Described below are several methods of starting up the Cygwin/X X Server with a startup utility that optionally starts initial clients (for example, a terminal, a window manager, or a desktop environment) and performs X server configuration (for example, loading a keyboard map).
The custom XWin startup utility startxwin [1] starts the X server in multiwindow mode.
startxwin is included in the xinit package (installed by following the instructions in the Section called Installing Cygwin/X in Chapter 2).
Run startxwin by: [2]
using the "XWin Server" shortcut under "Cygwin-X" on the Start Menu
Starting /usr/bin/startxwin in a Cygwin shell:
$ startxwin |
You may create a ~/.startxwinrc script to customize the client programs started, rather than using the default /etc/X11/xinit/startxwinrc script.
Full documentation for startxwin can be read with man startxwin .
Several X desktop environments are packaged for Cygwin.
GNOME Flashback Desktop Environment: install the gnome-flashback package
KDE Plasma Desktop Environment: install the kde-workspace package
LXDE Desktop Environment: install the lxde-common package
LXQT Desktop Environment: install the lxqt-session package
MATE Desktop Environment: install the mate-session-manager package
Xfce Desktop Environment: install the xfce4-session package
and use the provided Start Menu shortcut. [3]
Several X window managers are packaged for Cygwin.
aewm++ window manager: install the aewm++ package
dwm window manager: install the dwm package
FVWM window manager: install the fvwm package
Openbox window manager: install the openbox package
twm window manager: install the twm package
WindowMaker window manager: install the WindowMaker package
XLaunch is a GUI wizard for starting the Cygwin/X X server and a local or remote X client. These sessions can be saved and shared as .xlaunch files.
XLaunch is included in the xlaunch package (installed by following the instructions in the Section called Installing Cygwin/X in Chapter 2).
Run xlaunch using the "XLaunch" shortcut under "Cygwin-X" on the Start Menu.
Documentation for xlaunch is available at http://x.cygwin.com/docs/xlaunch/ and as online help within the program.
Use the standard X Window System startx command and its associated ~/.xinitrc configuration file.
Run startx in a Cygwin shell:
$ startx |
Full documentation for startx can be read with man startx .
You may create a ~/.xinitrc from the template in /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc and then customize ~/.xinitrc to start client programs and configure your X server.
$ cp /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc ~/.xinitrc [edit ~/.xinitrc as desired] |
Note: startx waits until ~/.xinitrc exits (which is often waiting for a window manager started by it to exit) and then kills X, so the last client started by should be started with exec and without &.
Alternatively, if you just want to start a single client program (perhaps a window manager), you don't need to use a ~/.xinitrc, and can start the client directly from startx, e.g. [4]
$ startx /usr/bin/fvwm2 |
Note: The client name supplied to startx must begin with / or ., otherwise it is treated as an option to the default xterm client.
Advanced users may wish to start the X server by invoking XWin directly, for example, to start XDMCP sessions (See the Section called Remote sessions via XDMCP).
If you want to have a Start Menu shortcut which runs startxwin with custom options, you should use a copy of the Start Menu shortcut installed by xinit, so that your changes are not overwritten when the xinit package is updated.
The MS-DOS batch file startxwin.bat and bash shell script startxwin.sh previously used to start the X server are no longer provided. This implementation made it difficult to reliably wait until the the X server had started before starting any clients. Use startxwin instead.
The executable startxwin.exe previously used to start the X server has been retired and replaced with a shell script startxwin.
| [1] | startxwin is a specialized version of startx with a few differences appropriate to running in multiwindow mode, rather than windowed mode.
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| [2] | It's not recommended to start startxwin from a MS-DOS shell or by double-clicking it in Windows Explorer. To do so means that the X server is not started from a login shell, and programs started from the notification area icon menu will not inherit the environment of a login shell. This may lead to unexpected behaviour, for example, if you have customizations to your login shell start-up scripts which set environment variables. | ||
| [3] | Alternatively, these sessions can be started from the command line, e.g.
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| [4] | Note that startxwin and startx use the special option -- to mark the end of client options and the beginning of server options, So, for example, if you wish to also start the X server with the options -emulate3buttons and -noclipboard, as described in the Section called Command line parameters in Chapter 4, use the following command:
|