This is a query about how to get the benefits of graphical login without using
graphical login.
I run the xfce version of Fedora 19 (on desktop) and Fedora 20 (on laptop).
Until recently I've always booted into linux in text mode (by specifying mode 3
in grub.cfg ) and then run 'startx' after logging in (and if necessary doing
housekeeping, installing updates, etc.)
As reported in an earlier message, I found that I can use the standard graphical
login and specify ctwm as window manager if I create
/usr/share/xsessions/ctwm.desktop
containing:
[Desktop Entry]
Name=Ctwm
Comment=Log in using the ctwm window manager (without a session manager)
Exec=$HOME/.xinitrc
Icon=
Type=Application
I would prefer not to have to use the graphical login process, since I find
textual login plus startx faster, and also more useful if there are updates to
install or other housekeeping to be done.
However, I have found a benefit of the graphical login that I don't know how to
replicate from non-graphical login, and I wonder if anyone can help me.
The benefit is that some programs, especially the pdf viewer evince (or atril,
its 'mate' equivalent whose interface I prefer) remember settings if run after
graphical login, but not if I start X from a non-graphical login. E.g. without
the graphical login the pdf viewer always starts up with a small window, which I
have to expand whereas when I use the graphical login it remembers settings.
(There are several web sites with complaints about the small size startup for
evince, with no clear answers.)
Presumably there is some gnome (or mate) facility that is launched by the
graphical login process that handles such user preferences. I wonder if anyone
knows how I could achieve that by an extra command in ~/.xinitrc . As far as I
can tell the required user information for evince or atril in stored in
~/.config/evince
~/.config/atril
But both evince and atril ignore that information if launched after startx.
(That seems to me to be a terrible design feature, not shared with other
tools, e.g. xpdf.)
Does anyone know what I could put into my .xinitrc to make it unnecessary to use
the graphical login?
There now seem to be startup files scattered all over the place, making it
harder than necessary to tailor linux.
Thanks.
Aaron
