Installing GDM 2.26 doesn't update /etc/X11/default-display-manager

[Hernando Torque]

Binary package hint: gdm

Opposed to KDM and XDM, GDM doesn't update the file /etc/X11/default-display-manager (or creates it if missing), so I have to manually change (or create) it to contain:

/usr/sbin/gdm

Also there is no configuration dialog when installing it along with other display managers like there was with GDM 2.20. Having XDM, KDM, and GDM installed and dpkg-reconfiguring XDM:

http://img.xrmb2.net/images/300009.png

Version: gdm 2.26.1-0ubuntu2

[Wayne Cat (exchange)]

I have tested it with an empty default-display-manager file. "dpkg-reconfigure gdm" doesn't show a configuration dialog
on my system and it doesn't add gdm automatically to the file ... I also had to add it manually.

[Stephen Cradock (s-cradock)]

I have checked that an invalid or empty default-display-manager file is not changed when I run "sudo dpkg-reconfigure gdm" - confirming the original bug report.

[Francesco Fumanti (frafu)]

I have a similar problem with gdm_2.26.1-0ubuntu7_i386: I am not able to properly install it and it does not get started when I boot the development version of Ubuntu karmic.

You can find the output of "sudo apt-get install gdm" in the installation_by_cli.txt file.

When I also install xdm and kdm, I am asked what Window Manager should be default, but gdm is not in the list; probably because it has not been properly installed.

[Francesco Fumanti (frafu)]

I manually edited /etc/X11/default-display-manager and wrote /usr/sbin/gdm into it; now it is working.

[komputes (komputes)]

@Francesco Fumanti - Thank you. Editing /etc/X11/default-display-manager with /usr/sbin/gdm or /usr/bin/kdm works for me.

The following commands still do not seem to work:
$ sudo dpkg-reconfigure gdm
$ sudo dpkg-reconfigure kdm

[Pär Lindfors (paran)]

The debconf files that handles this is missing from the source package
in karmic. The code is still there in gdm.postinst and gdm.prerm, but
gdm.config and gdm.template is gone.

Rebuilding 2.27.90, with those two files taken unmodified from 2.20.10
seems to work.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package gdm - 2.28.0-0ubuntu2

---------------
gdm (2.28.0-0ubuntu2) karmic; urgency=low

  * debian/patches/08_use_polkit_for_settings.patch:
    - set translatable strings and list the file to translate (lp: #425798)
  * debian/patches/09_gdmsetup.patch,
    debian/patches/99_autoreconf.patch:
    - initialize the translations so the gdmsetup interface is translated
      (lp: #434102)
  * debian/patches/17_use_timed_login_after_autologin.patch:
    - revert upstream change to not use timed login after autologin session
      (lp: #396489)
  * debian/patches/18_create_log_dir_when_required.patch:
    - create the log directory when required (lp: #405227)
  * debian/gdm.config, debian/gdm.templates:
    - restore debconf files which have been dropped by error in karmic,
      thanks Pär Andersson (lp: #395591)

 -- Sebastien Bacher <email address hidden> Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:20:27 +0200