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Change default Desktop Environment in display manager

Posted: 2012/01/31 15:44:26
by moonfern
Hello

I want to change the default Desktop Environment in the the display manager from gnome to kde on centos 6.
To be more precise: I want to know where (which script) the default display manager is set

What I've learned:
switchdesk is not supported in centos 6. ( But as said above that's not a really a solution for me)
In centos 5 I would have to do this, edit /etc/sysconfig/desktop and put DESKTOP="KDE" and DISPLAYMANAGER="KDE" in it.

There is no desktop file in centos 6 and it seems to me that parts of the booting process changed and I'm looking at the wrong places.

Thank you.

Tom De Maesschalck

Change default Desktop Environment in display manager

Posted: 2012/01/31 18:52:04
by pschaff
Welcome to the CentOS fora. Please see the recommended reading for new users linked in my signature.

See /etc/X11/xinit/Xclients - seems it still checks for the presence of /etc/sysconfig/desktop and acts accordingly.

Re: Change default Desktop Environment in display manager

Posted: 2012/01/31 23:40:51
by moonfern
Thank you very much for helping me.

I didn't make a normal user account (so only root) and that's why no /etc/sysconfig/desktop file was made.
So I made one myself.

I have to add that there's also /etc/X11/prefdm which is just a simple script pointing to that desktop file you and I mentioned above.
I think it's executed before /etc/X11/xinit/Xclients but since both point to the same file it doesn't matter.

:-)

Re: Change default Desktop Environment in display manager

Posted: 2012/02/02 00:19:21
by pschaff
Use of a GUI as root is to be avoided. It is much too dangerous. One should always log in as a normal user and [url=http://wiki.centos.org/TipsAndTricks/BecomingRoot]become root[/url] as required. GUI applications that require root will almost universally prompt for the password.

Re: Change default Desktop Environment in display manager

Posted: 2012/08/15 23:07:14
by slamtonio
Hello moonfern,

Were you able to change the default desktop by editing the /etc/X11/prefdm or /etc/X11/xinit/Xclients files?

I installed xorg-x11-xinit-session and get an option to switch the desktop from the bottom panel, but unlike you I'm trying to do this with FVWM and that selection is listed as "user scrpt". And when I select "user script" I do go into FVWM. However I would like to default FVWM b/c I also want to auto login as a non-root user.

Thanks for any input or information you or anyone else can provide to help in this endeavor.

Regards,

Antonio