startx(X) 19 June 1992 startx(X) Name startx - start the Open Desktop X server and default clients Syntax startx [-t] [-- [server] [display] [serveroptions]] Description startx is a script in /usr/bin that starts an X session. If executed from the console, startx sets up the appropriate environment variables, then runs xinit(X) to start the X server. startx attempts to start the server on display :0. If that display is already running, startx cycles through the displays until it finds one that is not running. If the DISPLAY variable specifies a remote server, such as an X terminal, you can use startx to set up the appropriate environment variables and initial clients without running xinit (see the -t option below). Options -t does not start up the server, but executes the rest of the startx script. Use the -t option when running Open Desktop from remote X servers such as X terminals. Use the -t option with an X display manager such as xdm. -- [server] [display] [serveroptions]] allows users to override or augment the default command line that starts the X server. If an explicit server name is not given and the first argument following the double dash (--) is a colon followed by a digit, that number is interpreted as the display number. All remaining arguments are appended to the server command line. For example, to run the X server with a cus- tom color database named colors (that is, the colors.dir and colors.pag files) in your $HOME directory, execute the following command line: startx -- -fr $HOME/colors Note that if the -t option is used, the -- option is ignored. Customizing X sessions To specify which X clients are run automatically as part of the session, startx reads /usr/lib/X11/sys.startxrc is read which contains a list of command lines. If you wish to start a different set of clients than those specified in /usr/lib/X11/sys.startxrc, copy this file to $HOME/.startxrc, and include the desired client command lines. startx only reads /usr/lib/X11/sys.startxrc if .startxrc is not found in your $HOME directory. Each line in .startxrc can contain only one client name. Place an amper- sand ``&'' after each line except for the last line in the file so that all but the last client run in the background. Typically, the window man- ager, mwm, is the last client listed in the file so that the X session is terminated when you quit the window manager. Notes If a client is in a directory other than /usr/bin/X11, you must give its full pathname when you list it in $HOME/.startxrc or /usr/lib/X11/sys.startxrc. Example The following is an example of a startxrc file: # # Clients started by default by startx # The last client should not be started in the background. # xrdb -load $HOME/.Xresources xsetroot -solid black & xterm & xclock & xeyes & mwm See Also X(X), Xsco(X), xinit(X)