xfwm4 --replace always running

pcdoc2000 · 2019-01-25 13:31:18

I have a question you might be able to help with. I found that on Xubuntu 16.04 and 18.04 on multiple different computers are running xfwm4 --replace as a process.

I would like to understand why it is running and where that comes from.

I tried to isolate the problem, by installing a Ubunut minimal install with plain XFCE and there I couldn´t find that running as a process. So it is very likely something coming with the xubuntu-desktop package, which I´m just about to test.

I think I understand what xfwm4 --replace does, but I cannot imagine a good usecase that requires this to run all the time, do you?

ToZ · 2019-01-25 16:46:52

It is either saved in your sessions cache or you have it set up to do so in your autostart applications. Usually "xfwm4 --replace" is run to take over window management from another window manager (not sure if you've been testing other window managers).

The fix is to first, see if there is an xfwm4 entry at Settings Manager > Session and Startup > Application Autostart. If so disable/delete it. Secondly, clear your sessions cache. The best way to do this is to delete the contents of ~/.cache/sessions while not logged in. So, from another virtual terminal (VT1, 2, 3, etc.).

pcdoc2000 · 2019-01-25 17:40:40

Nothing in the autostart and this happens right after a fresh install of Xubuntu on different HW, whith different versions (16.04, 18.04, 18.10).

I actually couldn´t find any kind of indication of when and how this is started with the great help of the Ubuntu forum.

What I tried is to run a minimal install of Ubuntu and installed XFCE without the Xubuntu specific things. That works and xfwm4 --replace is not running. Then I installed the entire xubuntu-desktop package, which in theory should get me to a kind of complete Xubuntu installation, but it didn´t trigger xfwm4 --replace run. I also couldn´t find any other package which is obviously Xubuntu related which I didn´t install, but I couldn´t reproduce it.

With a fresh install of Xubuntu it is there... It doesn´t really harm, but I would just like to understand why this is running and actually how it is started.

lastonestanding · 2019-01-25 18:06:57

https://git.launchpad.net/xubuntu-defau … ?id=783219

This is just something specific to the Xubuntu session which is a customized Xfce session. I do not see why --replace (Replace the existing window manager) would be needed on session start, but it does not break anything either.

Ideally, you should inform the Xubuntu dev team.

pcdoc2000 · 2019-01-25 19:59:43

Indeed I couldn´t see any negative impacts yet, but I just don´t understand why it is there! ;-) And how it is started would be interesting too.

Will try the Xubuntu dev team, but when I reached out to them last time in regards to another topic, there was no feedback at all unfortunately!

I´m not a developer/programmer, but as I really love XFCE and I want to learn more about it, I'll try to understand things like that, instead of just accepting them.

Thanks both for your answers!

pcdoc2000 · 2019-01-25 20:24:37

lastonestanding wrote:

https://git.launchpad.net/xubuntu-defau … ?id=783219

I just checked on the computer I set up with the minimal install where I don´t see the process running with --replace. That same file is there too, but for any reason it seems to not affect this. Maybe this is the source, but there must be some kind of trigger accessing it.

lastonestanding · 2019-01-25 20:33:11

The linked diff is for xfce4-session.xml, and that file contains a list of Xfce core applications which are launched by xfce4-session. This includes xfwm4 (the Xfce window manager).

lastonestanding · 2019-01-25 20:50:17

The Xubuntu variant of xfce4-session.xml is only used when you log into the Xubuntu session. Also, an already existing file in the user configuration will not be replaced.

~/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-session.xml

MountainDewManiac · 2019-01-25 22:31:06

Maybe the developer was trying to cover the possibility of a user running multiple desktops and switching back and forth between the two without rebooting?

That's just a WAG on my part.

Regards,
MDM

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#1 2019-01-25 13:31:18

xfwm4 --replace always running

#2 2019-01-25 16:46:52

Re: xfwm4 --replace always running

#3 2019-01-25 17:40:40

Re: xfwm4 --replace always running

#4 2019-01-25 18:06:57

Re: xfwm4 --replace always running

#5 2019-01-25 19:59:43

Re: xfwm4 --replace always running

#6 2019-01-25 20:24:37

Re: xfwm4 --replace always running

#7 2019-01-25 20:33:11

Re: xfwm4 --replace always running

#8 2019-01-25 20:50:17

Re: xfwm4 --replace always running

#9 2019-01-25 22:31:06

Re: xfwm4 --replace always running

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