openbox/Gnome wont launch from gdm

[Kevin Tew]

Binary package hint: openbox

Intrepid
openbox:
  Installed: 3.4.7.2-2
  Candidate: 3.4.7.2-2

In intrepid I had to comment out the default line and replace it with the following in /usr/bin/openbox-gnome-session

#exec gnome-session --choose-session=openbox-session "$@"
exec gnome-session "$@"

to avoid the following error.

gnome-session when launched from gdm was dying saying
** (gnome-session:24086): WARNING **: Unknown option --choose-session=openbox-session

[Alexander Karlstad (alexander.karlstad)]

Had the same problem. Removing the "--choose-session=openbox" argument fixed it.

[SquarePulse (squarepulse)]

I can confirm this, too. Actually, it's not a bug in openbox but in gnome-session. The parameter --choose-session is not supported (anymore) there.

[Brent Newland (brent-newland)]

Also confirmed here.

[Spider (spider-alternating)]

Verifying as well, it broke my upgrade path.

Please note that the manpage of gnome-session still documents --choose-session and --choosesession as valid options.

Waves% gnome-session --choose-session openbox
** (gnome-session:7119): WARNING **: Unknown option --choose-session

Waves% gnome-session --choosesession openbox
** (gnome-session:7120): WARNING **: Unknown option --choosesession

[brian mcgee (justinisnt)]

confirmed. solution worked for me too

[Tom John (tomcjohn)]

Confirmed. Solution worked for me also.

[molave (molavec)]

Confirmed. Solution worked for me also.

[Jamie Bainbridge (superjamie)]

solution works here also

[Doug Schaapveld (djschaap)]

Removing the "--choose-session=openbox-session" argument from /usr/bin/openbox-gnome-session fixed several computers of mine.

I've attached a very, very simple patch. How do we get this into -updates?

[Steven Harms (sharms)]

I can confirm this on Ubuntu 8.10

[Dilomo (ankere)]

I can confirm it too in my Ibex 32bit

[Shawn Dellysse (sdellysse)]

I can confirm session bug on intrepid 64bit, updated fully today
Doug Schaapveld's patch worked for me.

[Ivan Chen(西滨) (ivan4u)]

Removing the "--choose-session=openbox-session" argument from /usr/bin/openbox-gnome-session doesn't work in Ubuntu 9.04

[KLoK (klokane)]

There is fast fix in jaunty:

klok@klok-laptop:~$ cat .xsession
#!/bin/bash
/usr/bin/openbox&
/usr/bin/gnome-session

(and you need to set Xclient as default session)

But troubles are there still (in .xsession-errors):
gnome-session[13754]: WARNING: Unable to find provider 'openbox' of required component 'windowmanager'

I tried to fix file '/usr/share/gnome/wm-properties/openbox.de', but i didn't get sucess.

[Abhishek Mukherjee (linkinpark342)]

Removing the argument worked for me in Jaunty. I attached the exact diff i applied in case it helps any.

[Adam (adam-rogalski)]

Removing "--choose-session=openbox-session" doesn't work for me in 9.04. After login gnome starts metacity (or compiz) as window manager.
This solution worked for me in 8.10.

[Jamie Bainbridge (superjamie)]

Same here.

However, KLoK's .xsession script does function as intended. It also launches the desktop environment alot quicker.

[merrymenvn (merrymenvn)]

Try "openbox --replace" :)

[Ivan Chen(西滨) (ivan4u)]

"openbox --replace" works for me. Thanks!

--
陈锡彬(Ivan Chen)
Blog | make life easier
http://ivan.javaeye.com/
Java Knowledge Base
http://groups.google.com/group/javakb

[Jamie Bainbridge (superjamie)]

Good thinking. I would say "openbox --replace" is probably alot cleaner than the .xsession script, as the script seems to fill up ~/.xsession-errors with messages. You could even put "openbox --replace" in Gnome's "Startup Applications" and just launch a normal Gnome session. Thanks!

[hunterthomson (darden-tyler)]

Did not work for me in 9.04. Gnome just took forever to load and then uses metacity.
Ubuntu hides the stdout I have know idea why.
I hate Ubuntu ... I miss Archlinux :( Darn ATI and there crappy drivers.

