XINIT(1)                                                                                                                XINIT(1)



NAME
       xinit - X Window System initializer

SYNOPSIS
       xinit [ [ client ] options ... ] [ -- [ server ] [ display ] options ... ]

DESCRIPTION
       The  xinit  program is used to start the X Window System server and a first client program on systems that cannot start X
       directly from /etc/init or in environments that use multiple window systems.  When this first client  exits,  xinit  will
       kill the X server and then terminate.

       If  no  specific  client  program  is  given on the command line, xinit will look for a file in the user's home directory
       called .xinitrc to run as a shell script to start up client programs.  If no such file exists, xinit will use the follow-
       ing as a default:

            xterm  -geometry  +1+1  -n  login  -display  :0


       If  no  specific  server  program  is  given on the command line, xinit will look for a file in the user's home directory
       called .xserverrc to run as a shell script to start up the server.  If no such file exists, xinit will use the  following
       as a default:

            X  :0

       Note  that  this  assumes that there is a program named X in the current search path.  However, servers are usually named
       Xdisplaytype where displaytype is the type of graphics display which is driven by this server.   The  site  administrator
       should, therefore, make a link to the appropriate type of server on the machine, or create a shell script that runs xinit
       with the appropriate server.

       Note, when using a .xserverrc script be sure to ``exec'' the real X server.  Failing to do this can  make  the  X  server
       slow to start and exit.  For example:

            exec Xdisplaytype

       An  important  point is that programs which are run by .xinitrc should be run in the background if they do not exit right
       away, so that they don't prevent other programs from starting up.  However, the last long-lived program started  (usually
       a  window  manager  or terminal emulator) should be left in the foreground so that the script won't exit (which indicates
       that the user is done and that xinit should exit).

       An alternate client and/or server may be specified on the command line.  The desired client  program  and  its  arguments
       should be given as the first command line arguments to xinit.  To specify a particular server command line, append a dou-
       ble dash (--) to the xinit command line (after any client and arguments) followed by the desired server command.

       Both the client program name and the server program name must begin with a slash (/) or a period  (.).   Otherwise,  they
       are  treated  as  an arguments to be appended to their respective startup lines.  This makes it possible to add arguments
       (for example, foreground and background colors) without having to retype the whole command line.

       If an explicit server name is not given and the first argument following the double dash (--) is a colon  followed  by  a
       digit,  xinit  will  use  that number as the display number instead of zero.  All remaining arguments are appended to the
       server command line.

EXAMPLES
       Below are several examples of how command line arguments in xinit are used.

       xinit   This will start up a server named X and run the user's .xinitrc, if it exists, or else start an xterm.

       xinit -- /usr/local/bin/Xqdss  :1
               This is how one could start a specific type of server on an alternate display.

       xinit -geometry =80x65+10+10 -fn 8x13 -j -fg white -bg navy
               This will start up a server named X, and will append the given arguments to the default xterm command.   It  will
               ignore .xinitrc.

       xinit -e widgets -- ./Xsun -l -c
               This will use the command .Xsun -l -c to start the server and will append the arguments -e widgets to the default
               xterm command.

       xinit /usr/ucb/rsh fasthost cpupig -display ws:1 --  :1 -a 2 -t 5
               This will start a server named X on display 1 with the arguments -a 2 -t 5.  It will then start a remote shell on
               the  machine  fasthost  in which it will run the command cpupig, telling it to display back on the local worksta-
               tion.

       Below is a sample .xinitrc that starts a clock, several terminals, and leaves the window manager running as the  ``last''
       application.  Assuming that the window manager has been configured properly, the user then chooses the ``Exit'' menu item
       to shut down X.

               xrdb -load $HOME/.Xresources
               xsetroot -solid gray &
               xclock -g 50x50-0+0 -bw 0 &
               xload -g 50x50-50+0 -bw 0 &
               xterm -g 80x24+0+0 &
               xterm -g 80x24+0-0 &
               twm

       Sites that want to create a common startup environment could simply create a default .xinitrc that references a site-wide
       startup file:

               #!/bin/sh
               . /usr/local/lib/site.xinitrc

       Another  approach  is  to  write a script that starts xinit with a specific shell script.  Such scripts are usually named
       x11, xstart, or startx and are a convenient way to provide a simple interface for novice users:

               #!/bin/sh
               xinit /usr/local/lib/site.xinitrc -- /usr/bin/X -br


ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
       DISPLAY        This variable gets set to the name of the display to which clients should connect.

       XINITRC        This variable specifies an init file containing shell commands  to  start  up  the  initial  windows.   By
                      default, .xinitrc in the home directory will be used.

FILES
       .xinitrc       default client script

       xterm          client to run if .xinitrc does not exist

       .xserverrc     default server script

       X              server to run if .xserverrc does not exist

SEE ALSO
       X(7), startx(1), Xserver(1), xterm(1)

AUTHOR
       Bob Scheifler, MIT Laboratory for Computer Science



X Version 11                                               xinit 1.0.9                                                  XINIT(1)