[Date Prev][Date Next] [Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]

Re: changing desktop manager from gnome to xfce in debian





On Sun, Nov 3, 2019 at 1:05 PM David <bouncingcats@gmail.com> wrote:
On Mon, 4 Nov 2019 at 07:42, Dan Hitt <dan.hitt@gmail.com> wrote:

[...]

> The desktop manager looks different: i think it is gnome, but i'd like it to be xfce.

[...]

>      sudo update-alternatives --config x-window-manager
> switching from (iirc) mutter to lightdm.  Then i rebooted.

Hi,

Your question mentions several things that are different
things:
[1] desktop (also known as desktop environment)
[2] display-manager
[3] window-manager

Your question seems to be failing to notice that they are
different:
- gnome and xfce are desktop environments.
- mutter is a window-manager.
- lightdm is a display-manager.

You also mention "desktop-manager", I don't know what
that thing is.

So it's unclear what you are asking. I suggest you research
the difference between these terms. This will hopefully clarify
your understanding of what you want, and your ability to
describe it in a way that readers here will be able to understand
and help.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desktop_environment
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_display_manager
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_manager


Thanks David!

I was and am confused!

Anyhow, there was a little widget in the login page that let me select the desktop manager ("session" i believe they called it), and now i am in xfce.  (Liam pointed out this out; i received his message while typing this reply.  Thanks Liam!)

I think in your terminology what i meant by "desktop manager" was "desktop environment".

I still would like a programmatic/command-line way of detecting what the desktop.

Anyhow, thank you both, and thanks everybody for your patience!

dan


Reply to: