For example, the gnome desktop provides apps like nautilus, a built in file manager. Providing libraries and specifications that applications use and follow in order to play nice with other applications. A range of guis are possible with red hat enterprise linux, from the rudimentary tab window manager to the highly developed, interactive gnome desktop environment most red hat enterprise linux users. A desktop environment generally includes a suite of applications that are tightly integrated so that all applications are aware of one another. By derrik diener posted on mar, 2015 mar 10, 2015 in linux. The buttons, widgets, title bars, mouse cursor, and so forth are all courtesy of the window manager and desktop environment toolkits. Jan 23, 2020 when it comes to desktop environments, theres no exception. For a while, gnome and kde enjoyed the status of the most popular linux desktop environments. Enlightenment, afterstep, fvwm, fluxbox, icewm, etc. They are also usually associated with a window manager. On a system that offers a desktop environment, a window manager in conjunction with applications written using a widget toolkit are generally responsible for most of what the user sees. Do not confuse your linux window managers with your desktop environment because the desktop manager is something that basically contains windows toolbars, wallpapers, desktop widget, folders and icons and these usually afford you a collection of applications and some libraries so that you can operate your computer in a cohesive way. Its ubiquity has led to making it an everpresent requisite for gui applications, resulting in massive adoption from. Windows managers vs login managers vs display managers vs.
Difference between a window manager and a desktop environment. Mate tweaking your choice of linux desktop environment can speed things up a lot. There is a single panel at the bottom, a stylish menu with quick launch icons, and a system tray in the bottom right corner. Window manager vs desktop environment so i use arch with kde plasma atm, but i see everyone on here raving about i3 gaps, etc. So a window manager is one part of a desktop environment. Not all window managers have fully fledged desktop environments, however for new users to. While some window managers can, by design, take the place of a desktop environment, many of the features normally found in a desktop environment will not be included. The difference between window managers and desktop environments is pretty simple. Linux vs windows find out the 9 most awesome differences. Blackbox is the original, openbox and fluxbox are forks blackbox is comparable to jwm, and loads in about 3mb of memory. Aug 31, 2016 one exciting aspect of linux unlike with windows and mac os x, is its support for numerous number of desktop environments, this has enabled desktop users to choose the appropriate and most suitable desktop environment to best work with, according to their computing needs. Window managers vs window shell environments due to the fact that some people use window manager and desktop shell interchangeably, im not quite sure exactly what the distinction is. Debian supports all kinds of graphical environments from fullyfeatured desktop environments like gnome and plasma, to lighter environments like xfce and lxde, to even lighter window managers like openbox and tiling window managers like wmii. Microsoft windows is incapable of natively running x applications.
But trying out each and every desktop environments is a very timeconsuming and tiring task. For example, gnome desktop shell used to use enlightenment as its window manager. However, if a window manager comes bundled with other packages or the package contains a window manager, then that is a desktop environment. I definitely prefer tiling window managers to dynamicstacking window managers, and the latter to desktop environments. Jan 18, 2018 in this video we take a look at i3wm and the power and productivity that comes with this powerful windows manager that can be used as a desktop environment. The desktop environment typically is a far more fully integrated system than a window manager. This article applies to operating systems which are capable of running the x window system, mostly unix and unixlike operating systems such as linux. Desktop environments usually provide taskbars, utilities, libraries, and other features. Some, however, mimic the integration found in desktop environments closely although there is a caveat. Comparison of x window system desktop environments wikipedia.
Desktop environment vs window manager, what is the. A guide to window managers and desktops for unix and linux. In this video we take a look at i3wm and the power and productivity that comes with this powerful windows manager that can be used as a desktop environment. The difference between window managers and desktop environments. Understanding this difference may help linux users better understand their system and software. A desktop environment includes a window manager, but it also provides some other goodies, like a file manager similar to the windows explorer for the mac finder and other small applications. It is primarily targeted at power users, developers and any people dealing with every day computing tasks and who want to have finegrained control on their graphical environment. The x window system differs from other gui implementations in a few key ways. If i remember correctly fluxbox is the default one, and the system monitor on the right is conky.
Linux is more reliable then windows as in linux we. Aug 08, 2018 linux is all about what you want and having it from the ocean of free and open source software. The desktop environment has its own manager where compositing. This question in particular consists of all types of window managers, not to be confused with desktop environments. The basis of this desktop environment is the openbox window manager. Linux is all about choice, and nothing illustrates this better than the graphical user interface. It is also capable of presenting menus and options to the user. Its entirely possible to use a different window manager that comes out of the box with a desktop environment 5 great linux desktop environments you havent heard of there are lots of linux desktop environments out there including some great ones you. A desktop environment brings together assorted x clients that can be run together using similar methods, utilizing a common development environment desktop environments are different from window managers, which only control the appearance and placement of x client windows.
