VU Math: Our Computer Systems

Using X Windows Managers
Some tips and techniques

Whenever you start up a session on Atlas using an X Window terminal (or on an X Window emulator such as StarNet's X-win32), Atlas looks in a file called ".xsession" in your home directory. That file tells Atlas what parameters and settings to use for your X Window session.

Because that filename begins with a period, you can't see that filename using an "ls" command, but you can see it using the command "ls -a". You can also edit it -- just use the command "emacs  .xsession" or "vi  .xession". Be careful with your editing -- if you mess it up, your X Window sessions won't work at all.

If you don't alter your ".xsession" file, then your X Window sessions will use twm, also known as Tab Window Manager. You can read about its features and commands and options if you just type "man twm".

We've chosen twm for the default because it uses fewer system resources than most other window manager programs. That's a good reason to leave it alone; but if you really want to use some other program, several are available. You can edit your ".xsession" file, replacing "twm" with any of mwm (Motif Window Manager) or fvwm (type "man fvwm" for information) or icewm. Or, if you don't have any Window manager specified at all by your .xsession file, you'll get CDE.

Getting larger text

Probably the largest request we get for alterations in the X Window arrangements has to do with the size of the displayed text: Some people find the default text to be too small. When you're running X Window, you can always start up another xterm text window with the command
xterm -ls &
You can do that with larger text if you instead use the command
xterm -ls & -fn 10x20
If you want your X Window sessions to always start with xterm windows that have large text, replace all the commands of "xterm" in your .xsession file with commands of "xterm -fn 10x20". For more information about the "xterm" command, type "man xterm".