[NTLUG:Discuss] Re: GUI recomendations -- GUI Frameworks: Session, window and file managers

[Bryan J. Smith]

* Jay Urish <j at unixwolf.net> [050829 15:05]:
> I know this will probably touch off a small flame war,

Not if people respect each other.

Understand there are 3 major components of any GUI framework,
2 are typically optional:  
- Session Manager
- Window Manager (typically required)
- File Manager

The window manager handles the framing and interaction.
The session manager handles the back-end from objects to some
systems even providing services.
The file manager often handles file access and possibly even
the background/desktop aspects, and isn't always just a
discrete program.

Probably the best way to look at this is to put it in Windows
terminology:  

- Session Manager:  Graphical Display Interface (GDI)**
                    with GINA for authentication
- Window Manager:  Explorer.EXE
- File Manager:  Explorer.EXE

**NOTE:  The GDI is used even if you're using Windows
Terminal Services (WTS).  In fact, it's Citrix that came up
with MultiWin for NT 3.51+ (now standard in NT5+/2000+) that
can emulate multiple GDI instances without hardware.  In
NT6/Vista, Avalon and the Windows Graphics Foundation (WGF)
will replace the GDI -- although the GDI is still quite
involved (long story).

> As I get closer to dumping WinBlows and going 100% Linux,
> I am confronted with a myriad of choices for my X
> environment. So far I have lightly looked at
> KDE

- Kparts (DOM), with kdm for authentication
- Konqueror 
- Kwm

TrollTech Qt is the GUI widget set.

> Gnome

- Bonobo (CORBA), with gdm for authentication
- Nautilus
- Metacity (v2+)

GTK+ (GIMP Toolkit Plus) is the GUI widget set.

Newer GNOME developments are adopting the Cairo GPU
(graphical processing unit) framebuffer technology, which is
really nice.  Much faster and cleaner than the traditional
"overlaying 2D in memory with CPU" approach.

The equivalent to Cairo on the MacOS X is QuartzExtreme. 
Microsoft WGF 2.0 will also be similar, although its been
pushed back to late 2007+ (WGF 1.1 in NT6/Vista will be based
on existing DirectX 9.1, and a pig, long story).

> WindowMaker

Window manager-only.
Not sure what file manager is popular with it (?)
I believe it's largely GTK+, maybe some base Xt.

> Enlightenment

Window and file manager, session manager work continuing 
(GNOME compatible too).  Newer developments are adopting the
Cairo as well -- and is more integrated at this point than
GNOME developments from what I've seen.  Used to be the
original GNOME 1.0x window manager.

There is also XFCE, a Common Desktop Environment (CDE -- the
typical commercial UNIX standard) like environment.  It can
actually use GNOME as the session manager.  Otherwise, it has
its own, lighterweight window and file manager.  It's GTK+
based so it looks native to GNOME, even when GNOME components
aren't running.

And there is also ROXFiler, a OS/2 Workplace Shell like
combination Session+File Manager.  It works best with XFCE's
window manager, and to a lesser extent, IceWM.  It actually
is almost entirely Xt based and very lightweight, with a few
GTK+ features.

IceWM is an extremely popular window manager.  It is Xt based
with a few GTK+ features.

> I have used KDE before and am just temped to go with the
> tried and true.

Stick with what you know and like.
Don't worry about anything else.

> Do the others offer features that are to die for?

That's a long story, but I wouldn't overwhelm yourself with
trying out every single session, window and/or file manager.


Lance Simmons <lance at lsimmons.net> wrote:
> I've found ratpoison to be just what I need.  The mouse
> does not interact with the window manager, only with\
> applications that use a mouse.  Once you get your 
> keybindings set up right, you can do everything you want
> with a single keystroke.  Ratpoison abandons the
> "desktop" metaphor completely.

If I'm remembering correctly, Ratpoison adopts a "tab-like"
approach to presentation.  Or am I thinking of another?

In any case, Ratpoison is only a window manager.

Last note:  Just because you're only running a window
manager, or maybe a particular full framework, doesn't mean
you can't run another framework.  E.g., launch a GNOME
application under KDE and GNOME's framework will load (even
if it's not using the GNOME window and/or file managers
visually).


-- 
Bryan J. Smith                | Sent from Yahoo Mail
mailto:b.j.smith at ieee.org     |  (please excuse any
http://thebs413.blogspot.com/ |   missing headers)