How do I set my window manager?

Simply installing a given window manager isn't enough in X; since any system can have an arbitrary number of window managers, each user has the capability of selecting one that matches his or her needs.

But how? Well, the answer is, once again - it depends.

If you've started X manually (via the startx command), there's a file in your home directory called .xinitrc. This file should contain at least one command that starts a window manager. (You can have any number of commands before the window manager starts; for instance, you can start xterms, or ical, or anything else you desire.)

Some window managers (Window Maker, notably) have installation scripts that will update .xinitrc for you; Window Maker's is wmaker.inst.

If your choice of window manager does not have an installation script, here's the contents of my, just to give you a start:

exec fvwm2

Exciting, huh?

On the other hand, if you're using xdm to start X instead of running X yourself, the file is different (and has more requirements, too).

The file for xdm is called .xsession. It, too, should be in your home directory. The format is exactly the same as .xinitrc, but should be executable (which isn't a requirement for .xinitrc.)

Here's a hint: to make .xsession executable, try

chmod +x ~/.xsession