Well, since nobody else seems to want to, I guess I'll take a shot at
this one.
Abbaasi Hasan wrote:
>
> Hi all,
> I have been really confused with this names.What are differences
> between them?
> Which of them should exist for a X system to work properly?
> Is KDE a Desktop Environment or Window Manager or both or none?
> Thanks for any help or reference.
An X server is a program that provides graphical output and keyboard and
pointer (mouse) input services to multiple client programs. It
communicates with the clients using the X11 protocol. It must have
drivers to communicate with the keyboard, mouse, and display equipment.
The main purpose of the X server is to allow multiple client programs to
share the same {keyboard, mouse, display} at the same time. One of the
design goals of the X system was "mechanism, not policy". The X server
makes this possible, but it enforces minimal restrictions.
A Window Manager for X is a client program that plays a supervisory
role, i.e., it enforces policy. It decides which client gets the
"keyboard focus" at any given time. It decides where client windows are
placed on the display. I usually adds a bit of decoration around the
edges of the windows of other clients.
A "Desktop Environment" is a collection of client programs that are
intended to look nice and play well together. The X11 protocol includes
mechanisms for clients to communicate among each other, and there's a
standard for how they should do that, called ICCCM (Inter-Client
Communication Conventions Manual). But some people seem to need more
than that.
You need exactly one X server for each set of {keyboard, mouse, display}
on your network. Bear in mind that a set can include more than one of
each (search back through the list archives for the links to the
pictures of Carl Soderstrom's three 21' monitors).
In all but very unusual cases, you will want exactly one Window Manager
for each X server. There are lots and lots to choose from. TWM comes
in the Sample Implementation, Enlightenment looks real pretty, Blackbox
is simple, clean, and attractive in a minimalist aesthetic, there are
dozens more.
You may or may not want a Desktop Environment. You almost certainly do
not want to try to use more than one at a time.
--
Remember, more computing power was thrown away last week than existed in
the world in 1982. -- http://www.tom.womack.net/computing/prices.html
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