`ph`

Launch the Photon window system

Syntax:

ph [-c] [-n name] [-s] [-v]

-c: Open a terminal "dittoed" to the console.
-n name: Use the device name to start Photon (defaults to /dev/photon). Use this option if you must run more than one Photon window system on a single node.
-s: Safe mode. Use this option if Photon doesn't display correctly on start up. This option forces Photon to start in 16-color VGA mode.
-v: Be verbose.

The ph utility is a shell script that starts the Photon window system. The script starts the following as required:

Starts the font manager
Photon (Photon server)
crttrap to detect the graphics hardware and start the appropriate graphics driver
inputtrap to detect the input hardware and start Input
pwm (Photon Window Manager)
pdm (Photon Desktop Manager)
If you have a $HOME/.photon/phapps script file, Photon launches the executables listed in this file. This is a good place to put applications that you want to start each time Photon boots.

Start Photon:

ph

$HOME/.photon/phapps: Contains a user's list of applications for Photon to launch automatically when it starts.

The ph command sets or uses these environment variables:

ABLPATH: If a language or path to the translations directory isn't set, it will be assigned to PHOTON_PATH/translations.
LOGNAME: If this environment variable isn't set (such as when ph is run in the sysinit file), ph runs phlogin, a QNX login program for Photon.
PATH: Include the directories containing the Photon executables.
PHEXIT_DISABLE: Turn off phlogin's Exit button.
PHFONT: Set the registered name of the font server (e.g. /dev/phfont).
PHFONTOPTS: Pass options to the font server.
PHOTON: Name of the Photon device (usually /dev/photon; the -n option overrides this.
PHOTON_PATH: Name of the root directory containing Photon files (usually /usr/photon).
PHPDM_DISABLE: Turn off pdm.
PHWM: Name of Photon Window Manager to start (defaults to pwm).
PHWMOPTS: Specify options for pwm.