To boot or not to boot (in graphics mode), that is the question.

Before we start talking about the different windows managers and desktop environments that are available for Linux, let's first see how our bare-bones X-Window setup is working. Some X programs don't need a windows manager to run, so let's try a simple experiment with one of them. Type this in your terminal window:

xinit /usr/X11R6/bin/xedit

This will fire up a simple text editor called 'xedit'. You can try writing something and pushing the buttons. When you push 'quit', you'll notice you go back to your standard terminal. Try the same with an x-terminal:

xinit /usr/X11R6/bin/xterm

Type in a few commands. Then type 'exit'. Your x-term session ends and your back in your terminal.

There isn't any practical reason to use X-Window in this way. It's better to use its powerful capabilities with a full-featured windows manager and desktop environment.

Before we go on to talk about choosing a windows manager that suits you, we should talk about how you want your computer to boot. Do you want it to go directly to a graphical environment or do you want your machine to boot into text mode where you would then issue the 'startx' command? If you want graphics mode right away, then you need to have a program like xdm, which will start your windows manager of choice, or 'kdm' or 'gdm' which will start KDE or GNOME, two desktop environments that we'll talk about a little later.

The decision to startup graphically is made when you first install Linux. If you found that you've changed your mind; that is, you now want to startup graphically or vice-versa, you can usually change this with your distribution's tools.

You can change the start-up behavior by going to your /etc/ directory and changing a file. The file name will depend on your distribution. With SuSE, for example, it is the file called rc.config. You should change the line:

DISPLAYMANAGER=""

to:

DISPLAYMANAGER="xdm"

You may also use 'kdm' or 'gdm' here. Make sure that your CHECK_INITTAB setting is "yes"

In the case of RedHat and RedHat based distributions (Mandrake, KRUD), you'll need to change the file /etc/inittab. In the line: id:3:initdefault:, the number 3 needs to be changed to a 5

As I mentioned, if you want to do just the opposite, change the default graphical login to a text mode login (something which I recommend), just reverse all those changes above. If you decided not to use a graphical login, you may want to un-install 'xdm' (or gdm/kdm).

Well, now that we're clear on whether to use a graphical start-up or not, let's explore some of the possibilities for your Linux desktop.

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