XINIT(1) User Commands 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 on systems that are not using a display manager
such as xdm(1) 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. 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.

Note, when using a .xserverrc script be sure to ``exec'' the real X
server. Failing to do this can make the X server slow to start and
exit. For example:

exec Xdisplaytype

An important point is that programs which are run by .xinitrc 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 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. 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/Xvnc :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 -- ./Xorg -l -c
This will use the command ./Xorg -l -c to start the server
and will append the arguments -e widgets to the default xterm
command.

xinit /usr/bin/ssh -X fasthost cpupig -- :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/.Xresources
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 &
twm

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

#!/bin/sh
. /etc/X11/xinit/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 /etc/X11/xinit/site.xinitrc -- /usr/bin/X -br

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.

FILES

.xinitrc default client script

xterm client to run if .xinitrc does not exist

.xserverrc default server script

X server to run if .xserverrc does not exist

SEE ALSO

X(7), startx(1), Xserver(1), Xorg(1), xorg.conf(5), xterm(1)

AUTHOR

Bob Scheifler, MIT Laboratory for Computer Science

X Version 11 xinit 1.4.2 XINIT(1)