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nyquist

Member

Registered: 2013-10-06

Posts: 7

Disply Manager - different DE for differen user

Hi all,

I want to setup the display manager so that a different DE/WM is started for different users who login. My wife and I use the same laptop and have each our account. I want to setup the display manager so that when she logs in KDE is started and when I log in awesome WM is started. I don't want to select every time in the display manager the session which should start (awesome or KDE). I tried it with the kdm display manager but I couldn't set it up this way. I had success with SLIM (every user had its .xinitrc file), but there was the problem with switching users and pulse audio because its  incompatibility with systemd. Can some one suggest me a display manager with the next two features:

1. Every user can have its default DE/WM (Session)
2. It is possible to switch users without loging out.

(It has not to be a graphical display manager - and it would be nice when suggesting a display manager to write how to configure him this way).

Thanks

karol

Archivist

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 25,440

Re: Disply Manager - different DE for differen user

Why not forgo a display manager? With ~/.xinitc each user can autostart a different WM, DE or whatever other application.
Have you tried using Alt-Ctrl-Fn to switch between different X sessions?

Last edited by karol (2014-01-30 21:14:14)

jasonwryan

Anarchist

From: .nz

Registered: 2009-05-09

Posts: 30,426

Website

Re: Disply Manager - different DE for differen user

^ This is how I share my desktop with my wife. I have TTYs 1-3, and she happily logs in to TTY4 and gets Openbox and an environment that is more mousy...

---

Arch + dwm   •   Mercurial repos  •   Surfraw

Registered Linux User #482438

bnb2235

Member

Registered: 2011-02-13

Posts: 119

Re: Disply Manager - different DE for differen user

I used to do it like this (click), but now I have it slightly simpler.

For her, she uses tty2
In her .bash_profile

#
# ~/.bash_profile
#

[[ -f ~/.bashrc ]] && . ~/.bashrc
[[ -z $DISPLAY && $XDG_VTNR -eq 2 ]] && exec startx &>/dev/null && logout

and in mine, I use tty3:

#
# ~/.bash_profile
#

[[ -f ~/.bashrc ]] && . ~/.bashrc
[[ -z $DISPLAY && $XDG_VTNR -eq 3 ]] && exec startx &>/dev/null && logout

and in our .xinitrc files (we both run gnome)

#!/bin/sh
#
# ~/.xinitrc
#
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)

if [ -d /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.d ]; then
  for f in /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.d/*; do
    [ -x "$f" ] && . "$f"
  done
  unset f
fi

exec gnome-session
# exec startkde
# exec startxfce4
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice

Since gnome really likes gdm for screen locking, I revert to xautolock and slock for screen locking. Ctrl + Alt + Fn works quite well for user switching.

Last edited by bnb2235 (2014-02-01 01:56:19)

nyquist

Member

Registered: 2013-10-06

Posts: 7

Re: Disply Manager - different DE for differen user

Thanks for your answares. I did it like you guys suggested.