Joe Giles said: > List, > I have been using Linux for a while, and I have used Gnome and KDE > primarily. I wish to now broaden my horizons and try a different > Desktop. Is there other desktops besides Gnome and KDE. I read about > Window managers, but is this the same thing? Once I install it, will they > come up in my Log in window as an option to log into like Gnome and KDE? > Can I run apps that normally run on KDE and Gnome, like Evolution and > GKRellm? >
I've been using afterstep for the past 3 years or so. I started with fvwm95 back in '96 then moved to KDE when it first hit beta back in maybe 97 or 98, then switched to afterstep after that. KDE and GNOME include window managers but they are much more then that. They are considered desktop enviornemnts, and there are a couple other desktop enviornments available. CDE is a commonly used one in the commercial UNIX world(as far as I know its not free, you would have to get it from a company like Xinside), it's not that great though. Desktop enviornments provide a more complete user experience which generally includes common interfaces between apps (coded for the particular enviornment), built in tools such as a file manager, desktop(icons on desktop and stuff), configuration tools for the enviornment and a lot more. Many window managers don't have the fancy bells and whistles. Configuration is usually done by hand(in config files), and they don't usually include many(if any) other applications. Windowmaker is a very popular window manager, Enlightenment is too. afterstep is not as popular(one reason why I chose it back in the day is because not many used it). Windowmaker looks a lot like afterstep and behaves much like afterste. I believe it is also more flexible and more actively maintained. If you add a new window manager, you probably have to configure your display manager(GDM, KDM etc) to show an option to load it. You can visit this page: http://www.plig.org/xwinman/ to find more info about desktop enviornments and window managers, I'm suprised it's still up, I last used it 3-4-5 years ago. I have gotten very used to afterstep and probably won't change again for the foreseeable future. Many of the features may be integrated into other window managers as well, but in some cases they don't behave the same way. - activate on mouse over (but do NOT raise the application to foreground) - drag windows between virtual desktops(my desktop at work had 30 virtual desktops, my desktop at home has about 10) - window shading - 2 clicks to generate a screenshot or a windowshot - 2 clicks to kill any X application - able to move apps out of the way, even if it means placing them halfway inbetween 2 desktops - fast - lightweight - stable(I've never had it crash, ever) - left click on desktop to get the "start" menu - right click on desktop to get a list of running apps(click on the app and it switches to it) - customizable virtual desktops(you can have virtual desktops in "groups", I prefer 1 large virtual desktop, you can arrange them in many different orders) - fun dock apps to play with(though I rarely use them anymore people are always facinated it seems by the dock apps I have running with the various meters and flashing lights) many people I talk to don't like or need the above features. It's funny though, people don't realize they need something until they have it. I had no need to do most of the above 5 years ago, but now I find it frustrating to use systems that don't have it(or don't have it configured). it's a simple window manager, no bells and whistles. and even further I am not running the current version, I am running the same one I was running more then 2 years ago(1.6). Because the newer version changed some behaviors that I liked in the older one, so I recompiled and stuck to the older one. It's a self contained application unlike a desktop enviornment, and can co-exist peacefully(nothing else depends upon it, and it doesn't depend on anything special either). If you were for some reason wanting to run KDE 1 you may have some trouble getting it to co-exist with the rest of the system(probably not impossible, but not nearly as easy as with a simple windowmanger). currently my desktop is quite bare, its 1600x1200 and if there is no app on the screen the only thing visible is the wallpaper and a little 1"x1" clock in the lower right corner(the dock spends most of it's time collapsed). sometimes I even remove the wharf/dock entirely. a screenshot of my desktop that I took a year ago(1200x1024): http://portal.aphroland.org/images/x-desktop-screenshot-05-09-2001.jpg shows one of my more active sessions. I had 30 virtual desktops since the machine was so stable(at it's peak uptime of 385 days, till a 3 hour power outage killed the UPS battery). So I stayed logged in for long periods of time(xlock had a timeout of 1 minute). tuning a window manager is not a fast and easy task, it took me several hours over the years tweaking afterstep to the way I like. nate -- redhat-list mailing list unsubscribe mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?subject=unsubscribe https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/redhat-list
