xfce startup sequence

[Alon Weinstein]

Chris Green wrote:
> Well I've had a look through the X startup scripts and it seems to be
> as follows (I run xdm as I'm using xfce4 via an X server on a win2k
> machine):-
> 
>     xdm is running
>     If X is started with a window manager parameter that window
>     manager is stated using the appropriate script.  For xfce it
>     executes /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.xfce, this looks as if it is
>     what's happening to me.
>     If X is started without a window manager parameter then
>     $HOME/.xsession is run, if that doesn't exist then
>     /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc is run which ends up doing the same as
>     /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.xfce since it's a symbolic link to it.
> 
> So it looks to me that whatever happens a $HOME/.xinitrc or a
> $HOME/.xfce/xinitrc will *never* be run, I can see no place that looks
> for these files at all.
> 
> Maybe this is because I run xdm and not xinit/startx to run X but it
> seems strange that they are so different.
> 

That's partially true, and depends on how your environment is set. I use 
xfce on the 'better-OS' (read: Linux ;-) ), and what kickstarts xfce for 
me is the startxfce4 script (put in /usr/bin/ by the RPM packages).

This script does the following:

1. Look for a ~/.xfce4 directory, and if it doesn't exist, creates it 
(and some sub-directories under it)

2. Tests for the DISPLAY environent variable -- if it doesn't exist is 
will start X before xfce

3. Tests for $HOME/.xfce4/xinitrc (doesn't need the executable bit to be 
set) -- if exists launchages it; if it doesn't launches /etc/xfce4/xinitrc.

So, theoratically, if using such a script, the $HOME script will be used 
if it exists, and the /etc script will be the fall-back.