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If you
need to know how to configure startx to start the desktop or window
manager of your choice, edit .xinitrc in your home
directory. This will start Gnome:
exec gnome-session
You can list all of your installed window managers and desktop environments:
exec gnome-session #exec startkde #exec icewm #exec icewm-experimental #exec afterstep #exec enlightenment #exec blackbox
Entering all of your installed window managers makes it easy to change the default by uncommenting the one you want. Be sure that only one is uncommented at a time.
Gnome, KDE, and XFce should be started from their startup
scripts—gnome-session, startkde, and startxfce—rather than their
executables.
If a user has no ~/.xinitrc
file, startx will look for the
global .xinitrc, which will be
tucked away somewhere in /etc,
like /etc/X11/xinit/.xinitrc. X
Windows file locations tend to be different on the various Linux
distributions, so you might as well get used to hunting them
down.
Learn more about this topic from Linux Cookbook.
Linux information can be found scattered in man pages, texinfo files, and source code comments, but the best source is the experts who have built up a working knowledge of managing Linux systems. The Linux Cookbook's tested techniques distill years of hard-won experience into practical cut-and-paste solutions to everyday Linux dilemmas. Use just one recipe from this collection of real-world solutions, and the hours of tedious trial-and-error saved will more than pay for the cost of the book. It's more than a time-saver; it's a sanity saver.
