Hi: (slackware 14.0) Or to be able to run anyone I choose on the fly?

At a command prompt issue this command:

xwmconfig

xwmconfig

Or if you're logging in from run level four with KDM select KDE from the desktop selection menu.

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Xwmconfig... cute program. But I was once told here that I could start any DE or WM by simply running the corresponding program from the command line. Unfortunately I do not remember the details.

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`xinit /usr/bin/startkde` will start kde from the command line in run-level three. But that's not a permanent thing. the `startx` command will launch whatever DE you select in xwmconfig.

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You asked for the solution I gave it to you. Running xwmconfig will allow you to switch to another DE or WM. After you have selected the DE/WM of your choice you can launch it with startx.

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I did ran xwmconfig several times to switch betwenn xfce and KDE, running startx each time. For which I thank you very much.

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Run level 3, that is multiuser mood. I do not understand this: the xwmconfig screen says "You can choose from among the following window managers" (or something so). But among the items listed, there are KDE and the Cholesterol Free Desktop Environment which, as there names imply, are not window managers but desktop environments. So, what's really the difference between a WM and a DE? That is, in very general terms. Maybe some of these are DEs and at the same time WMs?

That is correct.

A window manager is a program that draws windows on the screen. It's responsible for the layout, resizing, overlaping, window decoration etc.

A desktop environment is all that plus a set of additional software, e.g. start menu, graphical system configuration center, widgets, file manager etc.

edit:

About changing between XFCE and KDE "on the fly"; you have to logout to change a DE, I don't think you can do it while being loged in. As people mentioned before, you can do it in two ways:

1. runlevel 3: xwmconfig, change DE, startx
2. runlevel 4: in this runlevel you boot straight into X, you can change DE in the login manager by selecting it from a menu before you login.

2nd edit:
I'm just curious why a "senior member" with 2,5k posts on LQ doesn't know this stuff (and please, don't go raging at me, it wasn't meant to be an insult).

Being a slackware user, I am used to find myself in a text console after booting. This is very good for me, as I spend most of the time in the text console (graphical consoles I only a few times use them). Therefore, I always run startx to start the GUI. Booting, and being automatically taken to a GUI is like being in a Windows system.

Second: when you run xwmconfig, what this program does is to remove the execution permission bit from a file and set it in another file. There is one of these files for every DE in my O.S. They are all in the same directory but the name of the directory I have forgotten.

If you really want to switch between xfce & KDE 'on the fly' you can. Its really handy if your like me and go months without logging out.
Login as your user and startx into Kde.

Then hit (Ctrl + Alt + F2) to get to your second terminal. (Ctrl + Alt + F1 & F2) Will switch you between consoles.
Login as your user or another user entirely, change xwmconfig to xfce.
startx -- :1

Then on the fly you can flip from xfce to KDE by hitting (Ctrl + Alt + F7) for the first screen & (Ctrl + Alt + F8) for the second.

I used to do that a lot before I got a 2nd monitor setup.
If anything gets confused you can force via a terminal which display a program loads into.
example:
kwrite --display :1

Make KDE or whatever you want your primary environment with xwmconfig. Whatever else may be set as default by xwmconfig, XFCE is nevertheless always available from the console by using startxfce4 rather than the generic startx

How about using 'telinit' to switch runlevels? eg:

You can do this from the command line, and it brings up a graphical login screen from which you can choose which DE to run.
/etc/X11/xinit/

The xwmconfig script creates/changes a symlink. It doesn't change any permissions.

If startx, log out and startx from another console, then X says 'No screens found'. In my system (slackware 14.0) I cant have to GUIs at the same time.

You are right: /etc/X11/xinit/!!! I think I am always in the same runlevel: runlevel 3. Except when booting and at system shutdown.

startx -- :1
startx -- :2
Should be able to create separate sessions.
Might want to double check you have a .xinitrc in your home directory.
This page does a pretty good job of explaining whats going on with the startx command.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc

I used that a lot under XFree86. Perhaps its different under Xorg?
The .xinitrc file may need to be adjusted?
When I get home I'll test with it on my Slack14 notebook and see if it's still there.