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How to fire up openbox wm

New to Artix. RIGHT NOW, I'm running Artix in VirtualBox to learn before the hard install.

I'm using the ISO with Xfce, but I want to use Openbox instead. I "installed" openbox (might have just been an update??) and logged out and selected Openbox in the LightDM greeter. I enter my password and it blinks and shows me the login screen again. Doesn't work.

I'm used to other distros like MX Linux, Q4OS, etc., where when I switch to another DE/WM, it works. This has me puzzled. Is there some configuration missing in LightDM?

Thanks in advance as I learn!

Re: How to fire up openbox wm

Reply #1 –
Quote from: Durhammer – on
New to Artix. RIGHT NOW, I'm running Artix in VirtualBox to learn before the hard install.

I'm using the ISO with Xfce, but I want to use Openbox instead. I "installed" openbox (might have just been an update??) and logged out and selected Openbox in the LightDM greeter. I enter my password and it blinks and shows me the login screen again. Doesn't work.

I'm used to other distros like MX Linux, Q4OS, etc., where when I switch to another DE/WM, it works. This has me puzzled. Is there some configuration missing in LightDM?

Thanks in advance as I learn!

Hey, welcome to Artix. :)

Not sure what is causing your problem but i also have openbox installed (running Artix XFCE dinit) so i rebooted and selected the OpenBox session to check and it worked fine.

It could be something to do with the Virtual environment that you're using, or maybe just try installing OpenBox again and see if that makes any difference?  Also check /etc/lightdm.conf and see what your default session is set to? I can't remember exactly but there are a few different things within lightdm.conf that you can try changing which could make a difference. It may be none of them but it's worth a go. :)

Re: How to fire up openbox wm

Reply #2 –
I ran openbox from the command line in an alternation console.  I did a CTL ALT F3 and logged in and ran it as

xinit /usr/bin/openbox -- :1

and it started up and ran.

sudo pacman -Ss openbox
[sudo] password for ruben:

flatbush:[ruben]:~$ sudo pacman -Ss openbox|grep inst
galaxy/lxappearance-obconf 0.2.4-2 (lxde) [installed: 0.2.4-2.1]
galaxy/openbox 3.6.1-12 (lxde lxde-gtk3 lxqt) [installed]
extra/lxappearance-obconf 0.2.4-2 (lxde) [installed: 0.2.4-2.1]
extra/openbox 3.6.1-12 (lxde lxde-gtk3 lxqt) [installed]


which do you have installed?

It does sound like a but or a miss configuration - what does the X log say?

Re: How to fire up openbox wm

Reply #3 –
Thanks, @Zendjinn and @mrbrklyn . Looks like it came in with LXxx, which I don't remember asking for (not a fan of either flavor. I also could be mis-interpreting why they're shown).

(Oh, crap. Even configuring Vbox with shared clipboard, it's not working, so can't share the output.)

Only these two are installed:

galaxy/openbox 3.6.1-12 (lxde lxde-gtk3 lxqt) [installed]
extra/openbox 3.6.1-12 (lxde lxde-gtk3 lxqt) [installed]

Not sure what X log there is other than /var/log/Xorg.0.log, but there's nothing in there with "openbox" (old log file as well).

In the lightdm.conf file, the default seat has user-session=xfce (autologin-session =xfce also, FWIW). No mention of openbox anywhere in that file. Dang, where does it get "Openbox" for the session menu at the top???

Re: How to fire up openbox wm

Reply #4 –
Oh yeah, if I DO go the install openbox again route, should I remove it first? (And apologies for the pacman newbie in me, how is that done but yeah, I'll try RTFM also.?)

Re: How to fire up openbox wm

Reply #5 –
FWIW - can you try running it from the command line

CTL ALT F3 and logged in and ran it as

xinit /usr/bin/openbox -- :1

You might need root permisions.  I just want to see if it works

Re: How to fire up openbox wm

Reply #6 –
Quote from: mrbrklyn – on
FWIW - can you try running it from the command line

CTL ALT F3 and logged in and ran it as

xinit /usr/bin/openbox -- :1

You might need root permisions.  I just want to see if it works

Okay, won't try THAT a third time!  :o

Ctrl-Alt-F3 gets interpreted by my MX Linux session hosting my VirtualBox! Kinda have to killalll -u to get back in via login. (I AM running OpenBox on MX, FWIW.)

Re: How to fire up openbox wm

Reply #7 –
Another thing you could check is that you have the 3D Accelerated Graphics setting (in Virtualbox) switched "off" or try using different display settings from within VirtualBox (just a thought but worth checking).

Also, have a look at your openbox.desktop file in /usr/share/xsessions and check that it's there and is populated with the correct info?

Might want to also install the *lxappearance-obconf-gtk3" package as that "may" have an impact on whether Openbox starts or not.

FYI, I have all of the above and I'm also using xfce as my main (default) session, and OpenBox (if selected at lightdm login) runs as it should.... 👍

Re: How to fire up openbox wm

Reply #8 –
Thanks, @Zendjinn -- I actually now have a problematic actual install of Artix -- and Openbox STILL does not work. What the heck am I missing?

EDIT: I also did a VirtualBox install of EndeavourOS, and also not a big fan of Budgie, so I just logged in, installed Openbox, logged out, and it works fine. I got a blank screen, of course, but I got the Openbox menu with a righ-click and was able to launch a terminal (Xterm, it couldn't find a couple of others). What is Artix missing?????

Re: How to fire up openbox wm

Reply #9 –
Quote from: Durhammer – on
Quote from: mrbrklyn – on
FWIW - can you try running it from the command line

CTL ALT F3 and logged in and ran it as

xinit /usr/bin/openbox -- :1

You might need root permisions.  I just want to see if it works

Okay, won't try THAT a third time!  :o

Ctrl-Alt-F3 gets interpreted by my MX Linux session hosting my VirtualBox! Kinda have to killalll -u to get back in via login. (I AM running OpenBox on MX, FWIW.)

You are running this in a VM?
 

Re: How to fire up openbox wm

Reply #10 –
Quote from: mrbrklyn – on
Quote from: Durhammer – on


Okay, won't try THAT a third time!  :o

Ctrl-Alt-F3 gets interpreted by my MX Linux session hosting my VirtualBox! Kinda have to killalll -u to get back in via login. (I AM running OpenBox on MX, FWIW.)

You are running this in a VM?


Well, yeah! Apparently you didn't read what you quoted! ;)