XINIT(1) X Version 11 XINIT(1)
Release 4+
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.
Unless otherwise specified on the command line, xinit sets $DISPLAY to
hostname:0.0, and exports it. hostname is the name of the system
invoking xinit as returned by gethostname(2).
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
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
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line (after any client and arguments) followed by the desired server
command.
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 and will
incorporate it into the $DISPLAY environment variable. 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 if .xserverrc doesn't
exist, 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, if .xserverrc doesn't
exist, 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 remsh 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 -geometry 50x50-0+0 -bw 0 &
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xload -geometry 50x50-50+0 -bw 0 &
xterm -geometry 80x24+0+0 &
xterm -geometry 80x24+0-0 &
mwm
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 client script. Such xinit startup scripts are usually named
x11, xstart, x11start, or startx and are a convenient way to provide a
simple interface for novice users:
#!/bin/sh
xinit $HOME/my.xinitrc -- /usr/bin/X11/X :1
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
DISPLAY If not already set, this variable gets set to the name of the
display to which clients should connect. If already set, the
display number is passed to the server.
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.
XSERVERC
This variable specifies an init file containing shell commands
to start up the server. By default, .xserverrc in the home
directory will be used.
SEE ALSO
X(1), Xserver(1), xterm(1), xrdb(1), x11start(1)
COPYRIGHT
Copyright 1988, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
See X(1) for a full statement of rights and permissions.
ORIGIN
MIT Distribution
Hewlett-Packard Company - 3 - X11 Release 4 November 1991