diff --git a/system/options.nix b/system/options.nix
index 9115cedc7b1..fa3a6f07744 100644
--- a/system/options.nix
+++ b/system/options.nix
@@ -505,6 +505,30 @@
   }
 
   
+  {
+    name = ["services" "xserver" "sessionType"];
+    default = "gnome";
+    example = "xterm";
+    description = "
+      The kind of session to start after login.  Current possibilies
+      are <literal>gnome</literal> (which starts
+      <command>gnome-terminal</command>) and <literal>xterm</literal>
+      (which starts <command>xterm</command>).
+    ";
+  }
+
+  
+  {
+    name = ["services" "xserver" "sessionStarter"];
+    example = "${pkgs.xterm}/bin/xterm -ls";
+    description = "
+      The command executed after login and after the window manager
+      has been started.  Used if
+      <option>services.xserver.sessionType</option> is not empty.
+    ";
+  }
+
+  
   {
     name = ["services" "httpd" "enable"];
     default = false;
diff --git a/system/system.nix b/system/system.nix
index 03ec3b1c3a4..e4c093c5dd2 100644
--- a/system/system.nix
+++ b/system/system.nix
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ rec {
     nixosCheckout
     setuidWrapper
   ]
-  ++ (if config.get ["sound" "enable"] then [pkgs.alsaUtils] else []);
+  ++ pkgs.lib.concatLists (map (job: job.extraPath) upstartJobs.jobs);
 
 
   # We don't want to put all of `startPath' and `path' in $PATH, since
diff --git a/system/upstart.nix b/system/upstart.nix
index eb185a2b204..0a00a1ba31f 100644
--- a/system/upstart.nix
+++ b/system/upstart.nix
@@ -125,8 +125,8 @@ import ../upstart-jobs/gather.nix {
   ++ optional ["services" "xserver" "enable"]
     (import ../upstart-jobs/xserver.nix {
       inherit config;
-      inherit (pkgs) stdenv writeText lib xterm slim xorg mesa compiz;
-      inherit (pkgs.gnome) metacity GConf;
+      inherit (pkgs) stdenv writeText lib xterm slim xorg mesa
+        gnome compiz feh;
       fontDirectories = import ./fonts.nix {inherit pkgs;};
     })
 
@@ -201,6 +201,8 @@ import ../upstart-jobs/gather.nix {
   ++ (map makeJob (config.get ["services" "extraJobs"]))
 
   # For the built-in logd job.
-  ++ [pkgs.upstart];
+  ++ [
+    (pkgs.upstart // {extraPath = [];})
+  ];
   
 }
diff --git a/upstart-jobs/alsa.nix b/upstart-jobs/alsa.nix
index 1b018b2259a..ea6b1c557b2 100644
--- a/upstart-jobs/alsa.nix
+++ b/upstart-jobs/alsa.nix
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ in
   
 {
   name = "alsa";
+
+  extraPath = [alsaUtils];
   
   job = "
 start on hardware-scan
diff --git a/upstart-jobs/make-job.nix b/upstart-jobs/make-job.nix
index 630ae1d83e1..457336c8f20 100644
--- a/upstart-jobs/make-job.nix
+++ b/upstart-jobs/make-job.nix
@@ -1,4 +1,14 @@
 {runCommand}: job:
 
-runCommand job.name {inherit (job) job;}
-  "ensureDir $out/etc/event.d; echo \"$job\" > $out/etc/event.d/$name"
+(
+  runCommand job.name {inherit (job) job;}
+    "ensureDir $out/etc/event.d; echo \"$job\" > $out/etc/event.d/$name"
+)
+
+//
+
+# Allow jobs to declare extra packages that should be added to the
+# system path.
+{
+  extraPath = if job ? extraPath then job.extraPath else [];
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/upstart-jobs/udev-rules/50-udev.rules b/upstart-jobs/udev-rules/50-udev.rules
index 9b12e9b3e38..cb375103de3 100644
--- a/upstart-jobs/udev-rules/50-udev.rules
+++ b/upstart-jobs/udev-rules/50-udev.rules
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ KERNEL=="uinput",               NAME="input/%k", MODE="0600"
 
 # Create a symlink for the CD-ROM device.
 KERNEL=="hd[a-z]", BUS=="ide", SYSFS{removable}=="1", SYSFS{device/media}=="cdrom", SYMLINK+="cdrom cdrom-%k"
+KERNEL=="sr[0-9]", BUS=="scsi", SYMLINK+="cdrom cdrom-%k"
 
 
 # ALSA sound devices.
diff --git a/upstart-jobs/xserver.conf b/upstart-jobs/xserver.conf
index 34f507a2c35..0a655dd5e86 100644
--- a/upstart-jobs/xserver.conf
+++ b/upstart-jobs/xserver.conf
@@ -78,3 +78,8 @@ EndSection
 Section "Extensions"
   Option       "Composite" "Enable"
 EndSection
+
+
+Section "DRI"
+  Mode         0666 # !!! FIX THIS!
+EndSection
diff --git a/upstart-jobs/xserver.nix b/upstart-jobs/xserver.nix
index f97c4f00174..810df848283 100644
--- a/upstart-jobs/xserver.nix
+++ b/upstart-jobs/xserver.nix
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-{ stdenv, writeText, lib, xorg, mesa, xterm, slim, metacity, GConf, compiz
+{ stdenv, writeText, lib, xorg, mesa, xterm, slim, gnome
+, compiz, feh
 
