XINIT(1)                             BSD                              XINIT(1)



NAME
     xinit - X Window System initializer

SYNOPSIS
     xinit [[client] options] [-- [server] [display] options]

DESCRIPTION
     The xinit program is used to start the X Window System server and a first
     client program (usually a terminal emulator) on systems that cannot start
     X directly from /etc/init or in environments that use multiple window
     systems.  When this first client exits, xinit will kill the X server and
     then terminate.

     If no specific client program is given on the command line, xinit will
     look for a file in the user's home directory called .xinitrc to run as a
     shell script to start up client programs.  If no such file exists, xinit
     will use the following as a default:

          xterm -geometry +1+1 -n login -display :0


     If no specific server program is given on the command line, xinit will
     look for a file in the user's home directory called .xserverrc to run as
     a shell script to start up the server.  If no such file exists, xinit
     will use the following as a default:

             X :0

     Note that this assumes that there is a program named X in the current
     search path.  However, servers are usually named Xdisplaytype where
     displaytype is the type of graphics display which is driven by this
     server.  The site administrator should, therefore, make a link to the
     appropriate type of server on the machine, or create a shell script that
     runs xinit with the appropriate server.

     An important point is that programs which are run by .xinitrc and by
     .xserverrc should be run in the background if they do not exit right
     away, so that they don't prevent other programs from starting up.
     However, the last long-lived program started (usually a window manager or
     terminal emulator) should be left in the foreground so that the script
     won't exit (which indicates that the user is done and that xinit should
     exit).

     An alternate client and/or server may be specified on the command line.
     The desired client program and its arguments should be given as the first
     command line arguments to xinit.  To specify a particular server command
     line, append a double dash (--) to the xinit command line (after any
     client and arguments) followed by the desired server comand.

     Both the client program name and the server program name must begin with
     a slash (/) or a period (.).  Otherwise, they are treated as an arguments
     to be appended to their respective startup lines.  This makes it possible
     to add arguments (for example, foreground and background colors) without
     having to retype the whole command line.

     If an explicit server name is not given and the first argument following
     the double dash (--) is a colon followed by a digit, xinit will use that
     number as the display number instead of zero.  All remaining arguments
     are appended to the server command line.

EXAMPLES

     Below are several examples of how command line arguments in xinit are
     used.

     xinit   This will start up a server named X and run the user's .xinitrc,
             if it exists, or else start an xterm.

     xinit -- /usr/bin/X11/Xqdss :1
             This is how one could start a specific type of server on an
             alternate display.

     xinit -geometry =80x65+10+10 -fn 8x13 -j -fg white -bg navy
             This will start up a server named X, and will append the given
             arguments to the default xterm command.  It will ignore .xinitrc.

     xinit -e widgets -- ./Xsun -l -c
             This will use the command ./Xsun -l -c to start the server and
             will append the arguments -e widgets to the default xterm
             command.

     xinit /usr/ucb/rsh fasthost cpupig -display ws:1 -- :1 -a 2 -t 5
             This will start a server named X on display 1 with the arguments
             -a 2 -t 5.  It will then start a remote shell on the machine
             fasthost in which it will run the command cpupig, telling it to
             display back on the local workstation.

     Below is a sample .xinitrc that starts a clock, several terminals, and
     leaves the window manager running as the ``last'' application.  Assuming
     that the window manager has been configured properly, the user then
     chooses the ``Exit'' menu item to shut down X.

             xrdb -load $HOME/.Xres
             xsetroot -solid gray &
             xclock -g 50x50-0+0 -bw 0 &
             xload -g 50x50-50+0 -bw 0 &
             xterm -g 80x24+0+0 &
             xterm -g 80x24+0-0 &
             uwm

     Sites that want to create a common startup environment could simply
     create a default .xinitrc that references a site-wide startup file:

             #!/bin/sh
             . /usr/local/lib/site.xinitrc

     Another approach is to write a script that starts xinit with a specific
     shell script.  Such scripts are usually named x11, xstart, or startx and
     are a convenient way to provide a simple interface for novice users:

             #!/bin/sh
             xinit /usr/local/bin/startx -- /usr/bin/X11/Xhp :1


ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
     DISPLAY This variable gets set to the name of the display to which
             clients should connect.

     XINITRC This variable specifies an init file containing shell commands to
             start up the initial windows.  By default, .xinitrc in the home
             directory will be used.

SEE ALSO
     X(1), Xserver(1), xterm(1), xrdb(1)

COPYRIGHT
     Copyright 1988, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
     See X(1) for a full statement of rights and permissions.

AUTHOR
     Bob Scheifler, MIT Laboratory for Computer Science