Talk:X without Display Manager

Boot Parameter NOX
To determine whether to run X or not, I use the Grub/Lilo kernel boot option "nox". (ie. /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda2 ro nox)

From here, I can use entries within /boot/grub2/grub.cfg to select whether to boot into a command line console or run Xorg/XFCE session.

Most often, I'm booting using the nox option and into command line console only. I then allow my ${HOME}/.bash_profile auto start programs (such as GNU Screen) and finally start DWM using by a pretyped "startx" on the command line.

I have a customized shared ${HOME}/.bash_profile, which checks for which $HOSTNAME it's being executed from and starts each process I need for a desktop session for that particular host/hostname. Checks the runlevel and decides whether to run startxfce4, etc. Atypically though, I use the boot nox option, and when nox option is not selected, the desktop manager handless desktop sessions.

Anyways, been awhile since I wrote or edited the ${HOME}/.bash_profile, or a while since I've used XFCE. So I'm pretty sure with nox, xdm is started here which means the startxfce4 within .bash_profile might be redundant. --Roger (talk) 22:11, 1 June 2013 (UTC)