runlevel 3 login & startx (xyz)?

[bad sector]

reposting after posting in dead NG {alt.os.debian}:

I just installed Debian-10.5 and after some issues am now posting from
it. How do I boot to run level 3 only, log in, and then starx with the
chosen DE *for the session*?

gnome, fvwm, kde, xfce, and a host others are installed.

[John Hasler]

Post to the Debian user mailing list debia...@lists.debian.org .
--
John Hasler
jha...@newsguy.com
Dancing Horse Hill
Elmwood, WI USA

[Melzzzzz]

Is is systemd? systemctl set-default multi-user.target
>


--
current job title: senior software engineer
skills: c++,c,rust,go,nim,haskell...

press any key to continue or any other to quit...
U ničemu ja ne uživam kao u svom statusu INVALIDA -- Zli Zec
Svi smo svedoci - oko 3 godine intenzivne propagande je dovoljno da jedan narod poludi -- Zli Zec
Na divljem zapadu i nije bilo tako puno nasilja, upravo zato jer su svi
bili naoruzani. -- Mladen Gogala

[bad sector]

On 2020-08-23 20:22, Melzzzzz wrote:
> On 2020-08-23, bad sector <forgetski@postit_INVALID_.gov> wrote:
>> reposting after posting in dead NG {alt.os.debian}:
>>
>> I just installed Debian-10.5 and after some issues am now posting from
>> it. How do I boot to run level 3 only, log in, and then starx with the
>> chosen DE *for the session*?
>>
>> gnome, fvwm, kde, xfce, and a host others are installed.
>
> Is is systemd? systemctl set-default multi-user.target

dunno, just installed it but I presume it is systemd

and that command will get me to run level 3 but then how do I startx
with the desired DE?

long ago things like 'startx xfce' or 'startkde' used to work but I
haven't been into stuff like this for ages

After posting my OP I installed lightDM and that does give me the
choices but I really prefer logging-in at level 3

I haven't tried 'LightDM' as a command yet.

[William Unruh]

On 2020-08-24, bad sector <forgetski@postit_INVALID_.gov> wrote:
> On 2020-08-23 20:22, Melzzzzz wrote:
>> On 2020-08-23, bad sector <forgetski@postit_INVALID_.gov> wrote:
>>> reposting after posting in dead NG {alt.os.debian}:
>>>
>>> I just installed Debian-10.5 and after some issues am now posting from
>>> it. How do I boot to run level 3 only, log in, and then starx with the
>>> chosen DE *for the session*?
>>>
>>> gnome, fvwm, kde, xfce, and a host others are installed.
>>
>> Is is systemd? systemctl set-default multi-user.target
>
> dunno, just installed it but I presume it is systemd

loginctl is part of the systemd setup. I read your request as not
wanting a default but one a one time basis going into runlevel3 and
trying out some other display manager.

I think it is
startx -- xfce :2
(the :2 says to start it on display 2 rather than display 0. Note you
can have many running at the same time. For example go to terminal 2 and
run xfce on display 2, go to terminal 3 (alt-ctrl-F3) login and start
fvwm on disply 3, go to terminal 4 and run lightDM on display 4, etc.

I do not have other DE on my system so I cannot try it out to make sure
I have the syntax exactly right.

[rust buckett]

bad sector <forgetski@postit_invalid_.gov> wrote:
>>
>> Is is systemd? systemctl set-default multi-user.target
>
> dunno, just installed it but I presume it is systemd
>

If you don't know, it's systemd.

> and that command will get me to run level 3 but then how do I startx
> with the desired DE?
>

Apparently, linux is moving to Wayland. Personally, I use Wayland and
Sway, so I start my DE with just 'sway'.

> long ago things like 'startx xfce' or 'startkde' used to work but I
> haven't been into stuff like this for ages
>
> After posting my OP I installed lightDM and that does give me the
> choices but I really prefer logging-in at level 3
>
> I haven't tried 'LightDM' as a command yet.
>

You wouldn't run LightDM directly. Start it with 'systemctl start
lightdm'. Sorry I'm not more help for starting xfce or KDE.

[Bit Twister]

On Sun, 23 Aug 2020 21:07:23 -0400, bad sector wrote:

> and that command will get me to run level 3 but then how do I startx
> with the desired DE?

Depends on the desired DE and Distribution and release.

I am running Mageia Linux Release 7
$ grep --no-filename ^Exec= /usr/share/xsessions/*
Exec=icewm
Exec=icewm-session
Exec=/usr/bin/mythfrontend
Exec=startxfce4

In which case it would be startx icewm-session or startx startxfce4

[Siard]

bad sector wrote:
> but then how do I startx with the desired DE?

This is the way I'm doing it, for example, for XFCE:

Create /usr/local/bin/xfce with these contents:

#! /bin/sh
startx /usr/local/xfce4-session --

Create /usr/local/xfce4-session, containing optional commands that you
want to run automatically at startup, and ending with
exec /usr/bin/startxfce4:

#! /bin/sh
/usr/bin/unclutter -idle 2 &
xmodmap ~/.Xmodmap &
/usr/bin/xbindkeys &
exec /usr/bin/startxfce4

Note that every line except the last one ends with '&', and the last line
has to start with 'exec'.
After having made both files executable, you can now run XFCE with just
this command:

$ xfce

For other DEs/WMs it's similar. It just takes some finding out what that
last line should be exactly. Some of my own findings:

exec /usr/bin/startkde
exec /usr/bin/cinnamon-session
exec /usr/bin/startlxde
exec /usr/bin/mate-session
exec /usr/bin/openbox
exec /usr/bin/wmaker (WindowMaker)
exec /usr/bin/startxfce4

