Recommended Display (login) Manager for Openbox?

jagdpanther · l33t Joined: 22 Nov 2003 Posts: 729

I currently am using SLiM as the display manager (aka login manager) for the Openbox Window manager. I notice that the gentoo SLiM wiki https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/SLiM states that I should consider using a different display manager as SLiM appears to be abandoned.
I am thinking of switching from SLiM to SDDM https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/SDDM and want to know if there is a better choice?

I currently am using OpenRC and consolekit. (I am also about to switch from consolekit to elogind as recommended in the recent eselect news titled: Desktop profile switching USE default to elogind.)

Ant P. · Watchman Joined: 18 Apr 2009 Posts: 6920

I used to use SLiM too, but after seeing the state it was in I removed it and now just start an xsession directly.

jagdpanther · l33t Joined: 22 Nov 2003 Posts: 729

Ant P.:

Thanks for the comment. On my work system (Gentoo Linux, of course) I don't use a login manager, I just login on the console and type "exec startx". (The exec ensures that if I am not in front of the box and xscreensaver dies that my console session is gone.) However, on my home system I am not the only user, so the display manager is handy. (Also, I never figured out how to have a console session screen go into power save mode , which is easy to do when running X.)

Jaglover · Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2020 3:21 am Post subject:

My wife logs in from console and X is started automatically from ~/.bashrc_profile. So it is just text mode login instead of GUI login.
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Hund · Apprentice Joined: 18 Jul 2016 Posts: 218 Location: Sweden

Do you need a display manager? xinit works great if you're okay without one.
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Ant P. · Watchman Joined: 18 Apr 2009 Posts: 6920

Juippisi · Developer Joined: 30 Sep 2005 Posts: 724 Location: /home

I switched from slim to lightdm - been happy with it. Works with systemd and elogind.

sddm needs Qt and my system is full GTK so it was either lightdm, gdm or startx.

ipic · Guru Joined: 29 Dec 2003 Posts: 377 Location: UK

I'd second lightdm, also switched from slim a while back.
It works with OpenRC and elogin - if you are allergic to systemd, like me. :-)

jagdpanther · l33t Joined: 22 Nov 2003 Posts: 729

Thanks for all of the replies.

Right now I have removed Slim, switched from consolekit to elogind, and using startx, openbox starts with the following at the end of my ~/.xinitrc file:

A.S. Pushkin · Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2020 11:42 pm Post subject:

I'm using SLIM and have been very happy with it. I like the simple security in the interface.

What are the things about LightDM there are better than SLIM. I'd every much be interested.

Thanks.
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Vulgar · n00b Joined: 15 Sep 2004 Posts: 63

Warning
With the last release in 2013, the SliM project appears to be abandoned. Please consider a different display manager.

https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/SLiM

I have never used a login manager. I like keeping things separated, so I always have access to a console, with no gui failing and disallowing login. Either way you have to login unless you set things up without login. Login manager has never made any sense to me, just a middle man that will fail.

If you just have to have pretty pictures while away, why if your not there, and want security, use a screen locker which can be configured to what ever you want.

Perhaps I am not aware that a big login manager impress's the girls!

A.S. Pushkin · Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2020 1:54 am Post subject:

Thanks for the heads up on slim. I've been rather satisfied with it so I'll be sorry to see it go.

I have almost always just used a terminal to login for the reason you mention. I decided
to go this route due my girl. She's not a computer person. A she's a Windose user so
using a terminal is like to someone from another planet.

Thanks again and I'll investigate something else.
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"In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act." -- George Orwell

Vulgar · n00b Joined: 15 Sep 2004 Posts: 63

I never installed a login manager on my girlfriends laptop. :twisted:

Sat there and taught her how to login, then type in "startx" push enter. She has been doing fine with it for 10+ years now. She was intimidated at first, as she is not a computer person at all. But she has got the hang of it, startx is all she can do. She has been doing fine with xfce running. Still have to show her how to do little things though. Some times it makes me wonder!

Her father had dementia the last couple years of his life. I used slim that logged in automatically after boot to xfce. He simply could not remember how to login even with slim. But he sure would get into xfce and change everything. He always denied making any changes. It was funny, once a week I had to stop by and fix things. He used to be an engineer and had a lifetime of experience with computers. That dementia really did a number on him.

AlexJGreen · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 19 Sep 2018 Posts: 149

jagdpanther · l33t Joined: 22 Nov 2003 Posts: 729

I gave up on the display manager. startx is easy.
For my wife I put startx at the end of her ~/.bashrc_profile
(thanks again for that suggestion, Jaglover)

RobPearce · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2020 11:09 am Post subject:

389292 · Guru Joined: 26 Mar 2019 Posts: 504

My grandpa uses a cheap throwaway Android tablet, with couple of shortcuts like 'News', 'Weather', 'Radio', 'YouTube', he did not breake anything for like 2 or 3 years, little to no maintenance for me.
If a person refuses to type his/her credentials and initiate startx manually due to 'complexity' or laziness, then a todler's Android tablet is the absolute maximum you can entrust to him/her, basic computer literacy shouldn't be negotiable.

Tony0945 · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2020 1:33 pm Post subject:

I've always used plain old xdm. I could use startx, but why? I do have a console, six of them, I just have to press CTL-ALT-F1 or (F2..F6) and CTL-SLT-F7 to return. easier than typing "exec startx maye-seesion-manager" (see I had a typo already), two typos.
Slim was nice for having a menu and running different environments. I do this with xdm by adding a menu from an article in Linux Journal. Sadly, that's not available any more. I could post a How-To in tips and tricks if there is any demand.

A login manager is handy if more than one person uses the computer or could potentially use it. I used to have logins for my grandkids (still do on one computer). They couldn't mess with my files or desktop. It also opened their eyes that computers are more than Microsoft Windows. They loved running Linux on the low power mass market machines that were all that was available at the time.

No kids? Have a spouse or girl/boy-friend? Don't get into the blame game. Let each have their own desktop.

figueroa · Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2020 6:00 pm Post subject:

I still don't use a display manager on most of my machines, but where one is handy, for myself or others, I've been using lightdm and happier with it than any others I've tried. I have a script in my path "x" that contains:

Crakem · Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2021 3:46 am Post subject:

I'm working on xlogin if some DM user wants to give it a try. Non-root not implemented but its ultra lightweight and there is a ebuild here #814575 This is for experimented users worried with security. This package enforces you to use some security policies (YAMA in kernel for example) Like to found more desktop users other than lxde for testing :wink:

Tony0945 · Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2021 1:21 pm Post subject:

mike155 · Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2021 2:00 pm Post subject:

pietinger · Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2021 4:02 pm Post subject:

figueroa · Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2021 4:17 pm Post subject:

YAMA=

Hu · Moderator Joined: 06 Mar 2007 Posts: 21630