Start program before Logon prompt?

[bloodyscript]

i was wondering if it would be possible to either load a program gui to startup at login b4 the window manager or to write a script that would auto load the program b4 the wm

[nachos]

What kind of program? Generally no. Especially if that program has a GUI. If you wanted to run a shell program, then just configure your startup to shoot you off to a different runlevel first (I believe run level 3). However, you cant load a graphical program before loading your WindowManager. That defeats the whole purpose of having a modern OS.

Cheers.

[bigtomrodney]

However, you cant load a graphical program before loading your WindowManager. That defeats the whole purpose of having a modern OS.

Actually you can technically. You can load an application on X before kwin or matacity is running, theoretically before kdm or gdm start. There are a number of reasons why you wouldn't though

• It would most likely need to run as root in a modern environment using a display manager
• If you are using a display manager you aren't logged in until around the same time that your WM starts
• This would really only work if you ran a system where X was started without the use of a display manager like kdm/gdm and then only in a situation where you weren't loading a DE or WM beyond X

Is this to build a kiosk type system?

[bloodyscript]

what i wannted to do is to have a media player such as mplayer start up with ouit haveing a wm loaded but i wannted it to do it automaticly when you login. now at my old school they had a computer were when you logged into linux just the internet browser loaded up and nothing else you couclnt even exit the broswer thats what im looking to do except with mplayer instead of a browser.

[devils casper]

its possible to do that in Debian or any other distro easily. which DE are you using? GNOME or KDE?

[bloodyscript]

ok rite now i have debian etch 4.0 installed and i use gnome.

[devils casper]

System -- Preferences -- Sessions. Add Mplayer or any other application and click on Save Session.

[bloodyscript]

now if i turn off the wm from starting will mplayer still start useing your method

[bloodyscript]

dosnt work they way i want it to the window manager has to load in order to load mplayer your way i want mplayer to load b4 the window manager

[bigtomrodney]

If you just want a simple distro that will just run mplayer, you might want to look at GeexBox. It is a mini distro based around mplayer. Alternatively you can just put the entry for mplayer for into .bashrc for the user who will be starting up.