Feb 22, 2018 here are the best window managers out there for wayland running on gnu linux the big switch from x11 to wayland is already underway, but you might not even notice, unless youre using a big desktop environment like gnome. The difference between window managers and desktop environments is pretty simple like. Desktop environment vs window manager, what is the difference. The most popular desktop environments for unix linux are. Fluxbox is a window manager, not a desktop environment, dsl just lets you choose which one you want, fluxbox or jwm. With it, users can get a very basic desktop environment, and build on top of it. A fundamental part of a desktop environment is the window manager. Moksha is the natural choice as a window manager in bodhi linux, as it fits in perfectly with two of the most important bodhi linux ideals. I posted a question and noticed people werent distinguishing correctly between many of these things. For information on the customization of the gnome and kde desktop environments, see the official red hat linux getting started guide. Cinnamon is the default desktop environment for linux mint and its one of the main reasons why mint is so popular.
How to install and use another desktop environment on linux. Enlightenment still produces this window manager, but it has evolved to also cover mobile, wearable and tv ui requirements for projects such as tizen as well as the traditional desktop ui. What is the difference between desktop environment, window. Its important to note the difference between desktop environments and window managers. The disclaimer is no one can affirm what the best desktop environments are since the choice is based on individual needs and tastes, this article lists some desktop environments currently remain unused like fluxbox because i consider it great, sadly the linux community disagreed. It doesnt have to be gnome here are the best window managers out there for wayland running on gnu linux the big switch from x11 to wayland is already underway, but you might not even notice, unless youre using a big desktop environment like gnome. A nextgen lightweight desktop environment born from the merge of the razorqt and lxde projects. The openbox window manager is very popular, and is used in many different desktop environments. A memory comparison of light linux desktops l3net a layer. Different desktop environments use different window managers. A lightweight window manager desktop environment for linux and unixlike operating systems. Xorg is the most popular display server among linux users. The window manager supports the user interactions with the environment, while the toolkit provides developers a software library for applications with a unified look and behavior. In summary, a window manager is just a window manager.
If youre ready to shake things up on the desktop, weve got five of the best alternatives for you to choose from. Their purpose is to draw windows, borders, buttons etc. Desktop environment the first thing youll want to decide is whether you want a traditional, fullblown window environment or just a window manager. I was on i3 for about a month until a couple days ago i decided to sit down and work with dwm. It is very fast, extensible and licensed under the gnu gplv2 license. Switching desktop environments is as simple as installing a software package and selecting your preferred environment on the login screen, known as a display manager. A memory comparison of light linux desktops part 2 66 replies in my previous article ive tried to investigate the ram memory requirements for running some of the most common light window managers and desktop environments available in the linux world. Picking a window manager in linux october 30, 2012. For users of the much loved linux distro, arch linux. Apr 05, 2015 some linux newbies and more experienced users often wonder about the specific difference between desktop environments and window managers such as twm or the i3 tiling window manager.
What is the difference between a desktop environment and a. This tutorial will definitely help both a newbie and advanced user to get the best one for the system. Some linux newbies and more experienced users often wonder about the specific difference between desktop environments and window. A desktop environment such as xfce, kde, gnome, etc. I call these choices mainstream because they are the window managers and desktop environments that most often ship by default in the most popular linux distributions, same ones that typically aim for ease of use, attractive appearance, and powerful features. Kde has kwin, gnome 2 has metacity, gnome 3 has mutter, and xfce has xfwm. Openbox is rarely used standalone, it is however the window manager of choice in a number of other desktop environments such as gnome, kde and lxde. Window managers only take care of application windows. For example, fluxbox states kde support in its feature list. Apr 09, 20 a memory comparison of light linux desktops part 2 66 replies in my previous article ive tried to investigate the ram memory requirements for running some of the most common light window managers and desktop environments available in the linux world. Linux will run faster than windows latest editions even with a modern desktop environment and features of the operating system whereas windows are slow on older hardware. A window manager creates a certain way for application windows to present. The mate desktop environment, a fork of gnome 2, is comparable to xfce in its use of ram and processor cycles, but is often considered more as an alternative to other lightweight desktop environments.
Jan 26, 2011 gnome and kde are the most popular desktop environments for linux by a mile, but theyre not the only games in town. Should you use a window manager as your desktop environment. Most desktop environment currently rely on xorg x window system, and will eventually support wayland. Linux desktop environments are the graphical interfaces used to interact with the operating system. Currently, kde uses kwm though nobody calls it by that, the kde window manager. Jan 23, 2020 in this video i discuss some of the differences between desktop environments and window managers, and some of my advantages by using a window manager. A window manager controls the placement and decoration of windows. That is far less than most modern window managers, not to mention complete desktop environments. Here, weve created a list of the best desktop environments available for linux distros along with their pros and cons for you. Window managers only take care of application windows themselves how they look, what buttons are shown minimize, close, how they are arranged, etc. Desktop environments and window managers once an xfree86 server is running, x client applications can connect to it and create a gui for the user.
