Greetings
I'm probably fairly alone in this but this is what I'm used to and like best. I vastly prefer to boot to a Multiuser command line every boot. I know that the recovery mode SingleUser is in the bootloader but that is way too many steps for every boot when what I really want is the full multiuser command line.

I've done this before on Debian based distros but this was years ago (on Xandros to be exact) and OpenSuse12 actually has a user settable option for this, but I think it has become a good idea to check first on modern automatic distros before just jumping in and breaking something important.

Ultimately my question is how do I best add the multiuser CLI environment and make it boot default runlevel? As I have googled this and never see this specifically answered, I'll back off a little and just ask is there some good reason NOT to do this now in Ubuntu?

Debian and I think also Ubuntu treat runlevels 2-6 the same.

In Debian, I enabled booting to the commandline by installing sysv-rc-conf. It was in the Debian repos and I think would be in the Ubuntu repos.

Then, as root, I ran sysv-rc-conf and turned off the GDM for runlevel three. After that, I set up an .xinitrc file for my user so I could use that to call the GUI.

Sometimes, you have to hunt around a bit to find the correct command to start the GUI. For Fluxbox, for example, it's not "fluxbox." It's "exec startfluxbox."

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The reason not to do this in Ubuntu is that it is Ubuntu. Their devs know the very best way for you to run your box.

If you do not agree with their way it is because you are an elitist guru. You don't want new people to use Linux. You don't want to learn any new way of doing anything.

That is what I was told anyway.

So I don't use Ubuntu. That is your best choice in my opinion.

Have you, by the way, booted to recovery? You get a very handy root prompt with no need for any password what so ever. Convenient.

Whilst I can sympathise with @widget (and I too gave up on Ubuntu years ago), perhaps http://askubuntu.com/questions/22840...-to-runlevel-3 will be more useful.

Ubuntu uses upstart (or used to anyway) rather than classic sysv init-scripts.

EDIT: see this article linked from my link above - KISS.
(later) - dug up an old (no longer used) netbook with Oneiric on it. The "text" trick works a treat,

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Thanks. That sort of bypasses that I wanted the distinct runlevels declared but it seems it will work. Although I'm familiar with startx/xdm syntax, I prefer to just use "kdm" to start rather than calling just one desktop environment, and this too should work. KDM has lots of nice features like desktop selection and "drop back to console" to which I've grown accustomed.

I will try this and report back.

LOL well needless to say I disagree with all of the above. Granted I love Slackware but I try to keep my hand in play and yes, there was a time when I tried new distros that I found myself trying to transform them into Slackware, but now as much as possible I try to play the game by their rules. This is not my first rodeo and I have installed and used many versions of Ubuntu and though there were some that I thought were complicated, unstable, messes they kept at it so, so did I.

I am not an elitist guru because I am aware that nobody, not even Linus or Stallman, knows it all and we all have to start somewhere. We don't all follow the same lines of progression either.

I do want new people to use Linux but I must admit that I'd prefer they actually learn some Linux and not be handed "free windows". But still, that's their business, not mine. As long as a Linux distro still exists that does exactly what I want, no more and no less, still exists to satisfy me then why would I resent anyone elses preferences? Part of the beauty of Linux is that malleability.

It should be obvious, at least now, that I do wish to learn new things or I wouldn't spend the hours even trying different distros after all these years. Plus, also obvious, I think I showed my willingness to stay within the confines of canononical by asking here if there was some serious reason to not do this. I mentioned Suse's built in ability to do this not as a taunt, but to show that some similarly "automatic" distros apparently don't find this is a problem at all so I wondered if it was for Ubuntu and did not simply assume either way.

This is not acceptable. Who can argue that Ubuntu has not evolved and improved? It may never be my main system but I like to keep my options open and be aware of my capabilities and limitations. I find Ubuntu 13x to have improved immensely and worthy of some respect. It is my understanding that while it is both Debian and Ubuntu that have upset the RedHat domination in the critical server market, that it is primarily Ubuntu that is responsible for increasing that lead. That's not trivial in my estimation.


Yes (in fact I mentioned that) and that would be worrisome if it indicated some easy means to gain root from the outside, but afaik, that's not the case.

Look... for many reasons I prefer function, freedom, and power over convenience. I prefer a car with a stick shift but that doesn't mean I haven't ever owned an automatic shift car nor had it transport me for many miles.

Yes I know and while Upstart may have it's growing pains, they did retain sysVinit compatibility so the unused runlevel(s) should be available. Even (shudder) systemd although NOT backwardly compatible, at least at this point (before Lennart and The Brain take over the world) is able to have use of more than 2 runlevels and allow for "user-defined".

Oh My! That IS a treat! TYVM.

I'm going to mark this as solved, I suppose, because the "text trick" really does work perfectly at getting the base of what I want - always booting to multiuser cli.

I should like to say, though that even since Upstart, Ubuntu has the following runlevel arrangment

Previously, and in some distros today, "unused but configured the same as #" meant "User Defined" and apparently has just been labeled differently possibly to not attract too much attention from the irresponsible.

Since I'd added a user defined runlevel to a Debian-based distro or 2 in the past I'd like to try this again, since the advent of Upstart, and not just side-step the issue. So I think I will try it on a play box and not my main since Ubuntu is working quite well at the moment (despite a wrestling match with Ivy Bridge Graphics recognized resolutions, now fixed by my switching from LightDM to KDM and employing xrandr script within it's XStartup)

Thanks to all respondants. Happy Holidays!

Well guys, I'm dismayed to report that neither

works
at least as of Ubuntu 13 (apparently it did on 11)
so it's medical experiments for the lot of ya :P
(sorry, Monty Python just creeps in sometimes)
err... back to the drawing board.

PS and yes, I did "sudo update-grub" successfully each time

PS-2 - For those running grub-pc it is possible to uncomment the
line, but it is rather useless since with modern PCs and Upstart, text blows by so fast it is implausible that anyone can find this useful. Stick to dmesg.

It is and I installed it and find it a welcome addition to my deep-level toolbox. However, although it does list "lightdm" (which I needed to replace, choosing kdm) and because I never use "gdm", this didn't work for me since kdm is not listed and must therefore be called elsewhere... still looking.

I don't use kde a lot, but try adding "manual" to /etc/init/kdm.override

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Thank you for the tip. I think it may be a step in the right direction but not the whole 9 yards. The upside is that I am learning a lot about Ubuntu (and Upstart), Grub2 and various other .conf files. It has been tedious at times but never really all that dangerous since with either a LiveCD or one of my other distro installs I can fix easily whatever I've broken.

Presently after I create the "/etc/init/kdm.override" file and populate it with "manual" and then following a Ubuntu Forums post which recommends another change, namely removing "splash" from the line in "/etc/default/grub" file and re-running "update-grub", the system gets stuck in a wait state at


Fortunately "Ctl-Alt-Delete" effected a safe reboot. Since I enabled the "'Ctl-Alt-Backspace' = restart xserver" keybind I have most of the tools I need to fix messes.

A side effect of some of the alterations of .conf files is that now the KDM menuitem "'Drop to Console'=Alt-N" now works. It is a welcome tool when one is able to boot to CLI but nerfed considerably as it is, since it means booting to the KDM gui Login Greeter and then dropping back to console (which requires "killall kdm" if one wishes to return to X). So I will keep working on this but tonight I'm tired. So...manana... Ima go play World of Warcraft :P

UPDATE - I'm still wrestling with this though I'm pretty happy that I can at least drop back to CLI by using KDM. However I am nearly furious that for so many years now nobody but XFCE is such a pain in the nether regions to get on the menu. Grrrrrrr!!