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From: Salvo Bartolotta <bartequi@nojunk.com>
Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000 23:42:33 GMT
Message-ID: <20000121.23423300@bartequi.ottodomain.org>
Subject: Re: x-windows: how to play with multiple X sessions etc.: a simple recipe ?
To: c4_b2@yahoo.com
Cc: questions@FreeBSD.ORG
References: <20000120224324.29071.qmail@web119.yahoomail.com> <20000121.83900@bartequi.ottodomain.org>
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Dear Sir (or Madam ??),

I add some more details to the solution outlined yesterday.
I will limit myself to the case in which X is invoked from within a
CUI shell; which, incidentally, is a most flexible choice.

To begin with: CUI=3D=3DCharacter User Interface.
A simple way to switch between e.g. Gnome and KDE is to define
the following files (" ~ " stand for your home directory):


1) ~/.xinitrc_gnome, containing just one line: "exec gnome-session" ;


1A) the script (executable) ~/g, so defined (in csh shell):

#!/bin/csh

# in order for the script to be executed from any
# directory:

cd ~

# the following "if" instruction checks if the last graphical
#environment was Gnome in order to avoid a useless write operation; if
#the last GUI was *not* Gnome, then the symlink .xinitrc is created
#and points at .xinitrc_gnome.


if (`ls -l .xinitrc | grep .xinitrc | awk '{print $11;}'` !=3D
.xinitrc_gnome) then # from "if" to "then" stays in *one* line
     ln -fs .xinitrc_gnome .xinitrc
endif


# the command actually starting X on screen 0, vt 9
# you need to turn at least *two* consoles off in /etc/ttys
# if you want to run *two* GUIs simultaneously.

startx -- :0 vt9

#please note: 0 is the "display".

###################### end of sample script #########################





Similarly:

2) ~/.xinitrc_kde, containing just one line: "exec startkde" ;



2A) the script (executable) ~/k, so defined (in csh shell):

#!/bin/csh

cd ~

if (`ls -l .xinitrc | grep .xinitrc | awk '{print $11;}'` !=3D
.xinitrc_kde) then # from "if" to "then" stays in *one* line
    ln -fs .xinitrc_kde .xinitrc
endif

startx -- :1 vt10

###################### end of sample script #########################






If you issue " ./k " in your home directory, you will start KDE;
" ./g " will start Gnome.

Remark.
You can start more GUIS simultaneoulsy provided that:
i) the displays are *different* ;
ii) the " vt " are *different*   ;


For example, I can run even four GUIs simultaneoulsy, as four
*different users*; each having its own locale (e.g. US English,
French, German, Italian); each having a different "display"
(:0 , :1, :2 ...) and correspondingly different Vts
(e.g. vt9 <-> :0, vt10 <-> :1, ...)

Please note: vtXX  <---> Function key XX.

vt 9, 10, 11, 12 can work in that /etc/ttys has consoles 8,9,a,b
turned off. Attention: the consoles in ttys start from "0".


You could also e.g. launch *another* GUI session (e.g. Gnome)
**within** KDE, provided the displays and Vts are appropriately
defined (as in our sample scripts)... Just start it in a terminal
window. Exiting the second GUI will take you back to the first.

Finally, you can switch (via CTRL-ALT-Function keys) between the
various GUIs, whether or not they belong to different users.




If you prefer tcsh, the two little scripts above simplify, e g. 2A)
becomes:

#!/usr/local/bin/tcsh
if (-L .xinitrc !=3D .xinitrc_kde) ln -fs .xinitrc_kde .xinitrc
startx -- :0 vt9

###################### end of sample script #########################

Of course, you must have installed tcsh for this script to work.




I hope this information will help.
The sole limit is now only your RAM ...


Yours faithfully
Salvo Bartolotta





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