Arch Linux

stasiana

Member

Registered: 2017-04-23

Posts: 5

XFCE hanging when starting desktop, starting terminal, logging out ...

After installing Arch Linux as described in the Installation Guide, I logged in, installed XFCE4 and started it, also per the instructions:

sudo pacman -S xorg-server xorg-xinit xfce4
echo "exec startxfce4" > ~/.xinitrc
startx

I am trying to keep the installation light and installing only what is required to get XFCE4 running.

I am presented with a black screen for about 30 seconds before the desktop shows up and runs perfectly normally. Every other desktop I've tried, including MATE, LXDE, etc. start immediately. Then, when try to run xfce4-terminal, again the terminal doesn't show up for about 30 seconds, then works properly. I can then start more terminals immediately. Finally, it also appears it does this when I try logging out using the Applications menu. All the menus stop working for 30 seconds, and then the logout dialog shows up and everything works again.

It's as if XFCE4 is timing out waiting for something.

Someone else had a very similar problem and fixed it by using

export NO_AT_BRIDGE=1

prior to starting X. This doesn't work for me. Has anyone experienced this, know what it is, and/or know how to fix it?

DopustimVladimir

Member

From: Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan)

Registered: 2017-04-23

Posts: 9

Re: XFCE hanging when starting desktop, starting terminal, logging out ...

What about your window manager for ex. Xfwm4 https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xfwm and display manager for ex. SDDM... https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/SDDM ?

Last edited by DopustimVladimir (2017-04-23 14:57:10)

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stasiana

Member

Registered: 2017-04-23

Posts: 5

Re: XFCE hanging when starting desktop, starting terminal, logging out ...

I tried just running XFWM4 by using exec xfwm4 in .xinitrc. It brings up the window manager only, and I can run xfce4-terminal without delay. So it's something to do with the full environment and not just the terminal program. But what?

Last edited by stasiana (2017-04-23 15:37:54)

stasiana

Member

Registered: 2017-04-23

Posts: 5

Re: XFCE hanging when starting desktop, starting terminal, logging out ...

As it turns out ... installing XFCE4 this way on a fresh system:

sudo pacman -S xfce4

which installs polkit as a dependency, causes the problem.

But, installing XFCE4 this way on a fresh system:

sudo pacman -S polkit
sudo pacman -S xfce4

makes the problem go away.

Seems to be some sort of dependency between the two and obviously a bug.

Last edited by stasiana (2017-04-23 16:02:34)

Slithery

Administrator

From: Norfolk, UK

Registered: 2013-12-01

Posts: 5,776

Re: XFCE hanging when starting desktop, starting terminal, logging out ...

Just have a tip for you, if you use the command in your first post to set up your ~/.xinitrc then your going to run into random issues later on. You've overwritten your xinitrc instead of appending to it, so it no longer contains the needed startup scripts.

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No, it didn't "fix" anything. It just shifted the brokeness one space to the right. - jasonwryan
Closing -- for deletion; Banning -- for muppetry. - jasonwryan

aur - dotfiles

stasiana

Member

Registered: 2017-04-23

Posts: 5

Re: XFCE hanging when starting desktop, starting terminal, logging out ...

Thanks, but I didn't have a .xinitrc to begin with. When I create new accounts, the only files I have in the home directory are .bash* files.

jasonwryan

Anarchist

From: .nz

Registered: 2009-05-09

Posts: 30,426

Website

Re: XFCE hanging when starting desktop, starting terminal, logging out ...

Same result. Not sourcing the requisite files on start will result in a broken session. Read the wiki page for the details.

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