This article applies to operating systems which are capable of running the x window system, mostly unix and unixlike operating systems such as linux, minix, illumos, solaris, aix, freebsd and mac os x. Some desktop environments and window managers claim that they support applications made for other desktop environments explicitly. Desktop environments utilize window managers to provide the consistency in appearance between different applications. Conveniently, for all of these, you can change the default window manager to something else, which is what ive been doing for a while. In this article, ill go over what a window manager is, as well as what a desktop environment is. Download linux software in the window managers category. If you want a more minimalist approach to your interface, you can just stick with a window manager.
Started long back in 1996 as a project to build a window manager for x11, enlightenment, or simply called e, provides a graphical shell that can be used along with desktop environments like kde. Dec 09, 2008 the most recent iteratio of enlightenment includes many of the elements usually found only desktop environments even though enlightenment is still considered a window manager. New linux users are usually more comfortable with a linux distribution that uses a fullfeatured desktop environment than a window manager on its own. A range of guis are possible with red hat enterprise linux, from the rudimentary tab window manager to the highly developed and interactive gnome desktop environment that most red hat enterprise linux. Top 4 reasons i use dwm for my linux window manager. How to make a desktop environment with openbox window. To install the xfce desktop environment or any other desktop environment for that matter its as easy as installing its dependencies and choosing the gdm3 in the installation process as its the default kali desktop login manager. A window manager is software for an operating system that manages the placement of open windows. Here i will be only focusing on how to install those linux desktop environments on ubuntu. Hi, i actually managed to overlook the fact that i need to know the differences between the various desktops offered in linux. Desktop environments and window managers manjaro linux.
Windows managers vs login managers vs display managers vs desktop environment. Apr 04, 2014 desktop environments the mainstream choices. Here are the best window managers out there for wayland. A desktop environment is a collection of software designed to give functionality and a certain look and feel to an operating system this article applies to operating systems which are capable of running the x window system, mostly unix and unixlike operating systems such as linux, minix, illumos, solaris, aix, freebsd and mac os x. So that makes me create this detailed tutorial on best linux desktop environment. A memory comparison of light linux desktops part 2. A memory comparison of light linux desktops part 2 l3net.
Jul 19, 2012 here well cut through the clutter and provide an overview of different options for desktop environments and window managers. Minimalism a default install of moksha will run in less than 100 mb of ram. Desktop environments and window managers once an x server is running, x client applications can connect to it and create a gui for the user. The 8 best linux desktop environments these popular des offer varying degrees of resource use and aesthetic appeal. To this point i generally refer to such desktops as desktop managers. Decorating x window primitives and supporting various operations such as moving, resizing, and maximizing of windows. Typically, window managers arent userfriendly environments. A desktop environment is a collection of software designed to give functionality and a certain look and feel to an operating system. A desktop environment takes the window manager to the next level.
A window manager wm is system software that controls the placement and appearance of windows within a windowing system in a graphical user interface gui. Linux distributions dont collect user data whereas windows collect all the user details which lead to privacy concern. Dec 21, 2014 i definitely prefer tiling window managers to dynamicstacking window managers, and the latter to desktop environments. Whats the difference between desktop managers and display managers. Gnome or kde, xfce are desktop environments, because beside a window manager they package a login screen, panels and systrays as well as certain tools to configure and tweak settings. When people refer to desktop environments, they usually mean a window manager plus a set of base applications taskbar with widgets, application launch menu, system configuration panel, text editor and basic utilities, etc.
Kde contains its own window manager, called kwm, specifically for this functionality. A window manager is a piece of software that manages windows, allowing the windows to be opened, closed, resized, and moved. Window managers are often used as part a fullfeatured desktop environment such as gnome or xfce, but some can also be used as. Mar, 2015 curious about what the differences between window managers and desktop environments are. Unlike competing operating systems like windows, linux users have a choice of many different desktop environments, all with their own styles and strengths. Ill talk about the pros and cons of each to better help you decide which one is right for you.
Not all window managers have fully fledged desktop environments, however for new users to linux, it is best to focus only on desktop environments. A desktop environment includes a window manager but builds upon it. When it comes down to it, a window manager is the backbone to a desktop environment. Jun 14, 2007 x handles the basics, but the desktop environments and window managers provide the actual user interface that you see. Each linux distribution comes with a single default desktop environment chosen from the many different desktop environments available for linux. Why shouldshouldnt i look into tiling window managers. As i understand it, there are two things you are asking about. Enlightenment started out way back in 1996 as a project to build a window manager for x11. As the name linux window manager suggests, the work of window managers is to coordinate how app windows function and they automatically run in the background of your os to manage the appearance and placement of running applications. The same applies to the desktop environments which comprise of different applications and a gui via. Whats the difference between desktop managers and display.