I am just getting going setting up a Gentoo system. I have done many
installs of Redhat and Fedora without X, so this is my first time
setting up and using a gui. What I'd like to accomplish is get a
system going for 3-4 users, everyone with their own x-session when
they log in, much like multi-users on an XP box.

I've seen where something along these lines could be done with:

startx -- :1 (or 2, or whatever...)

....but this box will be for my kids, and the youngest can't spell
"startx" yet. Any way I can make it happen automagically?

Thanks,


Tom
--

Tom wrote:
>
> I am just getting going setting up a Gentoo system. I have done many
> installs of Redhat and Fedora without X, so this is my first time
> setting up and using a gui. What I'd like to accomplish is get a
> system going for 3-4 users, everyone with their own x-session when
> they log in, much like multi-users on an XP box.
>
> I've seen where something along these lines could be done with:
>
> startx -- :1 (or 2, or whatever...)
>
> ...but this box will be for my kids, and the youngest can't spell
> "startx" yet. Any way I can make it happen automagically?

Currently I've setup gdm to display 2 graphical login screens with:
0=Standard
1=Standard
in the [servers] section. This can be easily extended to 4 or 5 login
screens (accessible with Alt-F7 to Alt-F11).

Ideally though, I'd like Vt7 to always display a graphical login screen,
spawning new screens for new logins. However, since I haven't found out
how to do so yet (or even if it's possible) any pointers anybody can
give would be much appreciated.

Hth,
--
Ben M.

So you want every user to have their own x-session? Meaning, if your
child wants to use the computer they must hit ctrl-f8? This is possible.

If you want the exact same thing as XP, it might require a few tricks.
You could start up an x-session for each user and just have buttons
(maybe with the user´s name underneath) that run the equivalent command
of ctrl-fX. This wouldn´t be that hard, but would require a few tricks
and have almost no security measures to protect users from one another
since they would all be able to switch who they are easily (unless you
wanted to lock screens when away or something like that).

Would this work? If so, I can give you a few pointers.


Tom wrote:
> I am just getting going setting up a Gentoo system. I have done many
> installs of Redhat and Fedora without X, so this is my first time
> setting up and using a gui. What I'd like to accomplish is get a
> system going for 3-4 users, everyone with their own x-session when
> they log in, much like multi-users on an XP box.
>
> I've seen where something along these lines could be done with:
>
> startx -- :1 (or 2, or whatever...)
>
> ...but this box will be for my kids, and the youngest can't spell
> "startx" yet. Any way I can make it happen automagically?
>
> Thanks,
>
>
> Tom

On Stardate Mon, 31 Jan 2005 14:06:38 -0600, Chris Tunnell
<insert_last_name@mail.utexas.edu> wrote:

>So you want every user to have their own x-session? Meaning, if your
>child wants to use the computer they must hit ctrl-f8? This is possible.
>
>If you want the exact same thing as XP, it might require a few tricks.
>You could start up an x-session for each user and just have buttons
>(maybe with the user´s name underneath) that run the equivalent command
>of ctrl-fX. This wouldn´t be that hard, but would require a few tricks
>and have almost no security measures to protect users from one another
>since they would all be able to switch who they are easily (unless you
>wanted to lock screens when away or something like that).
>
>Would this work? If so, I can give you a few pointers.

While the latter sounds great, it's a bit much for what I need. I
guess I was a bit sparse on the details. I didn't mean a login screen
just like XP's, but I'd like them to login from their own alt-f*
screen with a username and passwd and have it start an xsession for
them, regardless of whether the last person using the box had logged
off his xsession.



