Warning this is long and kinda technical! Use at your own risk! I am NOT responsible for ANY damages!
Ok so here is how I did it. Although I can't test it at the moment..I keep getting an error..(grr..updates are NOT suppose to break things!..if that is what caused it.) This was a post I made some time ago (not here).
Read it all the way through first:As you need X Windows to run mame if you want to use a frontend (other than advancemenu) then you need a GUI. Thing is a GUI eats up resources and when you are using a low ram/cpu combo for your mame cab it can be vital to have as much as you can! I was using lubuntu. The desktop environment takes up ram and is hard to hide. It is based on Openbox though so I found out that you can do this to start directly into Attract-Mode:
Go to /home/(your user name)/.config/openbox and create a new document
this is what I have in mine:
#set background
#start attract mode
xsetroot & <- this "blacks the screen (background)
attract <- this starts attract-mode
(you can add other things too but that just makes a simple one to start.) Save the file as 'autostart' My "cab" starts right into attract mode (and starts antimicro) I never see any desktop environment at all!
I tried to change the boot logo so that you don't see "lubuntu" on start up but I just managed to delete it..but at least it's blank! lol hope this helps someone!
More details to help you newbies:
From your package manager look for 'openbox'. Install that and let it install any dependencies if it needs to . After it is installed log out of your desktop. Somewhere (depends on your version of Linux) you can switch desktops. Do so and now log in. With openbox you will see VERY LITTLE that is the point of it. Right click on the desktop. You'll see "terminal emulator" on the top of the context list. Choose that and the terminal will open. At the prompt type "cd .config/openbox" (notice the dot in front of config!) press enter. Once there type 'nano autostart'. In nano type or copy this:
#set background
#start attract mode
xsetroot &
attract Now press ctrl x, then Y, next type autstart for a file name (if it's not there already) last press enter. It should save and you'll be back at the prompt. Now restart linux. When it starts attractmode should come up and you'll never see the desktop.
Now I know there are easier ways in fact i was told that:
It's actually easier than that, and you don't need to install a window manager (like openbox).
Minimal install X11 with the xinitrc package (different for each distro).
$ echo "exec attract" > ~/.xinitrc
$ startx
It was closed before I could answer. Yes that may work. I tired that before I posted this (even openbox takes up resources) However I got MANY errors and AM never loaded (it cried about no openal) also it made MAME run slow as dirt.
Any gripes or problems let me know As always share any better (easier) ideas guys or tell me I am full of it or whatever
Oh! and more can be found here
http://crunchbanglinux.org/wiki/howto/autostart_programs (Yes it will work for this..it's still linux no matter what flavor/distro it is.)