[hunterthomson (darden-tyler)]

OK I just added

openbox --replace

To gnome's startup applications and it works grate :)

[Antti Kaihola (akaihola)]

I've experienced this on Ubuntu Netboox Remix 9.04.

After installing the openbox packages, selecting the Openbox/GNOME session used Metacity instead of Openbox as the window manager.

I removed the --choose-session argument, and it fixed the issue until I turned Compiz on and back off from the System menu. I wouldn't get any window manager with GNOME and got this in .xsession-errors:

    gnome-session[13754]: WARNING: Unable to find provider 'openbox' of required component 'windowmanager'

These are the steps I took to fix the issue:

1. applied this patch to /usr/bin/openbox-gnome-session:
   http://bugs.frugalware.org/task/3498?getfile=657

2. gconftool-2 -s -t string /desktop/gnome/session/required_components/windowmanager openbox

3. sudo ln -s /usr/share/gnome/wm-properties/openbox.desktop /usr/share/applications/

[Alexander Karlstad (alexander.karlstad)]

Seems to me that things are finally starting to work again in Karmic. I "just" have to edit the /usr/bin/openbox-gnome-session and remove the "--choose-session" argument.

Still, the whole damn think should work right after "apt-get install openbox" without having to edit the script.

[Caspar Clemens Mierau (leitmedium)]

For me on Ubuntu Karmic Gnome/Openbox does not work on an unchanged -session file so far.

[Iakov Davydov (iakov-davydov)]

This bug affects me on karmic.

[Kimec (kimeckun)]

I just manually launch openbox in background. Metacity/Compiz won't start this way. So far it seems to work. I know it is dirty :D.

My openbox-gnome-session file:

#!/bin/sh

if test -n "$1"; then
    echo "Syntax: openbox-gnome-session"
    echo
    echo "See the openbox-gnome-session(1) manpage for help."
  exit
fi

# Run GNOME with Openbox as its window manager
export WINDOW_MANAGER="/usr/bin/openbox"
#exec gnome-session --choose-session=openbox-session "$@"
openbox&
exec gnome-session "$@"

[KLoK (klokane)]

Hi there again, on Koala I found clear solution which is working correctly:

Look comment at /usr/bin/gnome-wm

---cut---
... Please have your window manager install
# a desktop file and change the gconf key
# /desktop/gnome/session/required_components/windowmanager
---cut---

It looks it's working correctly if you set

Key:
/desktop/gnome/session/required_components/windowmanager

To value:
openbox

Enjoy

[Eugene Arshinov (earshinov)]

#28: When I modify the GConf key you mentioned and try to login into GNOME session, I get *one* workspace in workspace switcher applet instead of *four* as I set in ~/.config/openbox/rc.xml. Don't you have the same problem?

P.S. I've already discovered a workaround: run obconf and change number of desktop to 3 and back to 4. But you have to do this every time after login…

[Eugene Arshinov (earshinov)]

#29: Sorry, there is a separate bug report about the number-of-workspaces issue I mentioned:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/400301 number of workspaces in workspace switcher

[Spider (spider-alternating)]

#29: That is a workaround to use Openbox, it doesn't fix/make openbox a session of it's own, which is what the original report still is about.

[KLoK (klokane)]

[#29] confirm, after reboot I've same troubles, but other things (obMenu, obKeys) are working correcty

[karl (karl-sebastian-liebich)]

Confirmed for 9.10/32

[YannUbuntu (yannubuntu)]

Hello
I don't know if it is the same bug or just related one, but in Ubuntu 10.04, I did the following:
- install openbox (packages: paquets openbox obconf obmenu )
- on GDM, log with « GNOME/Openbox »
- Result (and problem): Openbox is not taken into account, I still have Compiz activated

On "Using Openbox in Gnome" wiki (http://openbox.org/wiki/Help:Using_Openbox_in_GNOME) I saw the following command:
openbox --replace
That worked for me.

Hope this helps.

[David Futcher (bobbo)]

I can't seem to reproduce this in Maverick dev branch. Opening a GNOME/Openbox session works with no issues (I'm writing to you from one right now). Could another Maverick tester please check whether this is an issue for them still?

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for openbox (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]