1XINIT(1) General Commands Manual XINIT(1)
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6 xinit - X Window System initializer
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9 xinit [ [ client ] options ... ] [ -- [ server ] [ display ] options
10 ... ]
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13 The xinit program is used to start the X Window System server and a
14 first client program on systems that cannot start X directly from
15 /etc/init or in environments that use multiple window systems. When
16 this first client exits, xinit will kill the X server and then termi‐
17 nate.
18 If no specific client program is given on the command line, xinit will
20 look for a file in the user's home directory called .xinitrc to run as
21 a shell script to start up client programs. If no such file exists,
22 xinit will use the following as a default:
23 xterm -geometry +1+1 -n login -display :0
25 If no specific server program is given on the command line, xinit will
28 look for a file in the user's home directory called .xserverrc to run
29 as a shell script to start up the server. If no such file exists,
30 xinit will use the following as a default:
31 X :0
33 Note that this assumes that there is a program named X in the current
35 search path. However, servers are usually named Xdisplaytype where
36 displaytype is the type of graphics display which is driven by this
37 server. The site administrator should, therefore, make a link to the
38 appropriate type of server on the machine, or create a shell script
39 that runs xinit with the appropriate server.
40 Note, when using a .xserverrc script be sure to ``exec'' the real X
42 server. Failing to do this can make the X server slow to start and
43 exit. For example:
44 exec Xdisplaytype
46 An important point is that programs which are run by .xinitrc should be
48 run in the background if they do not exit right away, so that they
49 don't prevent other programs from starting up. However, the last long-
50 lived program started (usually a window manager or terminal emulator)
51 should be left in the foreground so that the script won't exit (which
52 indicates that the user is done and that xinit should exit).
53 An alternate client and/or server may be specified on the command line.
55 The desired client program and its arguments should be given as the
56 first command line arguments to xinit. To specify a particular server
57 command line, append a double dash (--) to the xinit command line
58 (after any client and arguments) followed by the desired server com‐
59 mand.
60 Both the client program name and the server program name must begin
62 with a slash (/) or a period (.). Otherwise, they are treated as an
63 arguments to be appended to their respective startup lines. This makes
64 it possible to add arguments (for example, foreground and background
65 colors) without having to retype the whole command line.
66 If an explicit server name is not given and the first argument follow‐
68 ing the double dash (--) is a colon followed by a digit, xinit will use
69 that number as the display number instead of zero. All remaining argu‐
70 ments are appended to the server command line.
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73 Below are several examples of how command line arguments in xinit are
74 used.
75 xinit This will start up a server named X and run the user's .xini‐
77 trc, if it exists, or else start an xterm.
78 xinit -- /usr/local/bin/Xqdss :1
80 This is how one could start a specific type of server on an
81 alternate display.
82 xinit -geometry =80x65+10+10 -fn 8x13 -j -fg white -bg navy
84 This will start up a server named X, and will append the given
85 arguments to the default xterm command. It will ignore .xini‐
86 trc.
87 xinit -e widgets -- ./Xsun -l -c
89 This will use the command .Xsun -l -c to start the server and
90 will append the arguments -e widgets to the default xterm com‐
91 mand.
92 xinit /usr/ucb/rsh fasthost cpupig -display ws:1 -- :1 -a 2 -t 5
94 This will start a server named X on display 1 with the argu‐
95 ments -a 2 -t 5. It will then start a remote shell on the
96 machine fasthost in which it will run the command cpupig,
97 telling it to display back on the local workstation.
98 Below is a sample .xinitrc that starts a clock, several terminals, and
100 leaves the window manager running as the ``last'' application. Assum‐
101 ing that the window manager has been configured properly, the user then
102 chooses the ``Exit'' menu item to shut down X.
103 xrdb -load $HOME/.Xresources
105 xsetroot -solid gray &
106 xclock -g 50x50-0+0 -bw 0 &
107 xload -g 50x50-50+0 -bw 0 &
108 xterm -g 80x24+0+0 &
109 xterm -g 80x24+0-0 &
110 twm
111 Sites that want to create a common startup environment could simply
113 create a default .xinitrc that references a site-wide startup file:
114 #!/bin/sh
116 . /usr/local/lib/site.xinitrc
117 Another approach is to write a script that starts xinit with a specific
119 shell script. Such scripts are usually named x11, xstart, or startx
120 and are a convenient way to provide a simple interface for novice
121 users:
122 #!/bin/sh
124 xinit /usr/local/lib/site.xinitrc -- /usr/bin/X -br
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128 DISPLAY This variable gets set to the name of the display to
129 which clients should connect.
130 XINITRC This variable specifies an init file containing shell
132 commands to start up the initial windows. By default,
133 .xinitrc in the home directory will be used.
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136 .xinitrc default client script
137 xterm client to run if .xinitrc does not exist
139 .xserverrc default server script
141 X server to run if .xserverrc does not exist
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145 X(7), startx(1), Xserver(1), xterm(1)
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148 Bob Scheifler, MIT Laboratory for Computer Science
149X Version 11 xinit 1.0.9 XINIT(1)