Comments on: How To Run Multiple X Sessions Without Virtualization

By: How to Run Multiple Linux Distros Without Virtualization - Make Tech Easier

How to Run Multiple Linux Distros Without Virtualization - Make Tech Easier — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:24:50 +0000

[...] few weeks ago, I wrote an article on How To Run Multiple X Sessions Without Virtualization, which demonstrated how you can run multiple desktop environments at the same time on the same [...]

By: Chan Hong Guan

Chan Hong Guan — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:53:37 +0000

For multiple firefox sessions, use firefox –profilemanager –no-remote

Create a new firefox profile and there u go.

By: mitch

mitch — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:33:33 +0000

Alan,
A better way to do that would be
“startx /usr/bin/fluxbox — :1″ (or whatever window manager you prefer)
This way you don’t depend on your .xinitrc file to tell X what to start.
don’t forget to put the full path though.
mitch

By: K. Sum

K. Sum — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:37:23 +0000

@Joshua
Probably you should add a warning that trying to run the same application in multiple logins as in the above setup can cause unexpected problems. For instance, firefox will refuse to start the second time while other apps can step on its shoes e.g. preferences, logs etc. can get overwritten by one instance or the other — hardly any app is designed to be able to handle multiple instances running simultaneously by the same user. Btw, the “switch user” functionality present in both GNOME and KDE (actually in gdm and kdm I believe) allows one to do the same thing.

By: Alan

Alan — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 09:29:24 +0000

I never knew this was possible. Very nifty… One problem, though, is that you have to swap your .xinitrc files if you want to launch, say, Fluxbox and GNOME. I don’t use GDM, so my .xinitrc launches my Fluxbox by default, but to start GNOME after Fluxbox is started I can just comment out the “exec startfluxbox” and then uncomment the “exec gnome-session”

Cool trick, though. :)

Alan

By: HowtoMatrix » How To Run Multiple X Sessions Without Virtualization

HowtoMatrix » How To Run Multiple X Sessions Without Virtualization — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 05:38:44 +0000

[...] Read more at Make Tech Easier [...]

By: Sikku

Sikku — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 05:12:40 +0000

Its working… Thanx for the help…
But it is getting weird…
As you mentioned I am not able to switch between sessions in the way you mentioned…
My default X is in Cttl + Alt + F1 and if I switch to C+A+F2, to return back i need to press C+A+F1.
But then if I switch to C+A+F2 and if I press C+A+F7, I dont get anything but a graphical blank screen. Then I need to press C+A+F1 to go to my x screen.

Same way if I enable “start — :1″ and swith to my KDE session. then to come back to my normal gnome session I need to press C+A+F1. and to switch back I need to press C+A+F7 and not C+A+F8. If i press C+A+F8 i get the same screen as I mentioned earlier with C+A+F7 without enabling “startx”

I think it is bit different in Fedora…

Anyway thanx for the help and thanx for the post… :)

By: Sikku

Sikku — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 02:26:48 +0000

Thanx… Well I will check and tell…

By: mitch

mitch — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 02:09:37 +0000

the command to execute to start kde is (not surprisingly) “startkde”
cheers,
mitch

By: Joshua Price

Joshua Price — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 01:51:35 +0000

I personally don’t have KDE installed, but you can find out what the executable would be by opening a terminal and typing “kde” and hitting the tab key twice. That will show all the commands that start with “kde”. You’re probably looking for something like “kde-session”, that’d be my guess.

By: Sikku

Sikku — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:52:57 +0000

I got this error.

.xinitrc: line 1: exec: wmaker: not found

There is no window maker installed in my Fedora. I have KDE installed. What command should I write for KDE?

And if I want to run all 3 X desktops what should I do?