 , config
 
@@ -20,11 +21,19 @@ let
   optional = condition: x: if condition then [x] else [];
 
 
+  # Get a bunch of user settings.
   videoDriver = getCfg "videoDriver";
-
   resolutions = map (res: "\"${toString res.x}x${toString res.y}\"") (getCfg "resolutions");
-
   windowManager = getCfg "windowManager";
+  sessionType = getCfg "sessionType";
+  sessionStarter = getCfg "sessionStarter";
+
+
+  sessionCmd =
+    if sessionType == "" then sessionStarter else
+    if sessionType == "xterm" then "${xterm}/bin/xterm -ls" else
+    if sessionType == "gnome" then "${gnome.gnometerminal}/bin/gnome-terminal" else
+    abort ("unknown session type "+ sessionType);
 
 
   modules = [
@@ -65,28 +74,54 @@ let
 
 
   clientScript = writeText "xclient" "
+
+    exec > $HOME/.Xerrors 2>&1
+  
+
+    ### Start a window manager.
+  
     ${if windowManager == "twm" then "
     ${xorg.twm}/bin/twm &
     "
 
     else if windowManager == "metacity" then "
     # !!! Hack: load the schemas for Metacity.
-    GCONF_CONFIG_SOURCE=xml::~/.gconf ${GConf}/bin/gconftool-2 --makefile-install-rule ${metacity}/etc/gconf/schemas/*.schemas
-    ${metacity}/bin/metacity &
+    GCONF_CONFIG_SOURCE=xml::~/.gconf ${gnome.GConf}/bin/gconftool-2 \\
+      --makefile-install-rule ${gnome.metacity}/etc/gconf/schemas/*.schemas
+    ${gnome.metacity}/bin/metacity &
     "
 
     else if windowManager == "compiz" then "
+    
     # !!! Hack: load the schemas for Compiz.
-    GCONF_CONFIG_SOURCE=xml::~/.gconf ${GConf}/bin/gconftool-2 --makefile-install-rule ${compiz}/etc/gconf/schemas/*.schemas
-    ${GConf}/bin/gconftool-2 -t list --list-type=string --set /apps/compiz/general/allscreens/options/active_plugins [gconf,png,decoration,wobbly,fade,minimize,move,resize,cube,switcher,rotate,place,scale,water,zoom]
+    GCONF_CONFIG_SOURCE=xml::~/.gconf ${gnome.GConf}/bin/gconftool-2 \\
+      --makefile-install-rule ${compiz}/etc/gconf/schemas/*.schemas
+
+    # !!! Hack: turn on most Compiz modules.
+    ${gnome.GConf}/bin/gconftool-2 -t list --list-type=string \\
+      --set /apps/compiz/general/allscreens/options/active_plugins \\
+      [gconf,png,decoration,wobbly,fade,minimize,move,resize,cube,switcher,rotate,place,scale,water,zoom]
+
+    # Start Compiz and the GTK-style window decorator.
     ${compiz}/bin/compiz gconf &
     ${compiz}/bin/gtk-window-decorator &
     "
 
     else abort ("unknown window manager "+ windowManager)}
+
+
+    ### Show a background image.
+    if test -e $HOME/.background-image; then
+      ${feh}/bin/feh --bg-scale $HOME/.background-image
+    fi
     
-    ${xterm}/bin/xterm -ls
-  ";
+
+    ### Start a 'session' (right now, this is just a terminal).
+    # !!! yes, this means that you 'log out' by killing the X server.
+    while ${sessionCmd}; do
+      sleep 1  
+    done
+  "; # */ <- hack to fix syntax highlighting
 
 
   xserverArgs = [
@@ -98,6 +133,7 @@ let
     ":${toString display}" "vt${toString tty}"
   ];
 
+  
   # Note: lines must not be indented.
   slimConfig = writeText "slim.cfg" "
 xauth_path ${xorg.xauth}/bin/xauth
@@ -113,22 +149,48 @@ in
 rec {
   name = "xserver";
 
+  
+  extraPath = [
+    xorg.xrandr
+    feh
+  ]
+  ++ optional (windowManager == "twm") [
+    xorg.twm
+  ]
+  ++ optional (windowManager == "metacity") [
+    gnome.metacity
+  ]
+  ++ optional (windowManager == "compiz") [
+    compiz
+  ]
+  ++ optional (sessionType == "xterm") [
+    xterm
+  ]
+  ++ optional (sessionType == "gnome") [
+    gnome.gnometerminal
+    gnome.GConf
+    gnome.gconfeditor
+  ];
+
+    
   job = "
     #start on network-interfaces
 
     start script
       rm -f /var/state/opengl-driver
       ${if getCfg "driSupport"
-      then "ln -sf ${mesa} /var/state/opengl-driver"
-      else ""}
+        then "ln -sf ${mesa} /var/state/opengl-driver"
+        else ""
+      }
     end script
 
     env SLIM_CFGFILE=${slimConfig}
     env FONTCONFIG_FILE=/etc/fonts/fonts.conf # !!! cleanup
 
     ${if getCfg "driSupport"
-    then "env XORG_DRI_DRIVER_PATH=${mesa}/lib/modules/dri"
-    else ""}
+      then "env XORG_DRI_DRIVER_PATH=${mesa}/lib/modules/dri"
+      else ""
+    }
 
     exec ${slim}/bin/slim
   ";