How to disable gnome-display manager?

How to disable gnome-display manager?

[Rodrigo Morales]

I want to remove gdm-service-type from %desktop-services because I don't
know how to make gmd-service-type use Sway, so I'd rather launch sway
manually after logging in with my user.

#+BEGIN_SRC scheme
(use-modules
 (gnu)
 (gnu services ssh)
 (gnu services avahi)
 (gnu services shepherd)
 (gnu services xorg)
 (gnu services desktop)
 (gnu packages certs)
 (nongnu packages linux))

(define %my-services
  (modify-services
   %desktop-services
   (delete gdm-service-type)
   (guix-service-type
    config =>
    (guix-configuration
     (inherit config)
     (discover? #t)
     (substitute-urls
      (append
       (list "https://substitutes.nonguix.org")
       %default-substitute-urls))
     (authorized-keys
      (append
       (list
        (local-file "./public-keys/nonguix.pub")
        (local-file "./public-keys/delta.pub"))
       %default-authorized-guix-keys))))))

(operating-system
 (host-name "sony")
 (locale "en_US.utf8")
 (timezone "America/Lima")
 (keyboard-layout (keyboard-layout "us"))
 (kernel linux-6.6)
 (kernel-arguments
  '("nouveau.config=NvGrUseFW=1"))
 (firmware (list linux-firmware))
 (bootloader
  (bootloader-configuration
   (bootloader grub-efi-bootloader)
   (targets '("/boot/efi"))))
 (file-systems
  (cons*
   (file-system
    (device (file-system-label "my-efi"))
    (mount-point "/boot/efi")
    (type "vfat"))
   (file-system
    (device (file-system-label "my-root"))
    (mount-point "/")
    (type "ext4"))
   (file-system
    (device (uuid "76a9f2d6-5e14-4fc5-af08-cb166b5a4bc4"))
    (mount-point "/storage/a")
    (type "ext4"))
   (file-system
    (device (uuid "a7d0367c-bf06-4d4d-a754-d72bb0bc084d"))
    (mount-point "/storage/b")
    (type "ext4"))
   (file-system
    (device (uuid "8f961e79-4a1f-4432-bafc-b03a5cf70678"))
    (mount-point "/storage/c")
    (type "ext4"))
   (file-system
    (device (uuid "571f2acd-1240-44b3-8c65-574b18b5977b"))
    (mount-point "/storage/d")
    (type "ext4"))
   %base-file-systems))
 (users
  (cons
   (user-account
    (name "rdrg")
    (comment "This is a comment for user rdrg")
    (group "users")
    (supplementary-groups
     '(;; Make the user a sudoer
       "wheel"
       "audio"
       "video")))
   %base-user-accounts))
 (packages
  (cons*
   nss-certs
   %base-packages))
 (services
  (append
   (list
    (service openssh-service-type)
    (set-xorg-configuration
     (xorg-configuration
      (keyboard-layout keyboard-layout))))
   %my-services)))
#+END_SRC

The reason I want to remove gdm-service-type from %desktop-services is
because whenever I boot my system, my system switches to tty7 and GNOME
Display manager is shown. After logging in in EXWM Display Manager, EXWM
is started. I don't want EXWM to be started, because I want to use Sway.

I have two questions:

1. How to avoid the automatic visit to tty7 and the execution of GNOME
   Display manager?

2. I wouldn't need to answer the first question if I could make GNOME
   Display Manager to use Sway (currently, it only uses EXWM and I don't
   see a button to change the window manager from EXWM to Sway)

Re: How to disable gnome-display manager?

[Ian Eure]

Hi Rodrigo,

(answering in reverse order because I think that makes more sense)

Rodrigo Morales <me@rodrigomorales.site> writes:

> I have two questions:
>
> 2. I wouldn't need to answer the first question if I could make 
> GNOME
>    Display Manager to use Sway (currently, it only uses EXWM and 
>    I don't
>    see a button to change the window manager from EXWM to Sway)
>

According to the Guix manual’s entry for gdm-service-type:

     GDM looks for “session types” described by the ‘.desktop’ 
     files in
     ‘/run/current-system/profile/share/xsessions’ (for X11 
     sessions)
     and ‘/run/current-system/profile/share/wayland-sessions’ (for
     Wayland sessions) and allows users to choose a session from 
     the
     log-in screen.  Packages such as ‘gnome’, ‘xfce’, ‘i3’ and 
     ‘sway’
     provide ‘.desktop’ files; adding them to the system-wide set 
     of
     packages automatically makes them available at the log-in 
     screen.

I think the solution to your problem may be as simple as adding 
`sway' to your operating-system’s `packages' list, then selecting 
the Sway session type in GDM, by clicking the gear icon in the 
lower-right after entering your username.

> 1. How to avoid the automatic visit to tty7 and the execution of 
> GNOME
>    Display manager?
>

Your system config looks correct to me, so I’m not sure what’s 
wrong.  Did you run `sudo guix system reconfigure' after editing 
your system config?

On the VT swtiching behavior, I believe that’s how Xorg is set up, 
and it’ll continue to do that no matter what display manager you 
choose.  I may be wrong.

  — Ian

Re: How to disable gnome-display manager?

[Marek Paśnikowski]

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> 1. How to avoid the automatic visit to tty7 and the execution of GNOME
>    Display manager?

If I recall correctly, something in /var/lib/gdm is notorious even in other 
distribution for its ability to call GDM when not asked. The usual advice was 
to rm -r the directory. DO double check this advice, as I do not trust my 
memory on this one.

You could also go to the GUIX repository, find the file with the definition of 
%desktop-services and copy the variable definition directly into your file. 
This way you are able to freely inspect and modify the variable to your 
liking. This is what I do with my changes to default data.

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