In Mandrake Control Manager, I've selected the iceWM packages, and it installed of the ISO-discs.

Now, on the iceWM homepage, I've found this :

"First make sure that you choose the correct X startup script in your home directory. For most distributions the file $HOME/.xsession is honored by startx and X Display Managers like kdm. On RedHat, the $HOME/.Xclients may be used instead. In all cases, choose the one recommended by your distribution and make sure that there is no concurency between the X startup scripts.

The recommended way to start is from $HOME/.xsession shell script (may be executable, must be on RedHat). Mine looks something like this:

# run profile to set $PATH and other env vars correctly
. $HOME/.bash_profile
# setup touchpad and the external mouse
xset m 7 2
xinput set-ptr-feedback 0 7 1.9 1
# run initial programs
uxterm &
# start icewm, and run xterm if it crashes (just to be safe)
exec icewm-session || exec xterm -fg red

The xterm on the last line is there simply to make sure that your X session doesn't crash if icewm does (should never happen). You can restart icewm from there or start some other window manager. The session will close if you close the xterm."

I think I've located the IceWM-file by typing
find /usr -iname "ice"
It came with a lot of result, a lot of .html-files in usr/bin/shared and "icewm" and "icepref" located at usr/lib/menu/icewm and usr/lib/menu/icepref.
I also found a 'directory' at : /usr/share/doc/icewm1.2.13
and /usr/share/doc/icewm-light-1.2.13/


Question is: What do I do next ?

Okay, I donwloaded IceWM from the homepage, and restarted the install as stated in this page : http://jetblackz.nabaza.org/InstallingIceWM.html

"tar zxvf icewm-1.2.13.tar.gz
cd icewm-1.2.13
./configure --prefix=/usr/X11R6 --exec-prefix=/usr/X11R6 --with-imlib --without-xpm --enable-gradients --enable-shaped-decorations --enable-xfreetype --disable-corefonts
make && make install
cd .. && rm -fr icewm-1.2.13
icewm --version
"

When I entered the command given there, I got this error :

"configure: WARNING : you should use --build, --host, --target
configure : WARNING : invalid host type : ./configure
configure: error : unrecognized option: --enable-gradients
Try './configur --help" for more information

[root@localhost icewm-1.2.13] # make && make install
make[1]: gcc: command not found
make[1] : *** [ymsgbox.o] Error 127
make[1]: Leaving directory '/home/maxwell/icewm1.2.13/src"
make: *** [base] error 2

[root@localhost icewm-1.2.13]# cd .. && rm -fr icewm-1.2.13
[root@localhost maxwell]# icewm --version
"

What did just happen ?

IceWM should just work for you if you installed it via the Mdk software installer. There is no reason to try installing the IceWM tarball on top of it. Press Ctrl + Alt + Backspace to get back out to the kdm user login. Look under Sessions. IceWM *should* be there for you to choose. If it isn't, choose "Failsafe." It will come up as an xterm terminal in the lower right hand side of your screen. Type:

icewm [enter]

And you will have an icewm DE

You are right, there shouldn't be any need to install IceWM on top of the already installed version. But I was under the impression that it didn't install, since I didn't see any options when rebooting.

Turned out I had to change my boot-configuration to launch IceWM at startup.

But : that didn't work... It just rebooted under KDE

So I tried the Ctrl-Alt-Backspace... didn't work either. I just popped right back into loading KDE.

So then I tried choosing "Failsafe".
So then I got:

"Telling INIT to go to single user mode
INIT: Going single user
sh-2.05b# "

So this didn't work.

Now what do I do ?

Are you not booting to the kdm or gdm user login manager? Are you booting to black screen (runlevel 3) and then doing "startx" to go to your desktop environment?

*cough* huh ?


Well, I turn on the computer, and it starts up, boots up KDE and that's it.

No login whatsoever, and no typing. Just waiting for it to boot up.

Can I change this ? And how ?

In the Boot-menu under the Mandrake Control Center: should I tell it not to launch the graphical environment when the starts ?
I'll just try that this time.

OK so your doing auto login. After booting to your KDE desktop, it doesn't take you out to the kdm login manager at all if you then press Ctrl + Alt + Backspace?

okay, it just changed here.

I rebooted not using the "default graphical interface"-option (is that auto-login ?)

username, password
then "startx"

KDE booted

then I did Ctrl-Alt-Backspace

And I'm now staring at a command line as a normal user.
[maxwell@localhost maxwell]$

What do I need to do ?

type:

su [enter]

it will ask for password to become root.

as root type:

kdm [enter]

if you have kdm installed, a box will come up which is the kde login manager. click and look on the tab beside "Session type" and see if IceWM is a choice. If it isn't, choose "Failsafe" and put in your user id and password and enter. when the Failsafe terminal comes up in the lower left hand corner type:

icewm [enter]

This is a rough way to get to icewm, and you can fix everything where it will boot to icewm automatically like it does with KDE, but I'm just trying to get you to IceWM so you can have a look at it and smoke it over..

"type:

su [enter]

it will ask for password to become root.

as root type:

kdm [enter]

if you have kdm installed, a box will come up which is the kde login manager. "

Right up to there I knew where we were heading. But... no login manager.
It's just boots up again.

Is there anywhere where I can get to the login manager ?
Is this an option I should activate somewhere ?

Maybe some usefull information, I'm not sure. But I'm the only user in this computer. Root and Maxwell are the same. Well, there is only one normal user : "maxwell", and then of course there's root.
Maybe this has something to do with the not appearing login manager ?

'Cause I would really like to look at IceWM and smoke it over

btw: I really appreciate all the help you're giving me

Wait, I think I got it !

Boot Options --> "No I don't want auto-login" --> rebooted et voila, login-screen.


I should have seen this before, you stated it a couple of messages ago.

I'm in

Thanks for all the help, you're a lifesaver

It's been a while since I configured MDK, so I forgot about that boot options thing. I'm pretty sure you can go back in there and configure it to autologin to IceWM should you so choose.