Testing a xorg.conf without logging out?

[Alain Cochard]

Paul Kaplan writes:

 > >  > >  > $ startx -- :1
 > >  > >  > this tells X to take another DISPLAY then the default :0.
 > >  >
 > >  > Doesn't this use the default xorg.conf file?
 > >
 > > Well, I guess so, but if that default file is the one you modify,
 > > isn't that OK?
 > 
 > But if you don't restore your original xorg.conf before you have to
 > restart X on display :0 (say X crashes) you might have a
 > non-working X.  (You do have a back up of the original xorg.conf?)

Ah, OK, thanks.  But is it a serious problem is one has a back up of
the original xorg.conf?

 > Check out man Xorg.  It looks like you can specify the xorg.conf
 > file with something like: startx -config <xorg.config_file> -- :1
 > though I've never tried it.

I tried 
     startx -config /etc/X11/xorg.conf_test -- :1 
but it still says that /etc/X11/xorg.conf is used (and if I hide
xorg.conf, then it says config file cannot be found).  Too bad.

Thanks anyway,
Alain