tbsm

TBSM (TUI Boot Selection Menu) is a text-based boot selection menu for choosing desktop environments on TTY.

Features

• Text-based interface for selecting desktop environments
• NEW: Wayland session support (in addition to X11)
• Displays system information (user, kernel, time, distro, uptime)
• Configurable appearance and behavior
• NEW: PIN login support for added security
• NEW: Improved error handling and validation
• Test mode for previewing the menu

Usage

By default, TBSM runs on any TTY you start it on, even if an X server is already running. This allows you to switch to a different TTY (e.g., Ctrl+Alt+F2) and start a different desktop environment without logging out of your current session.

To restore the original behavior (only run on VT1 when no X server is running), set restrictToVT1=1 in the config file.

Command Line Options

# Test mode - preview the menu without starting a session
./tbsm -t
./tbsm --test-mode

# Setup PIN login
./tbsm --setup-pin

# Disable PIN login
./tbsm --disable-pin

# Show help
./tbsm -h
./tbsm --help

Configuration

Configuration is stored in ~/.config/tbsm/config. The file is automatically created with default values on first run.

Configuration Options

# PIN Login Settings
enablePinLogin=0          # Set to 1 to enable PIN login
userPin=""                # Set your PIN (recommended: numbers only)

# Display Options
showStatus=1              # Show system status
showUserAtHost=1          # Show user@hostname
showLinuxVersion=1        # Show kernel version
showTime=1                # Show current time
showLinuxDistName=1       # Show distribution name
showUptime=1              # Show system uptime

# Session Options
runXinitrc=0              # Run .xinitrc/.xsession if present
enableWayland=1           # Enable Wayland session support
restrictToVT1=0           # Set to 1 to only run on VT1, 0 to run on any TTY

Setting Up PIN Login

Method 1: Using the setup command (recommended)

./tbsm --setup-pin

Follow the prompts to enter and confirm your PIN.

Method 2: Manual configuration

Edit ~/.config/tbsm/config:

enablePinLogin=1
userPin="1234"

Replace 1234 with your desired PIN.

Security Notes

• PIN login provides basic protection against unauthorized access
• The PIN is stored in plain text in the config file
• For stronger security, consider using full disk encryption or a display manager with proper authentication
• After 3 failed PIN attempts, the user is returned to the shell

Wayland Support

TBSM now supports Wayland sessions alongside X11 sessions. The script automatically:

• Scans /usr/share/xsessions/ for X11 sessions
• Scans /usr/share/wayland-sessions/ for Wayland sessions (if enabled)
• Detects the session type and uses the appropriate startup method
• Starts Wayland compositors directly without X11

To disable Wayland support, set enableWayland=0 in the config file.

Running on Any TTY

By default, TBSM is configured to run on any TTY, even if an X server is already running. This allows you to:

• Switch to a different TTY (e.g., Ctrl+Alt+F2) and start a different desktop environment
• Test multiple desktop environments without logging out
• Use TBSM alongside an existing X session

When starting a session while another X server is running, TBSM will display a note but continue with the session launch.

To restore the original behavior (only run on VT1 when no X server is running), set restrictToVT1=1 in the config file.

Requirements

• Bash
• Linux system with X11
• Desktop environment .desktop files in /usr/share/xsessions/

License

See LICENSE file for details.