Randy McMurchy wrote:
DJ Lucas wrote these words on 04/30/06 09:57 CST:
IMO, push the inittab version first!
Now, please understand the following is not to create an opposite view, and argue which is better, it is mentioned because it is something we should consider. KDE has this in the .../share/doc/kdm/README file, which is not that old according to the date on it. Anyway, it says this: "Generally I'd advise _against_ starting KDM directly from init - better use a proper init script, possibly by slightly modifying the XDM init script shipped by your distribution." If we recommend the inittab method, how do we explain our deviation from what the maintainer says?
I was not aware of this bit. It's nice to see an argument from a package maintainer, either way. I was only half joking about the inittab method being pushed...in light of an opinionated discussion that took place three years ago. I should have (and meant to) put in a smiley in my previous post. Right now, I lean toward providing both in the book, with no preference.
While I cannot verify vendors myself ATM, I've googled, and it looks like RH and Mandrake use the inittab method. Bruce confirmed that on RH, and also that Suse uses an initscript. I'm guessing that there will be no concensus among distros to aid in a users decision.
I'll dig through the docu for xdm and gdm and see if I can find anthing that points the user one way or the other. If I (or anyone else) can dig up docu for xdm/gdm that also makes the same reccomendation, then we could drop the _inittab_ entry completely.
I realize this is completely opposite of my previous opinion. Beyond that I've always done it the inittab way (when rarely I actually use a display manager), I can give only one weak argument for it: When you change between them as you add kde and gnome into the mix (how likely is this? Not very I'd guess). If you've previously set up one using the bootscript, it needs to be undone and the new script and links put in place. Having the user edit the inittab line forces a concious choice and avoids a collision. One very good way to overcome that, is to use a generic 'xdm' script and use a sysconfig file to choose the correct display manager startup as Suse had done in Bruce's example.
-- DJ Lucas -- http://linuxfromscratch.org/mailman/listinfo/blfs-dev FAQ: http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/blfs/faq.html Unsubscribe: See the above information page
