Manual: xinit

XINIT(1)				   General Commands Manual				    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	sys‐
       tems.  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 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 .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 partic‐
       ular 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 re‐
       maining 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 run‐
       ning 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)