If you have switchdesk installed you can use
that. Failing that it is generally
controlled by ~/.xinitrc. That should at
least give you a starting point as the
method differs between distros. I have seen
some that use session variable often stored
in ~/.profile or ~/.bashrc and some call on
~/.Xclients. On my slackware systems there
are a collection of xinitrcs for different
window managers stored in /etc/X11/xinit/ eg
xinitrc.gnome, xinitrc.kde and xinitrc.xfce.
I simply copy the one I want to ~/.xinitrc
when I want to change.
Here's an example xinitrc which can deal
with several session types:
#!/bin/sh
########################################################################
# .xinitrc
#
# 5/22/00 Stefan Jeglinski,
jeglin@rapierbit.org #
# based on one written by
hollis+@andrew.cmu.edu 1/5/99
#
# Thanks Hollis!
#
#
#
# To use:
#
# * if you have a ~/.Xclients, remove it.
The system copy is in #
# /etc/X11/xinit/Xclients if you ever want
it back. #
#
#
# * place this file in your home (~)
directory. For root, #
# home is /root.
#
#
#
# * Type 'startx after', 'startx kde', etc.
#
#
#
########################################################################
userresources=$HOME/.Xresources
usermodmap=$HOME/.Xmodmap
xclients=$HOME/.Xclients
sysresources=/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xinit/.Xresources
sysmodmap=/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xinit/.Xmodmap
# merge in defaults and keymaps
if [ -f $sysresources ]; then
xrdb -merge $sysresources
fi
if [ -f $sysmodmap ]; then
xmodmap $sysmodmap
fi
if [ -f $userresources ]; then
xrdb -merge $userresources
fi
if [ -f $usermodmap ]; then
xmodmap $usermodmap
fi
########################################################################
#
#
# to fix backspace and delete in X if
necessary; #
# these may need to be removed for XFree86
4.x #
#
#
########################################################################
xmodmap -e "keycode 59 = BackSpace"
xmodmap -e "keycode 125 = Delete"
########################################################################
#
#
# accelerate the mouse in the window
manager; #
# Gnome and KDE typically override this
#
#
#
########################################################################
xset m 8 3
########################################################################
#
#
# define mouse button usage in the window
manager; #
# this directive may be "eaten" by the Gnome
or KDE startup #
# and may therefore need to be run again
after the environment #
# is started
#
#
#
########################################################################
xmodmap -e "pointer = 2 1 3"
########################################################################
#
#
# * Set variables for different window
managers and environments #
#
#
# * $1 represents the first argument to
startx. #
#
#
# * WM is the name of the program to
execute. This is normally the #
# window manager itself, but in the case
of kde or gnome it needs #
# to be the gnome-session or startkde
script. #
#
#
########################################################################
ARG=$1
# specify the default argument here:
DEFAULTWM="gnome-session"
if [ ! $ARG ]; then
ARG=$DEFAULTWM
fi
########################################################################
#
#
# The difference between a desktop
environment and a window manager #
# is that an environment provides a desktop,
while a window manager #
# just handles the window dressing. An
environment needs a WM, but #
# not vice versa. The only 2 environments
are Gnome and KDE. Common #
# window managers for Gnome are Sawfish and
Enlightenment. KDE #
# has its own window manager (kwm).
#
#
#
########################################################################
# to add another wm/environment here, just
copy, paste,
# and edit the 'elif' line:
if [ $ARG = "gnome" ]; then
WM=gnome-session
elif [ $ARG = "kde" ]; then
WM=startkde
elif [ $ARG = "after" ]; then
WM=afterstep
elif [ $ARG = "wm" ]; then
WM=wmaker
elif [ $ARG = "en" ]; then
WM=enlightenment
elif [ $ARG = "bb" ]; then
WM=blackbox
elif [ $ARG = "ice" ]; then
WM=icewm
else
WM=$DEFAULTWM
fi
########################################################################
#
#
# set a background window color for window
managers only; #
# if an environment starts up, it will
override this #
#
#
########################################################################
xsetroot -solid MidnightBlue
########################################################################
#
#
# don't turn on screen-saver for window
manager #
#
#
########################################################################
#xset s on
########################################################################
#
#
# turn on a REAL screensaver,
http://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/ #
#
#
########################################################################
xhost +localhost
xscreensaver &
xscreensaver-command -activate
########################################################################
#
#
# The next line actually runs the selected
window manager and logs #
# the output (stdout AND stderr) to the
file ~/console. If you run a #
#
#
# tail -f ~/console
#
#
#
# in an xterm, it will display the
(constantly updated) contents of #
# that file. This can be usful for talk
requests, wm errors, etc. #
#
#
########################################################################
exec $WM >& ~/console
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