Re: New user need some help

[Kent West <westk@acu.edu>]

Ken Walker wrote:
> apt-get install x-windows-system
> apt-get install 'whatever gui you want' such as icewm or fluxbox or kde or
> .....................................
> startx
>
> when you reboot you will have a gui login window and that will then take you
> strait into your chosen windows manager.
>   
Not necessarily. The GUI login window (kdm, gdm, xdm, or wdm) does not
get installed by default with Icewm or fluxbox, as I recall. It does get
installed with KDE and Gnome.  So sometimes "yes", sometimes "no".

But if you don't have a gui login window, you can still use "startx"
manually.

The command "apt-get install x-window-system" (note the lack of an "s"
on "window"),  or "aptitude install x-window-system" (preferred by some
to apt-get, but does much the same thing) will install a basic,
functional GUI, the X Window System. However, it does not install either
of the two most popular "skins"on top of X, KDE or Gnome, nor does it
install some of the other popular "skins" (more properly called "window
managers" or "desktop environments", depending on which "skin" you're
discussing) such as Icewm or fluxbox. That's the purpose of the second
command, "apt-get install kde" or "aptitude install gnome" or "aptitude
install icewm" or "apt-get install fluxbox" etc etc etc. If you install
KDE, the gui login window (kdm) also gets installed, and it will have a
pull-down menu to select which window manager / desktop environment (wm
/ de) you wish to log into (provided you've installed multiple
wm's/de's. So, if you have plenty of drive space, and want to experiment
with several different wm's/de's, you can "aptitude install
x-window-system kde gnome icewm fluxbox metacity ion" (and etc etc; run
"apt-cache search window | grep manager" for a more complete listing of
possible wm's).

-- 
Kent