Arch Linux

veryNoob

Member

Registered: 2018-03-22

Posts: 8

i3 and minimal configuration

Hello there! I just installed archlinux with very few basic packages: base, base-devel, git, vim, irssi, xorg-server, xorg-xinit, i3

Since my laptop is quite slow, I would like to keep the system as minimal as possible.
To do that I choose i3 as the graphical interface, but I'm having some problems.
Following the guide I installed the package i3 and then I installed xorg and xinit.

After that I created a user and a file in the user's home folder called .xinitrc. The only command in there is "exec i3". The problem is that if I run "startx" I see that i3 starts, but there's only a black screen with a window in the middle and the cursor is shaped like a clock. At that point, there are no interaction or things I can do to open a terminal for example.

What am I missing? Probably I need to install a terminal emulator, which one do you suggest me? I remember using konsole years ago but it brings with it a lot of graphical libraries that I don't need..there's an alternative?

ajbibb

Member

Registered: 2012-02-12

Posts: 142

Re: i3 and minimal configuration

One thing I see you did wrong is create the .xinitrc file.  According to the Wiki you copy the master from /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc to your home directory and then edit that.  There is a bunch of overhead at the top of the master file that you need to have run. 

For terminals standard answer will be try one and see what you like.  A slightly non-standard answer would be try xterm.  I've found xterm is handy to have available while I'm working on getting X to function.  You should not need a terminal in order for i3 to work, but you'll likely soon want one for the mod+enter keybind.

veryNoob

Member

Registered: 2018-03-22

Posts: 8

Re: i3 and minimal configuration

You were right, by copying that file and adding "exec i3" at the end now I can see two terminal windows (i have also intalled xterm)! Thanks a lot!

Slithery

Administrator

From: Norfolk, UK

Registered: 2013-12-01

Posts: 5,776

Re: i3 and minimal configuration

You still haven't got things quite right.

You shouldn't just add another exec line to the bottom of the skeleton ~/.xinitrc, as nothing after the first exec line is run - it sounds like this is what you've done as the default twm configuration is 2 terminal windows, whereas the default i3 config is no terminal windows at all.

Read the xinit page thoroughly.

---

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

x33a

Forum Fellow

Registered: 2009-08-15

Posts: 4,587

Re: i3 and minimal configuration

Mod note: Moving to NC.

veryNoob

Member

Registered: 2018-03-22

Posts: 8

Re: i3 and minimal configuration

You still haven't got things quite right.

You shouldn't just add another exec line to the bottom of the skeleton ~/.xinitrc, as nothing after the first exec line is run - it sounds like this is what you've done as the default twm configuration is 2 terminal windows, whereas the default i3 config is no terminal windows at all.

Read the xinit page thoroughly.

You are right, but the xterm windows are opened with i3, I'm sure because I can see that in the list of processes and if I kill i3 it stops working. I will read that throughly as you suggested tho, still a long way to a proper configuration (I can't even copy/paste from a window to another so far...!)

Thanks!