If you've tried the new version of Apple's X11, you might be wondering
what happened to the aqua windows you are used to... because the new
version looks just like X11 (the flat ugly shade of green border, no
candy colored buttons etc.). This is because the new X11 version is
using the twm window manager.
You can change X11 to use the quartz window manager and get back those
gummy-bear drops by editing the xinitrc file. You just have to find it.
If you have used a X11 non-Apple type program before (oh, say XFree86
or the like) then your xinitrc file will most likely be in the ~/
directory. So fire up Terminal and do the following:
cd ~/ and press the return key.
ls -la and press the return key.
A directory listing should show up. One of the files should be there
called .xinitrc
[this step is necessary to make sure the file is in this directory. If
it is not then skip down to the version for new Apple X11 users]
sudo pico .xinitrc and press the return key.
If you have only used the Apple X11 programs, then fire up Terminal and
do the following:
cd /etc/X11/xinit/ and press the return key.
sudo pico xinitrc and press the return key.
Please note the differences between the two types there! Apple's stock
new version does not have the . in the name.
Pico should start up and let you make the editing changes you need to
make.
Move the cursor to the front of the line that has: twm &
and put a # at the very front so that the line looks like:
# twm &
Go to the end of the line and press return and type in the following
quartz-wm &
So that the two lines look like:
# twm &
quartz-wm &
Then hold down the control key and type o then hit return <--- this,
in UNIX lingo, would be called type cntl+o
Then type cntrl+x
Now start X11 running and you have "aqua-fied" X11 Windows again. If
you don't like the way they look, move the # from the line # twm & to
the line quartz-wm & save and restart X11 and you are back to the older
X11 environment.
Jerry
p.s. There are lots of other things you can do in this initrc file, but
that's for another email. Maybe someone else would like to share some
thoughts on that...
| The next meeting of the Louisville Computer Society will
| be February 25. The LCS Web page is <http://www.kymac.org>.