[bad sector]

On 2020-08-23 21:58, William Unruh wrote:
> On 2020-08-24, bad sector <forgetski@postit_INVALID_.gov> wrote:
>> On 2020-08-23 20:22, Melzzzzz wrote:
>>> On 2020-08-23, bad sector <forgetski@postit_INVALID_.gov> wrote:
>>>> reposting after posting in dead NG {alt.os.debian}:
>>>>
>>>> I just installed Debian-10.5 and after some issues am now posting from
>>>> it. How do I boot to run level 3 only, log in, and then starx with the
>>>> chosen DE *for the session*?
>>>>
>>>> gnome, fvwm, kde, xfce, and a host others are installed.
>>>
>>> Is is systemd? systemctl set-default multi-user.target
>>
>> dunno, just installed it but I presume it is systemd
>
> loginctl is part of the systemd setup. I read your request as not
> wanting a default but one a one time basis going into runlevel3 and
> trying out some other display manager.
>
> I think it is
> startx -- xfce :2
> (the :2 says to start it on display 2 rather than display 0. Note you
> can have many running at the same time. For example go to terminal 2 and
> run xfce on display 2, go to terminal 3 (alt-ctrl-F3) login and start
> fvwm on disply 3, go to terminal 4 and run lightDM on display 4, etc.
>
> I do not have other DE on my system so I cannot try it out to make sure
> I have the syntax exactly right.

Wow, the field is rich with ideas!! I'll get to the others tonite but I
did try this one last night and all I got was just startx to work. This
one got the Debian-Default DE running (looks like a boned out gnome).
BUT if I first start xfce for example with LightDM and THEN follow with
your basic look-ma-no-hands then I still get two of them going at the
same time, which is cooooool :-))))

[bad sector]

Thanks, I just started on this before supper, got these


Exec=cinnamon-session-cinnamon2d
Exec=cinnamon-session-cinnamon
Exec=fvwm2
Exec=gnome-session-classic
Exec=/usr/bin/gnome-session
Exec=/usr/bin/gnome-session
Exec=default
Exec=/usr/bin/startlxde
Exec=startlxqt
Exec=mate-session
Exec=/usr/bin/openbox-session
Exec=/usr/bin/startkde
Exec=startxfce4

so just off hand why can't they be like

startx gnomesteamgauge
startx gnomenew
startx cinamon1
startx cinamon2
startx default
startx openbox
startx mate
startx lxde
startx lxqt
startx kde
startx xfce4

it wouldn't hurt to have a little commonality especially if the same
commands would work in all distros

[William Unruh]

On 2020-08-24, bad sector <forgetski@postit_INVALID_.gov> wrote:

What are you doing? Why would you want 11 different ones? The display
Environment is simply a setting for you to actualy use the computer to
accomplish certain tasks, it is not an end in itself.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

[bad sector]

These files would be ways to simplify to a single command but for that
the commands would have to work manually.

Following Bit Twister's idea I got the following form the 3 distros I use


Debian:
=======

Exec=cinnamon-session-cinnamon2d
Exec=cinnamon-session-cinnamon
Exec=fvwm2
Exec=gnome-session-classic
Exec=/usr/bin/gnome-session
Exec=/usr/bin/gnome-session
Exec=default
Exec=/usr/bin/startlxde
Exec=startlxqt
Exec=mate-session
Exec=/usr/bin/openbox-session
Exec=/usr/bin/startkde
Exec=startxfce4

Slackware:
==========
Exec=/usr/bin/startkde
Exec=/usr/bin/startkde --failsafe
Exec=startxfce4


Tumbleweed:
===========
# grep --no-filename ^Exec= /usr/share/xsessions/*
Exec=/usr/bin/startplasma-x11
Exec=/usr/bin/enlightenment_start
Exec=gnome
Exec=/usr/bin/gnome-session
Exec=icewm-session
Exec=icewm-session
Exec=/usr/bin/startplasma-x11
Exec=openbox-session
Exec=/usr/bin/openbox-kde-session
Exec=/usr/bin/startplasma-x11
Exec=twm
Exec=startxfce4

On Debian just startx launches the default gnomelike desktop and (as
root) systemctl start lightdm starts that DM which in turn lets me chose
the DE I want for the session. Since the objective is top log-in at
lever 3 and then start the X I want, it's almost that.

On Slackware startxfce4 works, don't rememmber iof just startx did.

On Suse none of them work, there;s always some pernmission denied,
cannot connect to server or some file not set guid or whaaaaatever. Suse
does have a DM that also lets you chose the DE for the session so that
workaround avails as it does in Debian but I don't know what Suse calls
its DM or if I could start it as root or as user.

I got this far and then I got reaL tired, this all is one chinese flea
circus, not what I thought Linux was supposed to be about.

[bad sector]

For the same reason that Debian and Suse provide the choices via a DM;
I'm working on a sched whereby I would start let's say Debian on odd
days, Suse on even days, Slackware on pissed-off by systemd days and
otherwise using a DE according to the day of the week.

I don't believe in all eggs being in one basket, sorta, after all OS'es
and DE's are just plug-ins for Rosegarden and my guitar effects board
[another thing that don't work in Linux]

> The display
> Environment is simply a setting for you to actualy use the computer to
> accomplish certain tasks, it is not an end in itself.

Compuking is where cars were at the turn of the last century, or still
are. None of them worked right and you had to know them all to find your
way through DIY. Today most of them work but now they come with
brainstem 'features' like lights you can never switch off or zero
mechanical controls.