Hi Again,
Just the stupid newbie trying to move ahead in Linux.
I want to know how to configure my old Red Hat 6.2 junker to start the programs I want it to and not start the ones I don't want.
After first installing Linux, the desktop was littered with icons that I had no need for. I found the .gnome-desktop directory and was able to get rid of some of them. They were files in that directory. But every time I start the computer, it loads the gnome desktop GUI. I haven't figured out how to dump the GUI and return to terminal pure text mode. I do know how to start and close "virtual terminals" with the <ctrl> <alt> F1-F6 and return to the GUI with the <alt> F7, and can open "windowed" terminals. But I would prefer to have the computer boot to text mode only and, if I choose, to type "startx" to open a Gnome session. I would also like to then be able to exit the GUI and return to a true text mode. Is this possible, and if so, how do I do this.
The other thing that I'd like to kill is a couple of windows that always open when I start the computer. There is a "Red Hat help" window and another that starts and opens "GNU Midnight Commander" a sort of a Windows Explorer sort of a thing... if I may use foul language like that on this board
. There is a desktop icon for it should I want to use it, but I don't want it to open automatically when the GUI loads.
Last, but not least, I would like to have a window for the Color XTerm open when the GUI loads, or failing that, have an icon for that on the desktop when I am running the GUI. Haven't figured out how to do either yet, and I haven't found any documentation on how to do any of these things yet. Oh, there is another terminal emulator that sits on the Gnome taskbar, and it's a snap to open, but as stupid as this may sound, I like to use the Color Xterm when working in my username and the other one if working as root or in another username. It just helps me to be aware of where I am and what I'm doing. It may not be at all important when I get more adept at working in Linux.
So, to sort of recap, my questions are:
1) How do I prevent the GUI from starting up automatically when I boot the computer.
2) Can I, and if so how can I, exit the GUI entirely once it has started... not counting virtual terminals or windowed terminals.
3) How do I prevent apps from starting automatically when the GUI loads?
4) How do I force windowed apps (like Color XTerm) to start when the GUI loads?
5) How can I create desktop icons for those things e.g., Color XTerm that I would like to see on the desktop?
I can't find any files or directories in my home directory for any of these functions and am hesitant to mess with files or directories lower in the directory structure without some guidance. I already hosed one install that way
Thanks again for all past and future assistance,
Jim
PS: Just in case anybody here is getting the impression that I'm not totally in love with Linux and am sorry that I've made the jump... well, you're wrong. I may be a bit impatient that I can't afford better hardware quite yet, and my inability to get it to do simple things the way I want is occasionally a bit frustrating, but I think that the best move I've made in years is to work towards (and it is a bit of work) getting totally free of M$. Also, I'd never have made it as far as I have without all the help I've gotten here. Thanks!
