some basic XBMC help please :(

[phill1978]

hi all im trying out mint 11 gnome 3 + mate, i was running 10 previously and its probably been the best distro for me out of many, I like 11 so far but some things are bordering on the unnecessary.


right straight to the point

I really don't like/want XBMC logging me out to the login screen where by I then have to enter a password in order to login to XBMC. My gut feeling is that nobody will want to use XBMC in this way as it is intended as a slick multimedia program that generally people want to boot straight into and use a simplistic remote control to navigate from a sofa/cinema room. typing passwords is just wrong for this ((and of course there is always openelec or xbmcbuntu for those who want direct to boot))

How can i set XBMC just to launch as normal please, without any logging out or swapping of interfaces from gnome this, to gnome that? My primary reason is that with my intended setup hopefully based on linux and not windows i will set a few programs to launch boot with no login which i will then set to workspaces so i can easily page between xbmc,browser,desktop,games((when steam arrives ))

Many thanks
Phill

[DrHu]

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=32046
post 5,7 ; possible answer..

• Disable windows manager
• Allow autologon, no user name/password
• Start an Xsession only and without any other window manager/login/desktop loading..

If I was doing it I would probably pick a basic Linux, no fancy/smancy (KDE, Gnome etc)
--just a tty, and you control the startup, including any windows manager/desktop you want to use..
Since and apart from media codecs perhaps, the basic need is to have XBNC in control, the underlying OS is pretty much irrelevant, except it shouldn't get in the way
--or if you need to manage directories or other data on the xbmc machine..[/list]

Some users who installed a minimal Linux & included XBMC
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1144766

Maybe xbmc itself or their links have some ideas..
http://xbmc.org/

[phill1978]

dont you think there should be an option to not force you to have to logon?

the whole thing seems bizarre to me! its XBMCbuntu in reverse, where you have to log into your machine to logout to log in again to use xbmc all in the aid of making xbmc a front end application which in actual fact is broken as it always switches to gnome 3 and you have to manually choose xbmc on the list ?

i think the devs need to sit down and think this one out

thanks for your reply though, i wont be messing around with no logon just yet although ultimately my htpc will run this way, the idea ((WAS)) to be able to switch easily between applications that autostart on boot, so xbmc is on one workspace and chromium / steam (fingers crossed) is on another, this way i could switch easily. It would be nice to pause the movie, flip to a proper browser perhaps order pizza online, google where we have seen that actor before or maybe leave the movie paused and play some games! ive had this exact setup working on windows but its just not slick enough with the whole desktop launching and loading side of things, i had hoped linux would be the answer (it might still be) but now my desktop compiz cubes and switching doesn't work at all on gnome 3

xbmcbuntu is also a bit odd but might be the part solution. It requires logins and the like so its not ideal for switching content on the fly, its also full of glitches and woefull performance.

the windows solution can get me 95% there but the gpo options needed to automate login and loading off applications is only on pro and thats another £100 ! ontop of paying for a decent windows manager £20 !

ohh well, maybe im asking too much, i might go back to mint 10 on autologin with compiz until mint 13 is out..