Using X without a Display Manager: Difference between revisions

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'''''Please note''': this page is presently being rewritten by someone very new to nixOS, so do not use it as an example of best practices. The previous content of this page was 2 years out of date and factually incorrect.''

To run X11 as a regular user, ''without'' `services.xserver.enable = true;` in configuration.nix, do the following:

To run X11 as a regular user, ''without'' <code>services.xserver.enable = true;</code> in configuration.nix, do the following:

First, '''install packages'''; you need X11 itself, some X11 input modules (e.g. xf86-input-evdev, xf86-input-synaptics, xf86-input-libinput), and possibly video modules as well (xf86-video-intel, xf86-video-ati, xf86-video-nouveau).

You probably want to use '''DRI acceleration''' for X; enable it and OpenGL in /etc/nixos/configuration.nix: `hardware.opengl.enable = true;` and `hardware.opengl.driSupport = true;`.

You probably want to use '''DRI acceleration''' for X; enable it and OpenGL in /etc/nixos/configuration.nix: <code>hardware.opengl.enable = true;</code> and <code>hardware.opengl.driSupport = true;</code>.

Then, it's just necessary to '''gather X configuration files''' into one directory and create a config file that also points X at the correct module paths.

This script does that (though it hard-codes `pkgs` which should instead be computed from the current configuration):

This script does that (though it hard-codes <code>pkgs</code> which should instead be computed from the current configuration):

#!/bin/sh

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 '''''Please note''': this page is presently being rewritten by someone very new to nixOS, so do not use it as an example of best practices. The previous content of this page was 2 years out of date and factually incorrect.''
-To run X11 as a regular user, ''without'' `services.xserver.enable = true;` in configuration.nix, do the following:
+To run X11 as a regular user, ''without'' <code>services.xserver.enable = true;</code> in configuration.nix, do the following:
 First, '''install packages'''; you need X11 itself, some X11 input modules (e.g. xf86-input-evdev, xf86-input-synaptics, xf86-input-libinput), and possibly video modules as well (xf86-video-intel, xf86-video-ati, xf86-video-nouveau).
-You probably want to use '''DRI acceleration''' for X; enable it and OpenGL in /etc/nixos/configuration.nix: `hardware.opengl.enable = true;` and `hardware.opengl.driSupport = true;`.
+You probably want to use '''DRI acceleration''' for X; enable it and OpenGL in /etc/nixos/configuration.nix: <code>hardware.opengl.enable = true;</code> and <code>hardware.opengl.driSupport = true;</code>.
 Then, it's just necessary to '''gather X configuration files''' into one directory and create a config file that also points X at the correct module paths.
-This script does that (though it hard-codes `pkgs` which should instead be computed from the current configuration):
+This script does that (though it hard-codes <code>pkgs</code> which should instead be computed from the current configuration):
 <syntaxhighlight lang="sh">
 #!/bin/sh