XINIT(1) UNIX Programmer's Manual XINIT(1)
xinit - X Window System initializer
xinit [ [ client ] options ] [ -- [ server ] [ display ]
options ]
The xinit program is used to start the X Window System
server and a first client program 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 follow-
ing 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 adminis-
trator 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 .xin-
itrc 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).
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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 com-
mand.
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 argu-
ment 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.
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/X11R6/bin/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 ter-
minals, and leaves the window manager running as the
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``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/mksh
. /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/mksh
xinit /usr/local/lib/site.xinitrc -- /usr/X11R6/bin/X bc
DISPLAY This variable gets set to the name of the
display to which clients should connect.
XINITRC This variable specifies an init file contain-
ing shell commands to start up the initial
windows. By default, .xinitrc in the home
directory will be used.
.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
X(7), startx(1), Xserver(1), xterm(1)
Bob Scheifler, MIT Laboratory for Computer Science
XFree86 Version 4.5.0 3
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