XFree86 Window Managers

[dbraverman88]

How can I tell what window manager is running with XFree86 with NetBSD and Debian Linux?

Thanks,

David

 

[paws]

Look at the X startup scripts.

 

[equant]

Yeah, I support paws suggestion. As an alternative, (since startup scripts on some systems are a pain to dig through) you can use ps to get a list of processes running under your username. As long as you haven't started a bunch of scripts it should be easy to tell which is the wm.

I offer the following with the disclaimer that it's not the way most people would do it (man ps to see how it should be done), but it gives you a starting place...

ps auxw | grep username

Nathan

 

[QuadSix50]

Or if you're already running in an X environment, open up a terminal and type "X -version" (remember that the CLI is case sensitive).

 

[dbraverman88]

Great suggestions. I will give them a try.

David

 

[dbraverman88]

1. I checked the processes running as equant suggested and twm is running. Fluxbox also seems to be on the machine. Can both be in use at the same time? does fluxbox use twm? I looked up fluxbox and blackbox on Wikipedia. I didn't get anything useful there.

2. I tried "X -version" in an xterm as QuadSix50 suggested. The "-version" option was not recognized and the help scrolls off the screen. I tried "X -version | less" and that didn't help. Any suggestions?

3. I am going to look at the X startup scripts next.

Thanks,

David

 

[paws]

Flux|Blackbox doesn't use twm. One cannot run without the other.

It is likely that twm is running if you've done no configuration as it is the default, I think, for plain X installations.

ps auxw | grep username

Err. -a gives you a list of all processes, not just your own. It and the grepping is redundant here. $ ps xc is what OP wants.

X -version will tell you nothing about window managers.

 

[QuadSix50]

Weird that "X -version" didn't work. I'm assuming you excluded the quotes when typing the command, correct?

Also, unless your X Window session is actually running, the command won't work.

TWM is its own window manager. So are Fluxbox and Blackbox.

 

[dbraverman88]

Yeah, it looks like twm. The menu that comes up when you click on the background is an exact match.

I am not sure what is going on with fluxbox. It does appear that fluxbox was installed. Maybe it is not being launched? Time to check the X startup scrips.

QuadSix50, I am typing in an xterm:

X -version

bash comes back the options for X. I also do not see -version there. By trying X -version | less I was hoping to control the flow of text blowing by the xterm. It didn't work.

BTW: I would recommend a box like this to anyone looking to experiment with 68k *BSD and Linux. It is a LC 475 with a 25MHZ 68040 (not the LC), 8 GB Quantum Fireball HDD, 132 MB RAM.

 

[equant]

Err. -a gives you a list of all processes, not just your own. It and the grepping is redundant here. $ ps xc is what OP wants.

Yeah, thanks for giving him the exact args. Regarding your "Err" I did have a disclaimer that it wasn't the proper way most people would do it, and to man ps. I just wanted to offer what I though could be a quick solution.

BTW, QuadSix50, I've never heard of X-version, and don't have it on any of my boxes. What system do you have that on? OSX, BSD, Linux?

Nathan

 

[equant]

3. I am going to look at the X startup scripts next.

Are you running xdm or gdm or something, or do you start X by hand? Usually, if you log in to X using a GUI interface such as gdm or xdm, there's an option to choose the wm that is started. Otherwise, if you run x or startx to start x, then you can put a .xinitrc file in your home dir that looks like this...

xterm -geometry 80x50+494+51 &

fluxbox

Then start X. This is just a quick and dirty way to mess around with things. Depending on your distro, there's probably a different method that is preferred for changing which wm each user uses.

Nathan

 

[~tl]

BTW, QuadSix50, I've never heard of X-version, and don't have it on any of my boxes. What system do you have that on? OSX, BSD, Linux?

That's X -version (with a space) not X-version. Running it in X11 under OS X (I don't have another *nix box around to try it on) gives:

XFree86 Version 4.4.0 / X Window System(protocol Version 11, revision 0, vendor release 6600)

[)] ]'>

 

[QuadSix50]

Yes, Tom is right. I did include a space in the post above between "X" and "-version", but I know that it's sometimes hard to tell. Best thing to do when you can't tell is copy the text and paste it into vi, nano, or any other console text editor that you prefer. You can even paste it into a graphical editor so long as the text is fixed-type and not variable. Then you can see whether or not there's a space in between the characters.

Now I have to wonder, dbraverman88: are you typing the command WITHIN an X11 environment through xterm? It shouldn't be the case in GNU/Linux, but maybe you have to dive into the directory where "X" is located for some reason. Type the following in a command prompt and see what results you come up with:

find / -name "X" -print

Do that as root. Once you have the results, cd your way into that path and try and do the following command again:

./X -version

I just did that on my Slackware box and it showed it as being in /usr/bin. It might be different for you on Debian or NetBSD.

 

[equant]

Ah, a space. Of course, now I see what you meant. In my case, it's not revealing the window manager, but oh well.

 

[dbraverman88]

Are you running xdm or gdm or something, or do you start X by hand? Nathan

I am calling startx directly.

 

[dbraverman88]

Now I have to wonder, dbraverman88: are you typing the command WITHIN an X11 environment through xterm?

Yes, I am executing the command X -version within an xterm.

 

[dbraverman88]

It shouldn't be the case in GNU/Linux, but maybe you have to dive into the directory where "X" is located for some reason. Type the following in a command prompt and see what results you come up with:

find / -name "X" -print

Do that as root. Once you have the results, cd your way into that path and try and do the following command again:

./X -version

I just did that on my Slackware box and it showed it as being in /usr/bin. It might be different for you on Debian or NetBSD.

I don't believe calling X from its own directory is necessary. It find the X executable just fine. I am running NetBSD 2.0. In this OS (it could just be the version of XFree86 I am running), -version is not a valid option to X. That is why the help comes on when I type X -version in an xterm.

 

[paws]

I am calling startx directly.

Right. Is there a .xinitrc in your home directory? ($ ls -a to see files beginning with .)

Else, you'll want to copy xinitrc from /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xinit/ to ~/.xinitrc (copy, not move, and remember the dot). Then you can edit that, it's a regular shell script. It should be calling twm somewhere, just replace it with Fluxbox.

 

[ChristTrekker]

It should be calling twm somewhere, just replace it with Fluxbox.

I've always been a Blackbox guy. What's the difference between that and Fluxbox? I know FB forked from BB around 0.61, and BB made some nice changes between .65 and .70 I'd hate to lose.