Re: For First-Time Users of X-Server

[Bill Haneman <bill haneman sun com>]

Toby:

When you start the X server, all the subshells you get in the GUI have
$DISPLAY set.  But the console from which you started X does not, as you
note.

For many/most standalone configurations, using a $DISPLAY of ":0.0"
should work.  However this is just a common default, so it's not a
foolproof solution.  Examining the xinit program as configured on your
system should help show the DISPLAY that your server is configured to
use; "man X" may help.

Of course most of this stuff is not normally intended for "end users",
for most casual users the details are all hidden by the GUI's login
dialog, etc.  So since access to the GUI for blind users is very much a
work-in-progress, please excuse the inelegant exposure of these details.

- Bill



On Tue, 2003-05-27 at 12:43, Toby Fisher wrote:
> On Mon, 26 May 2003, Adam Myrow wrote:
> 
> > You should never have to set the DISPLAY variable unless you are trying to
> > redirect your monitor's output in X to somebody else's computer.  You
> > should be able to type "startx" and it should come up.  If it returns you
> > to a command prompt, it means that your X server isn't set up right for
> > some reason.  How you set it up depends a lot on your distribution.  Some
> > set it up automatically and others make you do it manually.  Slackware has
> > a program called xfree86setup which can be run to try and set up X, and
> > Redhat tries to do it at installation.  I think you can also configure X
> > in Redhat from the setup command.  If all else fails, there is xf86config,
> > which should work on all distributions, but it does absolutely nothing
> > automatically.  You have to know your video card, how much memory it has,
> > and what refresh rates and resolutions are supported by your monitor.  It
> > won't stop you from telling flat out lies.  Another thing to keep in mind
> > is that if you didn't set your default window manager when you set up X,
> > there's no telling what you'll end up in.  If you aren't sure, put a file
> > in your home directory called .xinitrc and put the single line "exec
> > gnome-session" in it.  Good luck.
> 
> Adam,
> 
> You seem to have missed the point of what I was asking.
> 
> For instance, if I use startx to get the server running, and then, for
> example, I try and install Open Office from the consol, I get an error
> from GTK stating that it couldn't contact the display, and the application
> moans that it couldn't contact the X server, despite the fact that the X
> server is running.   This also means that I can't start my X server at
> boot time (I have users who would like to use it via ssh) and then start
> things like Gnopernicus later on when I want to use them.
> 
> Cheers.
> 
> -- 
> Toby Fisher	Email: toby tjfisher co uk
> Tel.: +44(0)1480 417272	Mobile: +44(0)7974 363239
> ICQ: #61744808
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> 
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