F14 - Changing GDM Background

[Michal Jaegermann]

On Sun, Oct 31, 2010 at 11:21:09AM +0530, Sawrub wrote:
> 
> Setting default GDM background was a little easy till F12 by using the 
> 'Set as Default' button, but i can't see it there now in F14. Please 
> rescue me to change it.

A documentation is exemplary unhelpful here.  At
http://library.gnome.org/admin/gdm/2.32/gdm.html
you can find the following:

<quote>
GDM enables the following gnome-settings-daemon plugins:
a11y-keyboard, background, sound, xsettings.

These are responsible for things like the background image, font and
theme settings, sound events, etc.
</quote>

and that is all.  This "etc." is the most interesting but quite
mysterious.  No word how this is "responsible" or what you can do
with it or maybe how to write and activate your own plugins.
Looking with gconftool-2 you can find:

     /apps/gdm/simple-greeter/settings-manager-plugins/background:
      active = true
      priority = 5

So apparently you can have some background, not of your choice, or
you may have no background.  Similarly with other settings where in
nearly all cases you are "free to choose" between true and false.
AFAIK if you need more flexibility here then your easiest bet is to
recompile on F14 gdm-2.20.11 (no sweat) and use that instead.  Of
course only when you do not need something which your current gdm
supplies but it is missing from 2.20 series.

> Is there any way to set the same for the playmouth, so as to have one 
> background right from the time when booting starts.

Look at various plymouth-theme-* packages (not "playmouth").  You
will likely have to write your own but at least you have source
examples and switching these themes is very easy; but do not forget
initrd rebuilding.

If anybody can tell more about the subject then I am all ears.

   Michal