Adding a Second Desktop

ArchVortex · 2011-10-31 09:31:46

This tutorial is for those who wish to add a second desktop to your existing Openbox. Some of you may be missing your old desktop that you're used to or maybe you just want to test a different window manager like awesome or ratpoison.

We'll use LXDE for our example second desktop. First you need to add LXDE. Open a terminal and as root enter:

# pacman -S gamin lxde

Then add lxdm to /etc/inittab and uncomment it and comment out SLiM:

# nano /etc/inittab

# Example lines for starting a login manager
  #x:5:respawn:/bin/su yourusername -l -c "/bin/bash --login -c /usr/bin/startx >/dev/null 2>&1"
  #x:5:respawn:/usr/sbin/gdm -nodaemon
  #x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon
  #x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/slim >& /dev/null
  x:5:respawn:/usr/sbin/lxdm >/dev/null 2>&1

Then add lxdm to the DAEMON line in /etc/rc.conf:

# nano /etc/rc.conf

DAEMONS=(dbus networkmanager !network !dhcdbd syslog-ng lxdm @alsa)

And then add lxde to your .xinitrc and comment out openbox:

$ leafpad ~/.xinitrc

 #!/bin/bash
  #exec ck-launch-session dbus-launch openbox-session
  exec ck-launch-session startlxde

Reboot and login with the LXDM and you're using LXDE with ArchBang.

Disclaimer: If you follow the above instructions and your computer blows up, your system breaks, you grow a third nipple, Barney the Dinosaur comes for a visit or Culture Club starts blaring out of your speakers, I am not responsible. Use at your own risk!!

Mr Green · 2011-10-31 10:01:47

Could you edit your title to include the word LXDE

ArchVortex · 2011-10-31 10:13:52

It's just an example so not really needed. I can do one for all the desktops if you like

willxtreme · 2011-10-31 10:20:43

ArchVortex wrote:

Disclaimer: If you follow the above instructions and your computer blows up, your system breaks, you grow a third nipple, Barney the Dinosaur comes for a visit or Culture Club starts blaring out of your speakers, I am not responsible. Use at your own risk!!

lol!

Mr Green · 2011-10-31 10:22:28

Figured post was LXDE based so....

You must give warnings if you are going to post LXDE threads

pablokal · 2011-10-31 14:14:03

This seems a nice way to be able to choose at grub level which DE you want to load.

At startup
You can also have a choice of window managers and desktop environments at startup, using just ~/.xinitrc and GRUB and no display manager. The idea is to take advantage of the fact that Arch doesn't make any particular use of the runlevel system. The following ~/.xinitrc tests for the current runlevel and will start Openbox and GNOME on runlevels 5 and 4 respectively:
rl=$(runlevel | grep -o [0-6])

case $rl in
    4) exec gnome-session;;
    5) exec openbox-session;;
esac
Choosing between different runlevels is simply a matter of cloning a GRUB entry and adding the desired runlevel to the kernel arguments. Inserting the runlevel at the end of the 'kernel' line indicates that the inittab default of runlevel 5 should be overridden and replaced with the desired runlevel, 4 in this instance:
title Arch Linux GNOME
root (hd0,2)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-linux root=/dev/sda1 ro 4
initrd /boot/initramfs-linux.img
Finally, you will need to ensure that the ~/.xinitrc file is actually run at the chosen runlevel. Using the tip from Start X at boot#/etc/inittab, you can edit the inittab to simply run startx on the desired runlevel which will in turn use your ~/.xinitrc script:
x:45:once:/bin/su PREFERED_USER -l -c "/bin/bash --login -c startx >/dev/null 2>&1"
Notice that "45" means that this will happen on both runlevels 4 and 5. The final differentiation between 4 and 5 will then come in ~/.xinitrc as described above. This is preferable to attempt differentiating in the inittab file as we stick pretty close to using the various configuration files as they were intended.

source: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc

ArchVortex · 2011-10-31 18:54:55

Here is KDE for this example second desktop. First you need to add KDE. You'll need to decide which version of KDE you want (see https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE_Packages). Just make sure that you have kdm after installing KDE.

Open a terminal and as root enter:

# pacman -S kde-meta

Then uncomment kdm in /etc/inittab and comment out SLiM:

# nano /etc/inittab

# Example lines for starting a login manager
  #x:5:respawn:/bin/su yourusername -l -c "/bin/bash --login -c /usr/bin/startx >/dev/null 2>&1"
  #x:5:respawn:/usr/sbin/gdm -nodaemon
  x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon
  #x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/slim >& /dev/null

Then add kdm to the DAEMON line in /etc/rc.conf:

# nano /etc/rc.conf

DAEMONS=(dbus networkmanager !network !dhcdbd syslog-ng kdm @alsa)

And then add kde to your .xinitrc and comment out openbox:

$ leafpad ~/.xinitrc

 #!/bin/bash
  #exec ck-launch-session dbus-launch openbox-session
  exec ck-launch-session startkde

Reboot and login with the KDM and you're using KDE with ArchBang.

