SfinxLite Xsession

Click here to see the default .xsession file (which might have evolved a little further from the current documentation).

Description

#xhost +

This command has been commented out, because xauth should give you sufficient permission to open windows on other machines without security problems (as long as you have the same home directory).
If you have problems, remove the # character on this line.

if (-e $HOME/.Xresources) xrdb -load $HOME/.Xresources

This reads in your X resources, which are stored in .Xresources in your home directory. This is the file you need to edit to set defaults for applications, such as colors.
The presence of such a .Xresources file also prevents xtwm (see below) from loading the OldSfinx default resources.

xsetup -restore

This sets the X terminal characteristics, as saved by the xsetup program.

xxmodmap

This modifies the keyboard mapping. It reads the file $OSdir/lib/xmodmap/xmodmap.default, unless there is a specific version for your screen (called xmodmap.SCREENTYPE, where SCREENTYPE is e.g. Tektronix or Sun; or xmodmap.DISPLAY, where DISPLAY is the name of the machine (without the :0.0 part)).
You can make a private directory with such files and set XMODMAPPATH appropriately.

xbackground -refresh

This redraws the last background selected with the xbackground program.

xconsole -geometry 400x70-4-4 >&/dev/null &

This command is executed to open a console window, if you are located behind the console of a workstation. This window will list system error messages, that would otherwise scroll through your background. (Note that on systems where no true xconsole exists, an xterm is opened with the -C option to mimic the console behaviour; on Linux systems, the console is already opened by XDM).

Xterm -geometry 80x40+160+4 >&/dev/null &

This opens an xterm window on the local machine.

xclock -geometry 150x150+4+4 -analog >&/dev/null &

A clock in the upper left corner

#xman -geometry 150x60+4+162 -pagesize 560x888-0+0 >&/dev/null &

If uncommented, this would add an xman manual browser. Experience has shown that most users don't know what this window is for, so it is no longer in the default setup.

#xload -geometry 55x55+60+230 >&/dev/null &

xload displays the load on the workstation, but this is rather meaningless to many users, so it is commented out.

This is the location where you can add any other application you want to get at startup time.

xrsh $MAILHOST xbiff -geometry 55x55+4+230 >&/dev/null &

xbiff is the mail flag program, that shows when new mail has arrived. It should be run on the appropriate machine, since if mail is forwarded to a subcluster, xbiff on strw will never beep. The default rule for forwarding is in the .xsession file, but if your personal setup is different, feel free to modify it.

winman

This starts the window manager (NOT in background because when it exits, the session is over).

The procedure followed by winman for determining which files to load is described in a separate document.

xlogout

Before actually logging out your session, this pops up a window in the middle of the screen allowing you to cancel the logout (i.e. return to winman) or actually log out. This window will also list your disk quota if these have been exceeded, since login back in will not be easy in such a case. So, if you are over your disk quota, select "cancel" and clean up before logging out.

A slight disadvantage is, that first the window manager exits, and then this box pops up. This looks awkward, but it is better this way. Otherwise, people would be able to dismiss the logout window without answering the question, with unpredictable behaviour.

However, an alternative is to edit your setup as indicated by the comments in .xsession: put an "&" after winman to execute it in the background, and replace xlogout with xlogoutbutton, and remove the if ... goto statement. This will create a small button in the corner of your screen labeled "LOGOUT from X". If pressed, this will pop up the xlogout window, and if confirmed, it will log you out. In this case, the window manager keeps running until the actual log out takes place.

xreset -all

This resets various things. Most screens reset themselves when a new login window appears, but just in case.