Re: [tlug] Replacing the WM in Gnome 2.24

[Curt Sampson <cjs@example.com>]

On 2009-02-21 13:35 +0900 (Sat), Wayne wrote:

> ...and not only choose what DE to start from the GDM log-in
> screen but can also choose what DM to use with Gnome.

Can you explain in more detail what you think a DE and DM are? I suspect
that differing terminology may be confusing us.

I'm would guess that a DM stands for "desktop manager," and a DM is
something like nautilus, which is what displays icons on the desktop.
I've never really thought of a name for that myself, but given that it
runs standalone as well, and pops up Windows-Explorer-like windows for
file management, I would have thought of it as a "file manager."

I don't want one of these at all.

A DE I would guess is a "desktop environment," which in my mind would
be a combination of session manager, window manager, file manager,
and various other bits such as toolbars (gnome-panel, in the case of
gnome). I don't want the standard gnome combination of these; I want
only gnome-session and the toolbar. (And, of course, the use of a few
other programs that interact with the session manager.)

> I had all on my test machine and tried Gnome with alternative DMs...
> First you have to input your user name at the log-in screen then at
> the bottom the desktop choices appear...

Oh, you put in your login name *first*! That's why I didn't see the box;
I'm used to the Ubuntu style where you can pick the environment before
entering your login name.

BTW, from a security point of view, I also prefer the way Ubuntu makes
you type your login name, rather than presenting a list of users on the
system.

On 2009-02-21 00:06 -0500 (Sat), Scott Robbins wrote:

> I think that most of the desktop oriented distributions, however, are
> getting more and more tied into their DE's, to the point where each
> version makes it a bit harder to customize.  

Yeah, ouch.

I'm wondering if I should try using KDE's session manager instead. I'm
sure that switching users and all of that works with it, right? How
about having a dock-like thing where, for example, you can see battery
status, and have Pidgin flash when there's a new IM for you, and so on.
Does that work all the same in KDE as it does in Gnome?

Actually, the best for me, if I can get it working, would be to go back
to using a straight .xsession and setting up everything myself. What I'm
not clear on is how I'd get all the cool features such as the panels
things can dock in and user switching, since my understanding was that
much this and the communications necessary for it was taken care of by
the session manager. Perhaps there's another minimal session manager I
should be trying instead? Would gnome-panel or something equivalant work
under such a minimal session manager?

cjs
-- 
Curt Sampson       <cjs@example.com>        +81 90 7737 2974
           Functional programming in all senses of the word:
                   http://www.starling-software.com