desktop file isn't loaded at startup

[Eric Hanchrow]

I created a desktop file like this:

$ cd
$ /usr/local/src/emacs-cvs/src/emacs -Q -nw
C-x C-f find-file RET /tmp/x RET
M-x desktop-save RET /~/ RET
C-x C-x

Note that I do have a file named /tmp/x, and that it's readable by me.

I confirmed that the desktop file existed and had reasonable-looking
contents:

$ cd
$ head .emacs.desktop

    ;; -*- mode: emacs-lisp; coding: emacs-mule; -*-
    ;; 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ;; Desktop File for Emacs
    ;; 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ;; Created Fri Aug 11 10:35:27 2006
    ;; Desktop file format version 206
    ;; Emacs version 22.0.50.1

    ;; Global section:
    (setq desktop-missing-file-warning nil)

I started Emacs once again:

$ /usr/local/src/emacs-cvs/src/emacs -Q -nw

I then checked to see if the file /tmp/x had been loaded; it hadn't.
I looked in the *Messages* buffer for evidence of the desktop having
gotten loaded, but I didn't see any; I merely saw

    (/usr/local/src/emacs-cvs/src/emacs -Q)
    Loading encoded-kb...done
    For information about the GNU Project and its goals, type C-h C-p.

I suspect the manual is simply wrong when it says 

    When Emacs starts, it looks for a saved desktop in the current
    directory.

If emacs crashed, and you have the emacs process in the gdb debugger,
please include the output from the following gdb commands:
    `bt full' and `xbacktrace'.
If you would like to further debug the crash, please read the file
/usr/local/src/emacs-cvs/etc/DEBUG for instructions.


In GNU Emacs 22.0.50.1 (i686-pc-linux-gnu, X toolkit, Xaw3d scroll bars)
 of 2006-07-27 on debian
configured using `configure '--enable-maintainer-mode''

Important settings:
  value of $LC_ALL: nil
  value of $LC_COLLATE: nil
  value of $LC_CTYPE: nil
  value of $LC_MESSAGES: nil
  value of $LC_MONETARY: nil
  value of $LC_NUMERIC: nil
  value of $LC_TIME: nil
  value of $LANG: en_US.UTF-8
  locale-coding-system: utf-8
  default-enable-multibyte-characters: t

Major mode: Lisp Interaction

Minor modes in effect:
  encoded-kbd-mode: t
  menu-bar-mode: t
  file-name-shadow-mode: t
  global-font-lock-mode: t
  font-lock-mode: t
  unify-8859-on-encoding-mode: t
  utf-translate-cjk-mode: t
  auto-compression-mode: t
  line-number-mode: t

Recent input:
ESC x r e p o e DEL r t - e m a c s - b u g RET

Recent messages:
(/usr/local/src/emacs-cvs/src/emacs -Q)
Loading encoded-kb...done
For information about the GNU Project and its goals, type C-h C-p.
Loading emacsbug...
Loading regexp-opt...done
Loading emacsbug...done