[mythtv-users] Window Managers - Success with "ratpoison" instead of kde

[James Grant]

I don't get why people even use a WM (for a dedicated mythtv box)... I run 
mythtv perfect without any overhead from a windows manager... 

on x:tty7 (in my inittab) i have /home/mythtv/startup.sh

which contains:

/path/to/X &
sleep 8
/path/to/mythfrontend


this has the added advantage, that if mythfrontend crashes (which it does from 
time to time) the script will exit, and inittab will recycle tty7 and start 
the script again, thus bringing the frontend right back up automagically.

maybe not Linux Standards Base compliant, but works like a charm :)

James

On Saturday 29 October 2005 12:06 am, Support [ Ian Ward ] wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I had been meaning to try this for ages, but was bored today so I
> thought I would risk WAF & FAF
>
> I have a master backend/frontend running on FC3, I use my FC4
> workstation as a frontend when the family insist on watching soap.
>
> ratpoison makes alot of sense as kde is such a beast.
> I also took the opportunity to change the way the frontend is spawned so
> that on the odd occasion it crashes, you don't need to get up off the
> lounge to "control-alt-backspace" the X
> I have gdm set to autologon after 5 seconds.
>
> The newest prebuilt rpm I could find was here:
> ftp://sunsite.auc.dk/projects/newrpms/www/htdocs/apt/redhat/en/i386/fc2/RPM
>S.newrpms/ratpoison-1.3.0-1.rhfc2.nr.i386.rpm
>
> this is a FC2 version that loaded on my FC3 without issue, and on my FC4
> after installing "compat-readline"
>
> It is a super lean window manager that spawns in an insant.
> To get full screen xterm is as easy at typing "Control-c Control-t c"
> (that's three keystrokes)
> I would recommend it as it saves mucking around with disabling the kde
> sound server, modifying mouse focus etc..
> Why waste memory on a window manager when it is not required
>
> On RedHat the "switchdesk" command creates .Xclients and
> .Xclients-default in your home directory to set for kde
> I created a .Xclients-ratpoison and called it from .Xclients , that will
> keep it safe from being overwritten with "switchdesk"
>
> Instead of having my startup commands in .kde/Autostart/myth-load.sh I
> have put them into the .Xclients script
> I also changed things around so that the window manager is spawned to
> the background and it is the presence of mythfrontend process  that
> keeps the X session from dying.  If the frontend exits, so does the X
> session
>
> My one line .Xclients file looks like this........
>
> exec ./.Xclients-ratpoison
>
>
> My .Xclients-ratpoison looks like this....
>
> #!/bin/bash
>
> /usr/bin/ratpoison &
>
> # To get an xterm with Ratpoison, "Control-c Control-t c"
>
> # Load nVidia driver custom settings
> #nvidia-settings --load-config-only &
> # Stop the Nvidia blue line problem
> xvattr -a XV_COLORKEY -v 66048
>
> # Disable screensaver and blanking
> /usr/X11R6/bin/xset -dpms
> /usr/X11R6/bin/xset s off
>
> # Restore sound settings
> /usr/bin/amixer set Master,0 80%,80% unmute
> /usr/bin/amixer set PCM,0 80%,80% unmute
> /usr/bin/amixer set Line,0 80%,80% mute captur
> /usr/bin/amixer set Capture,0 80%,80% captur
> /usr/bin/aplay /usr/share/system-config-soundcard/sound-sample.wav &
>
> # Make sure the DVD is umounted
> umount /media/cdrecorder
>
> # Launch myth frontend
> mythfrontend
>
> # We are here because mythfrontend crashed or was exited
> # After we drop out of here, X will terminate
> # We could stay in X and the window manager by changing "exit" to "wait"
> sleep 2
> exit
>
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-- 
James Grant
Lightbox Technologies Inc.
http://www.lightbox.org
613-294-3670