Summary of steps to add Xfce4 to antiX26 using consolekit2 session manager
To install and configure Xfce with ConsoleKit in antiX do the following
- Install some basic packages
apt install consolekit
apt install libpam-ck-connector
apt install xfce4
apt install xfce4-goodies
Some documents recommend installing lightdm, but I have found that counterproductive. I am staying with the slimski Login Manager.
- Install some init system packages to support ConsoleKit
apt install dinit-service-consolekit
apt install runit-service-consolekit
apt install s6-rc-service-consolekit
apt install 66-service-consolekit
There is no package for sysvinit.
It is not necessary to start the console-kit-daemon. It is preferable to disable turnstile - both consolekit and turnstile are login daemons ( ie replacements for elogind or systemd-logind) - they will clash
dinitctl disable turnstiled
dinitctl enable consolekit - not required?
[similar for other init systems]
apt purge turnstile
Reboot into Xfce.
-
Setup panels.
Reboot, choose xfce in the Login Manager and configure panels
There are 4 workspaces in the top panel, but the bottom panel is almost empty.
To configure an Xfce panel in antiX, there is no menu button … you right click on the panel , and go to Panel → Panel Preferences.
There I was able to add Firefox, Thunderbird, and Thunar , and I was able to add a cpu-monitor, network-monitor, and sensor-monitor on the right hand end.
-
Make Thunar see internal partitions
At this stage Thunar will see files, but not internal partitions. To make internal filesystems visible to Thunar, one needs to do
apt install thunar-volman
[put yourself in the plugdev group]
usermod -aG plugdev <username>
apt install gvfs
apt install udisks2
Now (after a reboot), Thunar will be able to see internal filesystems, and they will also appear as icons on the background screen.
But, Thunar will still not be able to mount internal filesystems. … there is a permission problem.
To fix the permission problem mounting internal filesystems do one of the following
apt install lxpolkit
apt install lxsession
[this will provide a permissions popup]
or
cd /etc/polkit-1/rules.d
vi 10-enable-mount.rules
add the following lines
polkit.addRule(function(action, subject) {
if (action.id == "org.freedesktop.udisks2.filesystem-mount-system" &&
subject.isInGroup("storage")) {
return polkit.Result.YES;
}});
exit and save
groupadd storage
usermod -aG storage <username>
reboot
[The polkit rule will allow mounting without the permissions popup.]
I chose the latter.
Then one can use Thunar, or double click on filesystem icons,
as well as the options which work with IceWM, ie Disk Manager or sudo mount /dev/sdxx mountpoint
- Set the mouse focus
The antiX menus do not contain xfce4-settings-manager… I have to start it at the CLI by typing
xfce4-settings-manager
Then I get a GUI for settings and I can do the following
- Window Manager → Focus → Focus follows mouse
-
Add some antiX programs to the menues
There are two usefile antiX settings programs missing from the Xfce menues. They are xfce4-settings-manager and antiX Control Centre. One can add items to the menues with Applications-> Settings → Add Menu Item, or use my Add-desktop icon which I have added to Panel2
It requires knowing the name of the program executable and the name of its .desktop file. For example AntiX Control Centre executable is /usr/local/bin/antixcc.sh and its desktop file is antiXCC.desktop.
Say ‘No’ to the popup question about ‘Disable automaiic applications menu…’
-
Add a personal background image.
Xfce has its default background image hardwired in the code. It is xfce-x.svg
If you wish it to boot up with a different image, the simplest way is to make a symbolic link
cd /usr/share/backgrounds/xfce
save the default image
mv xfce-x.svg xfce-x.orig.svg
then make a link
ln -s path-to-new-image xfce-x.svg
So it now looks like this
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 9298 Mar 3 2025 xfce-x.orig.svg
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 42 May 20 21:21 xfce-x.svg -> /usr/share/backgrounds/mourne/mourne14.jpg
- Fix logout issues with slimski
If you Logout using the username icon on the top panel, no matter what you choose from Logout, Reboot, Shutdown , you end up back at the Login Manager screen. There you are supposed to type ‘halt’ or’reboot’ as user and the root password, but it does not work because slimski is in ‘preview’ mode.
