how to change from gnome to another.. distribution?
 

how do I switch from Gnome to another GUI?

It depends on what you have installed, etc. Usually you can define your default desktop in your .xinitrc file in your users home directory.

install it, start it. :p

what desktop do you want to switch to, what distibution (i.e., brand of linux) are you using, and how do you load gnome?

the thing about that is, I'm a newbie and don't know what that means.

What distrobution are you using? That little info will help immensly. I know that on Slackware you can run 'xwmconfig' to choose your Desktop Environment/Window Manager. On most distrobutions if you boot into a graphical login screen you should be able to change your DE/WM through the 'Sessions' menu.

I use mandrake 8.1.... I chose gnome on the default install screen, and I want to try KDE

In the login screen, there are usually several buttons. One of these (at least in Mandrake 9.0) is directly under the name/password boxes. It will have a down arrow icon next to it. Click on that, and it will give you a choice of all the GUIs you have available. If you don't get such a list, try each button with such an arrow icon...:study:

thanks, I'll try that.