Flashing X

[Erik Walthinsen <omega@omegacs.net>]

(ok, poorly chosen subject...)

> A very mild case.  In a true flashing screen catastrophe, xdm keeps
> restarting the X server and dying.  Your monitor makes noises like a
> motorboat while screen flashes alarmingly, and you can't log in to shut
> down.  This can happen on a system where startx works perfectly.

If XDM flashes wildly with monitor noise, it's because your X server is 
broken (misconfigured).  It sounds as if startx will have better luck 
getting the X server running and stable.  Since when?  startx does nothing 
that XDM doesn't while spawning the X server.  startx simply tries once and 
exits back to the calling shell if it failed.  Getting XDM to catch a 
f[l]ailing X server is a quick code hack, probably not even that.

Rather than arguing over whether startx or XDM is better, how about 
everyone actually go test things out, experiment, and report back with 
what's possible, what's not, what works, and what doesn't.  Until someone 
does that, we're arguing about something that will never be resolved.

     Erik Walthinsen <omega@seul.org> - SEUL Project system architect
        __
       /  \                SEUL: Simple End-User Linux -
      |    | M E G A            Creating a Linux distribution
      _\  /_                         for the home or office user