The QUICK FIX involves bypassing slimski altogether , and halting or rebooting directly ( ie as with poweroff orreboot CLI commands) .
The SECOND FIX involves changing the slimski configuration
Do the following
[edit slimski.local.conf
add the following]
systemhalt_enabled true
poweroff_enabled true
systemhalt_cmd /usr/sbin/poweroff
reboot_enabled true
reboot_cmd /usr/sbin/reboot
default_sessiontype xfce
That alone is not enough
Go to /usr/lib/ConsoleKit/scripts
Edit the file ck-system-stop
#!/bin/sh
# shutdown -h now
exec /sbin/poweroff
ie I got rid if shutdown and used the system poweroff command
Edit the file ck-system-restart
#!/bin/sh
# shutdown -r now
exec /sbin/reboot
same
Then, give permission for any usr to do stop or restart
cd /usr/share/polkit-1/actions
[Edit the file org.freedesktop.consolekit.policy]
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
Stop the system
System policy prevents stopping the system
yes
no
yes
Stop the system when multiple users are logged in
System policy prevents stopping the system when other users are logged in
no
auth_admin_keep
Restart the system
System policy prevents restarting the system
yes
no
yes
Restart the system when multiple users are logged in
System policy prevents restarting the system when other users are logged in
no
auth_admin_keep
Suspend the system
System policy prevents suspending the system
no
yes
Suspend the system when multiple users are logged in
System policy prevents suspending the system when other users are logged in
no
auth_admin_keep
Hibernate the system
System policy prevents hibernating the system
no
yes
Hibernate the system when multiple users are logged in
System policy prevents hibernating the system when other users are logged in
no
auth_admin_keep
Hybrid sleep the system (sleep + hibernate)
System policy prevents hybrid sleeping the system
no
yes
Hybrid sleep the system (sleep + hibernate) when multiple users are logged in
System policy prevents hybrid sleeping the system when other users are logged in
no
auth_admin_keep
```
In the section
I added the line <allow_any>yes</allow_any>
and similar for the section
That allows anyone to do stop or restart
I did not touch the suspend or hibernate sections, nor the multi-user sections.
Finally, slimski needs a delay .
Go to /etc/dinit.d and edit the file slimski
type = process
command = /usr/local/bin/my-slimski-wrapper.sh
logfile = /tmp/slimski.log
depends-on = seatd
Then write the wrapper program my-slimski-wrapper.sh
cd /usr/local/bib
vi my-slimski-wrapper.sh
[add the following lines]
#!/bin/sh
sleep 8
exec /usr/bin/slimski -nodaemon -z -i
[make it executable]
chmod 755 my-slimski-wrapper.sh
So slimski waits 8 seconds when started or restarted by dinit.
Similar modifications are needed for other init systems.
Now any user can halt or reboot via the top panel username button
If the delay is inadequate Logout->Restart or Logout->Shutdown may drop you back to the Login Manager screen. From there one can type 'halt or ‘reboot’ for the username and give the superuser password , and it will reboot or poweroff.
If the delay is really inadequate, it may drop you back to the Login Manager screen in ‘preview’ mode, in which case attempts to halt or reboot will fail with a message ‘systemhalt_enabled=TRUE but this action is unavailable during preview’. In this case relogin as yourself and use poweroff or reboot at the CLI.
The above is a known issue with slimski. If it restarts while the xserver is still running it will start in preview mode.
9. Change the default WM in slimski
We want slimski to offer Xfce at boot up.
Go to /etc/slimski.local.conf and change the following
## You can also set here the default sessiontype
# default_sessiontype zzz-icewm
default_sessiontype xfce
- Setup autostarted apps.
Go to Applications → Other → xfce4-Settings-Manager
Choose Session and Startup → Application Autostart
Tick or untick apps as required.