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I would like to be able to boot my debian sarge machine and have to start the x-windows-system and and a window manager from the command prompt (not use gdm ...
  1. 05-26-2006 #1
    schmity
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    Install Gnome without GDM?

    I would like to be able to boot my debian sarge machine and have to start the x-windows-system and and a window manager from the command prompt (not use gdm kdm etc.) Right now I have a freshly installed minimal debian sarge system. I just did "apt-get install x-window-system", and it appears that this is working ok. Now I would like to install kde, gnome, blackbox, etc, but not have kdm, gdm, etc.
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  2. 05-26-2006 #2
    antidrugue
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    Quote Originally Posted by schmity
    I just did "apt-get install x-window-system", and it appears that this is working ok. Now I would like to install kde, gnome, blackbox, etc, but not have kdm, gdm, etc.
    Doing that
    Code:
    apt-get install x-window-system
    automatically install a login manager: "xdm"

    You should do that instead if you want to stay minimal:
    Code:
    apt-get install x-window-system-core
    You can install Gnome with any login manager using the smallest Gnome package (not exactly, you can go smaller, but it's quite minimal):
    Code:
    apt-get install gnome-core
    The same for KDE:
    Code:
    apt-get install kde-core
    etc.
    "To express yourself in freedom, you must die to everything of yesterday. From the 'old', you derive security; from the 'new', you gain the flow."

    -Bruce Lee
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  3. 05-26-2006 #3
    farslayer
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    just take your normal install and shut down gdm in the init scripts..

    mv /etc/rc2.d/S99gdm /etc/rc2.d/K99gdm

    your system will now boot to a command prompt. simply type startx to launch gnome
    far...out
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  4. 05-27-2006 #4
    schmity
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    Quote Originally Posted by farslayer
    just take your normal install and shut down gdm in the init scripts..

    mv /etc/rc2.d/S99gdm /etc/rc2.d/K99gdm

    your system will now boot to a command prompt. simply type startx to launch gnome
    What exactly does renaming to K99gdm do?
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  5. 05-29-2006 #5
    farslayer
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    IF you look in the init directories you will see links to scripts. any link that begins with an S starts a service, and link that begins with a K stops a service. the numbers in the link names have to do with the order in which the scripts start and stop.. for instance you have to start basic networking before you could start a firewall or samba...


    Check section 9.3.1 for a better explanation..
    http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-opersys.html

    Check section 10.5 and 10.6
    http://www.debian.org/doc/FAQ/ch-customizing.en.html

    That should give you a basic overview of the init scripts and getting things to start and stop as desired..

    There are several tools you can use to change which services start and stop, In my example I just renamed the link manually, you could also use any one of the following tools to do the same things.

    update-rc.d
    sysv-rc-conf
    invoke-rc.d

    Debian Administration has a nice article that gives a complete overview of this process as well.
    http://www.debian-administration.org/articles/212


    Enjoy !!
    far...out
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  6. 12-07-2006 #6
    ennoil
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    To keep your command line login just boot to run level 3 (edit /etc/inittab and make the line "id:5:initdefault:" look like "id:3:initdefault:") then to start your users default window manager type startx and you will bring up the desktop.
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  7. 12-09-2006 #7
    farslayer
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    Quote Originally Posted by ennoil
    To keep your command line login just boot to run level 3 (edit /etc/inittab and make the line "id:5:initdefault:" look like "id:3:initdefault:") then to start your users default window manager type startx and you will bring up the desktop.

    That doesn't work in Debian unless you edit the runlevel configurations . In Debian Run levels 2-5 are all setup Identically by default and the system starts at runlevel 2 which also starts gdm.. so switching between run levels 3 and 5 on a default debian install will yield absolutely no results and no change whatsoever in which processes start or stop.

    sorry schmitty I missed your reply earlier..

    renamins S99gdm to K99gdm means that at that runlevel gdm will not start. anything that begins with a S is started if it's not already running. any script link that begins with a K is stopped. so changing that link from S to K means that gdm will not start automatically at runlevel 2.
    far...out
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  8. 12-09-2006 #8
    macondo
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    Before you get an aneurism, uninstall x-window-system and install x-window-system-core:

    # dpkg -P x-window-system

    this will uninstall xdm, xterm, etc

    # apt-get -y install x-window-system-core aterm menu blackbox

    Or any other window manager, as for installing kde and gnome on a minimal installation is an oxymoron. Later on, you can manage which wm you want to start by editing your .xinitrc or using the alternatives-update system.
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  9. 12-09-2006 #9
    deanlinkous
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    uh... this is a old thread and I would hope the problem is fixed by now...
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  10. 12-09-2006 #10
    macondo
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    LOL! I saw it at the top of the list, had to re-register. Oh well...no good deed goes unpunished.
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