startx(X)                     06 January 1993                      startx(X)


 Name

    startx - start the X server and default clients

 Syntax


    startx [-t] [-- [server] [display] [server_options]]


 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. The -t option can be used when running the soft-
              ware from remote X servers such as X terminals.  scologin(X)
              uses startx -t to start the X server.

    -- [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 Xsco server with a
    custom color database named colors (that is, the colors.dir and
    colors.pag files) in your $HOME directory, execute the following command
    line:

       startx -- -co $HOME/colors

    _________________________________________________________________________
       NOTE  If the -t option is used, the -- option is ignored.
    _________________________________________________________________________

    You must set the DISPLAY environment variable to your display name prior
    to executing startx -t.  (See X(X) for more information on display
    names.)

 Customizing X sessions

    To specify which X clients are run automatically as part of the session,
    startx reads /usr/lib/X11/sys.startxrc, which contains a list of command
    lines.  If you want to start a different set of clients than those speci-
    fied 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 direc-
    tory.

    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.

 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


 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.

 See also

    X(X), Xsco(X), xinit(X)