Starting the X server on Linux

[MikeTbob]

I'm highly surprised as well. I would have thought personal computers, as distinct from network servers, all booted to a gui. I see no reason for anything else, frankly. If I don't want a GUI I use a virtual console.
To those of you starting from a command line, why do it that way? Kurt

That's how they sharpen their hacking skills! heheh
I think most people do it out of habit...an old habit that began before the days of XDM.

[reed9]

That's how they sharpen their hacking skills! heheh
I think most people do it out of habit...an old habit that began before the days of XDM.

Not habit for me. The first distro I used for any length of time was Mint. But switching to Arch, switching to standalone window managers...I don't know. It just seemed unnecessary to install a display manager. I don't see the need to pull in all the GNOME stuff for GDM; KDM is worse. Slim is fine, but why bother? I don't use multiple window managers/desktops environments. I don't care about auto-login. There are times when I just want to boot into a console anyway. So...

[oz]

There are times when I just want to boot into a console anyway.

All of my package updates are done from the console only, and the first thing I do after booting is package updates, so no display manager actually speeds things up a bit for me.

[jayd512]

For me it really depends on which computer I'm on.
For my lappy, GDM is just a little more convenient for on the go usage. It's also nice when showing Linux to a possible convert... Let them see that it's not all cryptic CLI based wizardry.

On a desktop machine though, I have to agree with oz. Updates after startup, then startx.

[unlimitedscolobb]

To those of you starting from a command line, why do it that way?

I usually switch to the virtual console from where I'm startxing to see what are the error message in case something goes wrong in the graphical environment. And it's so easy to hit Ctrl+C there

Also, my brain has a quirk by which I simply enjoy logging into CLI interface and then explicitly startxing Probably, this gives me the feeling that the GUI is a child of the all-mighty command line

[Freston]

Am I the only one that changes gears with `init 4`?

[Dapper Dan]

I'm puzzled. I've never had any problem with display managers. I currently use slim with both Crux and Debian because it's fast. Logging in at a text console and then starting a gui seems to me a roundabout way of doing things.

hazel, I didn't even know about slim until I read your post so I installed it and set it up to run in /etc/rc.conf and it works great!! Thanks for mentioning it!

EDIT: It even has a crux-smooth theme complete with CRUX tux! So very cool! The rest of you need to try out slim if you haven't already! It has themes for all the major distros! Simple to install and use and very fast!

Here's the one for Arch: Link
CRUX: Link

[arinlares]

I've always used GDM, but am really considering something else. I tried SLiM, and might set it up now that I got Fluxbox set up.

[hazel]

EDIT: It even has a crux-smooth theme complete with CRUX tux! So very cool!

Yes, I had a look at that but I didn't like it. You say it looks cool but to me it looks cartoonish somehow. I do like the Debian theme for slim and I use that, but in Crux I use the rose-pink default theme.