From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
From: Ludovic =?UTF-8?Q?Court=C3=A8s?= <ludo@gnu.org>
Subject: bug#35068: GDM crashes when it cannot find any .desktop files
Date: Mon, 01 Apr 2019 10:05:16 +0200
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To: 35068@debbugs.gnu.org

Hello,

I used to have a config (when using SLiM) where my system profile did
not contain any window manager, so no .desktop files.  Instead, the WM
would be installed in my profile and ~/.xsession would start it and a
couple of other things.

Unfortunately GDM crashes in that context.  More precisely, after
choosing the user name on the log-in screen, it enters an infinite loop
with an assertion failure:

  gdm_session_set_environment_variable: assertion 'value !=3D NULL' failed

At that point you pretty much have to reboot since it becomes very hard
to type at the console.  (You can try it in a VM.)

The workaround is to add at least one window manager to the system=E2=80=99s
=E2=80=98packages=E2=80=99 field.

It would be nice to fix it now that GDM is our default log-in manager.

Ludo=E2=80=99.