Thanks a lot Andrew.

I think you have cleared up a few things for me now and think I have to
go and research the .xinitrc file and see if that is going to work
properly with fluxbox so I can get rid of GDM and just launch a single
app on boot up...sort of a Kiosk type setup for a LiveCD project which
was just thrown at me.

Thanks again for the answers.
-Stephen

-----Original Message-----
From: Andrew Sackville-West [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2007 3:51 PM
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: Launch App without X-Windows

On Wed, Jan 10, 2007 at 02:26:07PM -0500, Stephen Yorke wrote:
> Thanks for the quick response.
>  
> So it seems like I would ALWAYS need an X-Server but I can do without
a Window Manager.

no you don't ALWAYS need an X-server. However, to run X applications,
you do. You are correct in that you do not need a window manager. You
can run an X application all on its own within X. for example, you could
(assuming you have X configured), create a .xinitrc file in your home
directory with the following contents:

firefox

then type startx at the command prompt and you'll get an X session with
just the one application running in it, probably full screen. How well
this might behave is debateable. 

you can also do away with all the *dm's and just run a windowmanager
directly with an .xinitrc that looks like this

fvwm 

or whatever window manager you want.

A


>  
> -Stephen
> 
> ________________________________
> 
> From: Kevin Mark [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: Wed 1/10/2007 2:23 PM
> To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
> Subject: Re: Launch App without X-Windows
> 
> 
> 
> On Wed, Jan 10, 2007 at 01:55:21PM -0500, Stephen Yorke wrote:
> > Hello all and thanks in advance to any replies I get to this
message.
> > 
> > I have a couple of things...
> > 
> > What I want to do is be able to launch applications without actually

> > loading X.  What I mean is, I want to load RDesktop or Firefox or 
> > some other application and without actually having a desktop 
> > environment have the applications still launch for me.
> > 
> > 1. What necessary pieces would I absolutely have to have in place?
> > (Window Manager, Video stuff, Mouse, Keyboard, ETC) 2. Any 
> > recommended links to read about what I actually want to do?
> > 
> > Thanks a lot, Stephen
> Hi Stephen,
> here is some info:
> firefox requires X windows. X windows has certain requirements.
> video card->kernel modules->kernel-> X windows modules-> x
server+>firefox
>                                                    window manager+
>                                                       x libraries+
>                                                             ....
> There are many types of applications:
> console
> curses-based
> frame-buffer based
> 
> x based
> -athena-based
> -qt based
> -gtk based
> -other toolkits
> -x frame buffer based
> 
> The only way I know of running an X windows app with out using a 
> regular X server is by using the x virtual frame buffer server.
> 
> $ apt-cache show xvfb
> Package: xvfb
> Priority: optional
> Section: x11
> Installed-Size: 3800
> Maintainer: Debian X Strike Force <debian-x@lists.debian.org>
> Architecture: i386
> Source: xorg-server
> Version: 2:1.1.1-14
> Depends: libc6 (>= 2.3.6-6), libfontenc1, libxau6, libxdmcp6, 
> libxfont1, zlib1g (>= 1:1.2.1)
> Recommends: xbase-clients
> Filename: pool/main/x/xorg-server/xvfb_1.1.1-14_i386.deb
> Size: 1536234
> MD5sum: 4f008f696f8aa23aef59090898a2a63b
> SHA1: 539a380d0dc0f16ba81c7eeb371e307524645d0e
> SHA256: 
> 8590b30e11df3684e49bd70b5946215eeab71d64881974507b15279c933559cf
> Description: Virtual Framebuffer 'fake' X server  Xvfb provides an X 
> server that can run on machines with no display hardware  and no 
> physical input devices.  It emulates a dumb framebuffer using virtual

> memory.  The primary use of this server was intended to be server 
> testing,  but other novel uses for it have been found, including 
> testing clients  against unusual depths and screen configurations, 
> doing batch processing with  Xvfb as a background rendering engine, 
> load testing, as an aid to porting the  X server to a new platform, 
> and providing an unobtrusive way to run  applications that don't 
> really need an X server but insist on having one  anyway.
>  .
>  This package also contains a convenience script called xvfb-run which

> simplifies the automated execution of X clients in a virtual server  
> environment.  This convenience script requires the use of the xauth  
> program.
>  .
>  More information about X.Org can be found at:
>  <URL:http://xorg.freedesktop.org <http://xorg.freedesktop.org/> >  
> <URL:http://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/xorg>
>  .
>  This module can be found as the module 'xserver/xorg' at  
> :pserver:[EMAIL PROTECTED]:/cvs/xorg
> Tag: interface::framebuffer, network::server, role::program, 
> x11::xserver cheers, Kev
> --
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