Tom
--

On 2005-01-31, Tom <telsesser@mindspring.com> wrote:
> On Stardate Mon, 31 Jan 2005 14:06:38 -0600, Chris Tunnell
><insert_last_name@mail.utexas.edu> wrote:
>
>>So you want every user to have their own x-session? Meaning, if your
>>child wants to use the computer they must hit ctrl-f8? This is possible.
>>
>>If you want the exact same thing as XP, it might require a few tricks.
>>You could start up an x-session for each user and just have buttons
>>(maybe with the user´s name underneath) that run the equivalent command
>>of ctrl-fX. This wouldn´t be that hard, but would require a few tricks
>>and have almost no security measures to protect users from one another
>>since they would all be able to switch who they are easily (unless you
>>wanted to lock screens when away or something like that).
>>
>>Would this work? If so, I can give you a few pointers.
>
> While the latter sounds great, it's a bit much for what I need. I
> guess I was a bit sparse on the details. I didn't mean a login screen
> just like XP's, but I'd like them to login from their own alt-f*
> screen with a username and passwd and have it start an xsession for
> them, regardless of whether the last person using the box had logged
> off his xsession.
>
>


You could add something like startx -- :12 to their ~/.login

give each person a unique number so they don't clash.

Tom wrote:

> On Stardate Mon, 31 Jan 2005 14:06:38 -0600, Chris Tunnell
> <insert_last_name@mail.utexas.edu> wrote:
>
>>So you want every user to have their own x-session? Meaning, if your
>>child wants to use the computer they must hit ctrl-f8? This is possible.
>>
>>If you want the exact same thing as XP, it might require a few tricks.
>>You could start up an x-session for each user and just have buttons
>>(maybe with the user´s name underneath) that run the equivalent command
>>of ctrl-fX. This wouldn´t be that hard, but would require a few tricks
>>and have almost no security measures to protect users from one another
>>since they would all be able to switch who they are easily (unless you
>>wanted to lock screens when away or something like that).
>>
>>Would this work? If so, I can give you a few pointers.
>
> While the latter sounds great, it's a bit much for what I need. I
> guess I was a bit sparse on the details. I didn't mean a login screen
> just like XP's, but I'd like them to login from their own alt-f*
> screen with a username and passwd and have it start an xsession for
> them, regardless of whether the last person using the box had logged
> off his xsession.
>
>
>
> Tom
> --
Two ideas.
1) Instead of the child typing in statx blah blah, use a script
2) Use qingy. Kids like it. (I am after all, just a big kid)
You can get details at the web site (google qingy)
It uses a frame buffer for graphics, so it is low overhead.
You can have a different graphic background for each vitual terminal
Logging in another user when someone already has an x session going is as
simple as Alt+F(pick a number from one to say five) and type the user name
and password and hit enter.

--
jim

On Stardate Tue, 01 Feb 2005 02:49:16 GMT, jim <javastead@fastmail.us>
wrote:

>Two ideas.
>1) Instead of the child typing in statx blah blah, use a script
>2) Use qingy. Kids like it. (I am after all, just a big kid)
>You can get details at the web site (google qingy)
>It uses a frame buffer for graphics, so it is low overhead.
>You can have a different graphic background for each vitual terminal
>Logging in another user when someone already has an x session going is as
>simple as Alt+F(pick a number from one to say five) and type the user name
>and password and hit enter.

Excellent idea, and coupled with Lee's tip I have exactly what I need
know. Thanks for the help.




Tom
--

why not just start the system in runlevel 5 (gui login) rather than in
text mode?

Tom wrote:
> On Stardate Tue, 01 Feb 2005 02:49:16 GMT, jim <javastead@fastmail.us>
> wrote:
>
>
>>Two ideas.
>>1) Instead of the child typing in statx blah blah, use a script
>>2) Use qingy. Kids like it. (I am after all, just a big kid)
>>You can get details at the web site (google qingy)
>>It uses a frame buffer for graphics, so it is low overhead.
>>You can have a different graphic background for each vitual terminal
>>Logging in another user when someone already has an x session going is as
>>simple as Alt+F(pick a number from one to say five) and type the user name
>>and password and hit enter.
>
>
> Excellent idea, and coupled with Lee's tip I have exactly what I need
> know. Thanks for the help.
>
>
>
>
> Tom