Exiting X from Fvwm

To exit from fvwm and usually quit X (if fvwm is the last X application in your .xinitrc or .xsession file), you usually call up the fvwm root menu and quit. The default choices are Exit Fvwm, which invokes a submenu to confirm, and Yes, Really Quit.

Summary

The X Window System is a graphical interface used by Linux, and it comes in the form of XFree86, a version of X optimized for the PC architecture.

This chapter deals with one of the most tedious, nonintuitive, and uninspiring aspects of Linux installation and configuration—messing around with XFree86. You learned about all the mundane details that go into a typical XFree86 configuration process, including mucking around with various files and settings.

X runs through a series of configuration files after it’s launched. Some of these files control what applications begin when X begins, while other files add functionality in the form of the X Display Manager.

Once you have X up and running, you can run some of the many neat X-based programs that ship with the Slackware distribution. One of the handiest is xterm, an admittedly blah program that gives you a UNIX-like terminal (and, by extension, access to the UNIX command line). We find that most Linux users use xterm, making it one of the most popular X Window applications. In this chapter we discuss xterm, how to configure it, and how to use it.

The fvwm window manager is advertised as being Motif-like, and it is—on the surface. After you use it for a while, you’ll learn that it doesn’t respond to the same commands as the Motif window manager (mwm), and all in all it works differently than does mwm.

In the next chapter we’ll cover additional Linux tools, both character-based and X-based.