[gentoo-user] startx with multiple window managers

[gentoo-user] startx with multiple window managers

[Randy Westlund]

I'm looking for a better way to manage multiple WMs.

I launch X with startx.  I also use multiple window managers.  I'm primarily on xmonad because I love tiling WMs, but I also keep xfce around for whever I developing a GUI or letting my fiancee use my machine.  My procedure for starting multiple managers is this:

- log in
- startx
- login on tty2
- edit .xinitrc (shown below)
- startx -- :1

.xinitrc goes from:

> exec xmonad
> #exec startxfce4

to:
> #exec xmonad
> exec startxfce4

Then I can switch between tty7 and tty8 at will.  Usually I don't start xfce at all, but for the times when I do, I'd be nice to do this without editing a file.  Can I simplify this process?  Is there anyone else who uses multiple WMs?  How do you manage them?

Randy

Re: [gentoo-user] startx with multiple window managers

[Willie]

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I just started another Xfce session by typing "startx -- :1". I am pretty
sure you can also use "startxfce4" without editing the file that you are
editing.


On Fri, Aug 23, 2013 at 10:39 AM, Randy Westlund <rwestlun@gmail.com> wrote:

> I'm looking for a better way to manage multiple WMs.
>
> I launch X with startx.  I also use multiple window managers.  I'm
> primarily on xmonad because I love tiling WMs, but I also keep xfce around
> for whever I developing a GUI or letting my fiancee use my machine.  My
> procedure for starting multiple managers is this:
>
> - log in
> - startx
> - login on tty2
> - edit .xinitrc (shown below)
> - startx -- :1
>
> .xinitrc goes from:
>
> > exec xmonad
> > #exec startxfce4
>
> to:
> > #exec xmonad
> > exec startxfce4
>
> Then I can switch between tty7 and tty8 at will.  Usually I don't start
> xfce at all, but for the times when I do, I'd be nice to do this without
> editing a file.  Can I simplify this process?  Is there anyone else who
> uses multiple WMs?  How do you manage them?
>
> Randy
>
>


-- 

Willie Matthews
matthews.willie@gmail.com

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Re: [gentoo-user] startx with multiple window managers

[Philip Webb]

130823 Randy Westlund wrote:
> I launch X with startx.  I also use multiple window managers.
> My procedure for starting multiple managers is this:
> - log in - startx - login on tty2 - edit .xinitrc - startx -- :1
> .xinitrc goes from:
>   exec xmonad
>   #exec startxfce4
> to:
>   #exec xmonad
>   exec startxfce4
> Then I can switch between tty7 and tty8 at will.
> Can I simplify this process?

When I used  2  WMs, I had  2  versions of  .xinitrc ,
which I called eg '.xinitrc-a' '.xinitrc-b'.
All I had to do was enter 'cp .xinitrc-a .xinitrc' & then 'startx'.
That's slightly simpler than what you've been doing.

However, 'startx' is a shell script,
so you sb able to edit it to contain a query as to which WM to use ;
you could alias the choices to single letters, then enter what you need.

Let us all know if that works (smile).

-- 
========================,,============================================
SUPPORT     ___________//___,   Philip Webb
ELECTRIC   /] [] [] [] [] []|   Cities Centre, University of Toronto
TRANSIT    `-O----------O---'   purslowatchassdotutorontodotca

Re: [gentoo-user] startx with multiple window managers

[Michael Mair-Keimberger]

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You could actually pass an argument to startx. My .xinitrc looks like this:

if [[ $2 == "kde" ]]; then
  exec startkde
elif [[ $2 == "awesome" ]]; then
  setxkbmap de
  exec ck-launch-session dbus-launch --sh-syntax --exit-with-session 
awesome
else
  exec startkde
fi

I've also created aliase for kde & awesome (.bashrc):

alias kde="startx kde"
alias awesome="startx awesome"

Means whenever i want to start kde or awesome i only have to execute 
"kde" or "awesome". By default (startx) it would start kde.

LG

 
On Friday 23 August 2013 13:39:45 Randy Westlund wrote:
> I'm looking for a better way to manage multiple WMs.
> 
> I launch X with startx.  I also use multiple window managers.  I'm primarily
> on xmonad because I love tiling WMs, but I also keep xfce around for 
whever
> I developing a GUI or letting my fiancee use my machine.  My procedure 
for
> starting multiple managers is this:
> 
> - log in
> - startx
> - login on tty2
> - edit .xinitrc (shown below)
> - startx -- :1
> 
> .xinitrc goes from:
> > exec xmonad
> > #exec startxfce4
> 
> to:
> > #exec xmonad
> > exec startxfce4
> 
> Then I can switch between tty7 and tty8 at will.  Usually I don't start xfce
> at all, but for the times when I do, I'd be nice to do this without editing
> a file.  Can I simplify this process?  Is there anyone else who uses
> multiple WMs?  How do you manage them?
> 
> Randy

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Re: [gentoo-user] startx with multiple window managers

[Thomas Mueller]

> I've also created aliase for kde & awesome (.bashrc):

> alias kde="startx kde"
> alias awesome="startx awesome"

> Means whenever i want to start kde or awesome i only have to execute
> "kde" or "awesome". By default (startx) it would start kde.

I've wondered how to run X simultaneously or concurrently with more than one window manager or with sessions for multiple users, root and nonroot.

But to choose between window managers, I have multiple xinitrc files, like
startx /usr/local/lib/X11/xinit/xinitrc.icewm

That is for FreeBSD; actual path will vary by OS and distro.

Tom

Re: [gentoo-user] startx with multiple window managers

[the]

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$ xinit lxsession -- :1
?????
- -- 
Stop talking and start compiling.
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Re: [gentoo-user] startx with multiple window managers

[Willie WY Wong]

On Fri, Aug 23, 2013 at 01:39:45PM -0400, Penguin Lover Randy Westlund squawked:
> - log in
> - startx
> - login on tty2
> - edit .xinitrc (shown below)
> - startx -- :1
> 
> .xinitrc goes from:
> 
> > exec xmonad
> > #exec startxfce4
> 
> to:
> > #exec xmonad
> > exec startxfce4
> 
> Then I can switch between tty7 and tty8 at will.  Usually I don't start xfce at all, but for the times when I do, I'd be nice to do this without editing a file.  Can I simplify this process?  Is there anyone else who uses multiple WMs?  How do you manage them?

If you use xinit instead of startx, you can use the environmental
variable

~ $ XINITRC=".xinitrc-xmonad" xinit -- :1 

should do what you want. Just keep the two different versions of
.xinitrc-xmonad and .xinitrc-xfce and use aliases if you don't want
too much typing. 

W
-- 
Data aequatione quotcunque fluentes quantitae involvente fluxiones invenire 
         et vice versa   ~~~  I. Newton