And again:

Disclaimer: If you follow the above instructions and your computer blows up, your system breaks, you grow a third nipple, Barney the Dinosaur comes for a visit or Culture Club starts blaring out of your speakers, I am not responsible. Use at your own risk!!

oliver · 2011-10-31 20:00:43

pablokal wrote:

This seems a nice way to be able to choose at grub level which DE you want to load.

Interesting post... it could probably be modified to allow various network profiles too... i.e home network versus work network

pablokal · 2011-11-01 03:37:12

it could probably be modified to allow various network profiles too... i.e home network versus work network

Yeah, it was new for me too, I thought I should share it.
Let me know if you're going to modify it or expand it.

francois.e · 2012-01-12 22:20:36

What about the xfce 4.8 desktop environment?

Thanks.

pablokal · 2012-01-19 17:27:00

Sorry, missed last post before:

rl=$(runlevel | grep -o [0-6])

case $rl in
    4) exec startxfce4;;
    5) exec openbox-session;;
esac

ortanste · 2012-03-20 03:41:47

Hey, this is really interesting tutorial. I also want to add second desktop to my existing openbox. Please anyone here can provide me computer tips to add second desktop. Thanks.

Last edited by ortanste (2012-03-20 05:28:50)

pablokal · 2012-03-20 04:01:43

In rc.xml in /home/user/.config/openbox
Edit:

<desktops>
    <!-- this stuff is only used at startup, pagers allow you to change them
       during a session

       these are default values to use when other ones are not already set
       by other applications, or saved in your session

       use obconf if you want to change these without having to log out
       and back in -->
    <number>2</number>

As this is default in AB and the bland nature of your other posts I am wondering if you're not a spammer, advertising for the site mentioned above.
Providing three links for the same site in the above post is also a bad sign (I reduced it to one). Consider yourself warned!!

chris2kari · 2012-07-11 19:38:59

francois.e wrote:

What about the xfce 4.8 desktop environment?
Thanks.

I'm a fan of Xfce also!
Warning : I'm a complete newbie but this worked for me...

1) Install xfce + lxde display manager (btw what is gamin & do I need it???)

$ pacman -S gamin xfdesktop lxdm

2) As Xfce does not have a display manager go ahead & add lxdm instead to /etc/inittab and uncomment it and comment out SLiM:

$ nano /etc/inittab

# Example lines for starting a login manager
#x:5:respawn:/bin/su yourusername -l -c "/bin/bash --login -c /usr/bin/startx >/dev/null 2>&1"
#x:5:respawn:/usr/sbin/gdm -nodaemon
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/slim >& /dev/null
x:5:respawn:/usr/sbin/lxdm >/dev/null 2>&1

3) add lxdm to the DAEMON line in /etc/rc.conf:

$ nano /etc/rc.conf

DAEMONS=(dbus networkmanager !network !dhcdbd syslog-ng lxdm @alsa)

4) add xfce to your .xinitrc and comment out openbox:

$ leafpad ~/.xinitrc

#!/bin/bash
#exec ck-launch-session dbus-launch openbox-session
exec ck-launch-session startxfce4

5) Reboot, at the LXDM login screen choose Xfce and you're using Xfce 4.10 with ArchBang

Thanks very much to the original poster
Chris

p.s. I have no idea what all that bash stuff is quoted in the replies so that is something I will have to learn...

Last edited by chris2kari (2012-07-11 19:54:45)

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#1 2011-10-31 09:31:46

Adding a Second Desktop

#2 2011-10-31 10:01:47

Re: Adding a Second Desktop

#3 2011-10-31 10:13:52

Re: Adding a Second Desktop

#4 2011-10-31 10:20:43

Re: Adding a Second Desktop

#5 2011-10-31 10:22:28

Re: Adding a Second Desktop

#6 2011-10-31 14:14:03

Re: Adding a Second Desktop

#7 2011-10-31 18:54:55

Re: Adding a Second Desktop

#8 2011-10-31 20:00:43

Re: Adding a Second Desktop

#9 2011-11-01 03:37:12

Re: Adding a Second Desktop

#10 2012-01-12 22:20:36

Re: Adding a Second Desktop

#11 2012-01-19 17:27:00

Re: Adding a Second Desktop

#12 2012-03-20 03:41:47

Re: Adding a Second Desktop

#13 2012-03-20 04:01:43

Re: Adding a Second Desktop

#14 2012-07-11 19:38:59

Re: Adding a Second Desktop

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