed them using the meta installer... i guess the installation wasn't complete...

on lxde, i searched for its reviews, and i saw that anti does not like it for some reason... i'll be exploring it later and see how it compares with icewm.

on icewm, it seems that as long as you know how to edit it and configure it, it's not so unfriendly after all. fluxbox is even more unfriendly towards former windows users, but now i get a sense as to why experts like these two windows managers.
Last edited by SummonKnight on 13 May 2009, 23:35, edited 1 time in total.
Posts: 1,228
secipolla
Joined: 15 Jun 2008
#29
Hi, Summon*. These links talk about how much xfce is responsible for the bloat, so to speak, of Xubuntu and of building a xfce desktop.

Xubuntu 9.04 vs Debian 5.0.1 Xfce

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====================================
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Minimal Xubuntu 9.04

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====================================
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Now, for you not being able to set the default desktop environment I'll let the more seasoned people here have a go.
Posts: 1,520
eriefisher
Joined: 07 Oct 2007
#30
I use xfce regularly and find very quick with antix. I have also tried xubuntu and it doesn't compare. Here is my .xinitrc.

Code: Select all

#!/bin/bash

(sleep 10 && wbar --above-desk) &
xmodmap /home/eriefisher/.media-keys
#(sleep 10 && adesklets --xfce4) &
(sleep 10 && conky) &

case $1 in
icewm)
    exec icewm-session
    ;;

lxde) 
        exec startlxde
        ;;

xfce)
        exec startxfce4
        ;;

fvwm-crystal)
        exec fvwm-crystal 
        ;;

kde)
        exec startkde
        ;;

gnome)
        exec gnome-session
        ;;

openbox)
        exec openbox-session
        ;;

fluxbox)
    exec startfluxbox
    ;;

ratpoison)
    exec ratpoison
    ;;

enlightenment)
    exec /usr/bin/enlightenment
    ;;
dwm)
    exec dwm.default
    ;;
*)
    exec startxfce4
    ;;
esac