How do I switch between Window Managers?

jacatone · 08-17-2008, 02:16 AM

I'm running LinuxMint 4 main which is Ubuntu 7.10, Gutsy Gibbon. I installed Fluxbox and XFCE using Synaptic, but I don't see them anywhere. They don't appear when I boot up. Do I need some kind of WM selector that I've seen in other distros? Thanks.

ronlau9 · 08-17-2008, 02:32 AM

I do not use you,re distro , but in all the distro I use , before log in you choice the one you like tot use
There is option called session type or something like that

pixellany · 08-17-2008, 02:35 AM

What you are looking for is the display manager--AKA login manager. The typical ones are GDM, KDM, and XDM. If Linux Mint is like Ubuntu, it will have GDM. When you boot up, the window which appears (asking for your login name and password) should have an option for selecting what kind of session you want.

To verify if a display manager is running (and which one), open a terminal and enter "ps -e|grep dm".

jacatone · 08-17-2008, 02:01 PM

Wondered why I wasn't seeing anything. I configure LM4 to bypass the login screen since I'm the only one using the machine. So it would be there?

I've seen in other distros, a manager display in the menu when the computer has fully booted to the desktop. How would I set that up as well? If I decide to just use say Fluxbox, would I have to remove the other WMs to make it the default one?

jailbait · 08-17-2008, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacatone

If I decide to just use say Fluxbox, would I have to remove the other WMs to make it the default one?

GDM and KDM allow you to set a window manager as a default without removing the others. They also have an option to log in to the same window manager as you used on the previous login.

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Steve Stites