Subject: Fvwm and exec'ing processes

From: "Paul D. Smith" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 1 Dec 97 11:32:30 EST

I'm using FVWM 2.0.46, and I have a really annoying problem; I'm hoping
someone can explain it to me.  When exec'ing, fvwm doesn't always
properly preserve stty settings.

I'm running X11R6.3 fix2, pulled virgin from ftp.x.org and compiled and
installed myself, on a SunOS 4.1.4 system.  My shell is bash 2.01.1, but
I don't set ExecUseShell to that; it uses /bin/sh (Sun's sh).

My default stty settings when I login are:

  $ stty
  speed 38400 baud; line = 2;
  eol = M-^?; eol2 = M-^?; swtch = M-^?; start = <undef>; stop = <undef>;
  dsusp = <undef>; rprnt = <undef>; werase = <undef>; lnext = <undef>;
  flush = <undef>; status = <undef>;

When I start X, my initial xterms (actually rxvt's) all have these
settings.

When I start an rxvt from an fvwm2 menu like this:

  AddToMenu Local-Shells
  + "TEST-1" Exec exec rxvt

I keep my pre-existing stty settings, as you would expect; the new shell
says:

  $ stty
  speed 38400 baud; line = 2;
  erase = ^H; eol = M-^?; eol2 = M-^?; swtch = M-^?; start = <undef>;
  stop = <undef>; rprnt = <undef>; werase = <undef>; lnext = <undef>;
  flush = <undef>; status = <undef>;

But, if I invoke rxvt like this:

  AddToMenu Local-Shells
  + "TEST-2" Exec exec rxvt &

(note the added "&" to send it to the background here) then my stty
settings are wrong:

  $ stty
  speed 38400 baud; line = 2;
  eol = M-^?; eol2 = M-^?; swtch = M-^?; status = <undef>;

What's the story here?  Isn't the form I use in TEST-2 the right way to
invoke a new xterm without any extra processes hanging around?

I know that in 2.0.42 Exec was changed to implicitly do the exec for
you, then in 2.0.43 it was changed back.  AFAI (and the ChangeLog) Know,
it wasn't changed back again.

Note that the documentation is all still wrong in 2.0.46; the docs for
the Exec function still say you don't need the "exec" or the "&".  And
none of the examples of using Exec show the "exec" or "&".

So, what is the real, complete, correct way to get Fvwm 2.0.46 to invoke
a new xterm, without any extra processes, and preserving the tty
settings?

Can someone make a pass through fvwm.man and fix it up with the right
information in the description of Exec, and modify the examples which
use Exec to use it properly?  That would be a big help.

-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Paul D. Smith <[email-masked]>         Network Management Development
 "Please remain calm...I may be mad, but I am a professional." --Mad Scientist
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     These are my opinions--Bay Networks takes no responsibility for them.
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