Linux - GeneralThis Linux forum is for general Linux questions and discussion.
If it is Linux Related and doesn't seem to fit in any other forum then this is the place.
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
When linux didn't have X, it used multiple terminal screens to be a multitasking Operating system. To get to these other terminals (they are completely separate to X) then just use these together
ctrl-alt-F(1,2,3,4,5,6)
Where you can use up to I think 8 differnt screens (each one a F1 key or F2 etc....)
I think though that you have to login at each different screen, and you cant get another X terminal up either.
Not sure if that is what you are looking for, and why not use the terminals in KDE or Gnome anyway?
Basically ctrl+alt+F1...F7 are called 'Virtual Consoles' (vc). We refer them as vc1, vc2 ... vc7. If you are in X you need to switch to other consoles using Ctrl+alt+F?, otherwise you can use only Alt+F?. (? substitued to the console number).
You can't have different X sessions in each console. It is impossible. Whatever X you run will be put to vc-F7. It is a dedicated console for X.
To answer Cragstar, I do run the terminal in KDE or GNOME, but I have been known to freeze them. Since it is not the best thing to simply shutdown the PC, I have heard of cases where if the desktop freezes, there is a keystroke that will kill it and drop you back to command line.
Hopefully all the feedback will help me in those cases where I overload my desktop.
Just a quickie because I can't seem to work it out, but how do you switch between sessions when using KDE? Is it the same as using ctl alt F<x> as was mentioned before?
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.