Re: tlug-digest V1 #205

["A.Tomita,Jr." <Alberto@example.com>]

 > From: turnbull@example.com (Stephen J. Turnbull)
 > Date: Wed, 22 May 96 16:00 JST
 > Subject: Re: X Background Diversions?
 > 
 > At 09:49 AM 5/22/96 +0900, "jwt" == Jim Tittsler wrote:
 > 
 >     jwt> 2. How do I put a picture in the root window behind the login 
 >     jwt> prompt (of xdm?)?
 > 
 > xdm offers the ability to run a startup program, usually login(1).  I
 > think that for security reasons it's not allowed to be a script (or
 > maybe it's not allowed to have arguments in the call?), but there's no
 > reason it can't be

This is a FAQ. From the x-faq/part2:

 Subject:  34)  How to I have xdm put a picture behind the log-in window?

R5/R6 users can specify the "setup" script that xdm runs by changing the
entry in the xdm-config file (usually in /usr/lib/X11/xdm) to name a
different script; the sample script distributed with the X distribution
simply runs xconsole.  See the SETUP PROGRAM section of the xdm man page in
R6 for precise details.

Pre-R5 versions of the xdm client could be spoofed by in changing xdm's xrdb
resource in the xdm-config file to run a program to change the background
before loading the resources; for example, your /usr/lib/X11/xdm/xdm-config
file may add the line
        DisplayManager.0.authorize: false 
to permit unrestricted access to the display before log-in (beware!) and also
        DisplayManager*xrdb:    /usr/lib/X11/xdm/new.xrdb 
where that file does something (for all connections) along the lines of:
        #!/bin/sh 
        #comes in with arguments: -display :0 -load /usr/lib/X11/xdm/Xresources
        /usr/bin/X11/xsetroot -display $2 -bitmap /usr/lib/X11/xdm/new.bitmap 
        /usr/bin/X11/xrdb $* 
Substitute xloadimage or xv for xsetroot, to taste.  Note that this is a
general hack that can be used to invoke a console window or any other client.

[Thanks to Jay Bourland (jayb@example.com), 9/91]


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