Figure 3.3 KDE makes X Windows friendly.
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Historically, window managers have only been used to manage the user’s screen. A new type of windowing application is emerging, however. This type functions not only as a window manager in the classical sense, but also provides additional functionality to the user. These desktop environments typically provide sophisticated window management as well as a sort of desktop that is reminiscent of the MS-Windows or Macintosh interface. The desktop frequently includes file management functionality, the capability to create and use icons to launch applications, and an integrated suite of graphical tools for the management and configuration of the computer.
As UNIX vendors try to make their machines more convenient to use, you can expect these desktop environments to become more sophisticated; even today, though, the power and simplicity are quickly approaching that of the popular personal computer interfaces.
Although some of the industry heavy-hitters such as Sun and SGI have weighed in with significant offerings such as OpenWindows and the IRIX desktop, one of the most significant contributions is being made by a non-profit Internet collaborative effort that is developing the freeware product KDE. KDE is a freely-available and downloadable desktop environment that is compatible with a wide range of UNIX implementations.
KDE stands for the K Desktop Environment, and—according to the authors—the K stands for nothing. KDE, rather than one of the commercial desktop environments, is discussed here because of its surprising level of sophistication and its portability to such a wide range of platforms.
Plain English:
Compatibility According to the KDE FAQ, KDE is currently known to support Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD, IRIX, and HP-UX, and is expected to be compilable on almost anything which uses the gnu gcc compiler.
KDE provides a sophisticated window manager with convenient extensions such as multiple virtual screens, user-customizable menus, and a facility to automatically remember programs and their placement on the screen between login sessions.
In addition, KDE provides a desktop environment that supports, among other things, icons for files and directories, an application dock, and a quick launch button bar. As you can see in Figure 3.3, the user interface provided by KDE is significantly more user-friendly than the twm (and other typical window manager) interfaces.
Figure 3.3 KDE makes X Windows
friendly.
Following is a look at some of the KDE window features:
In addition to user interface sophistication, KDE provides an integrated suite of tools for configuring your machine and your user interface, and offers a set of useful point-and-click interfaces to general UNIX programs and utilities. Some of these utilities will be discussed in other lessons; so, if you’re using a desktop environment of some sort already, pay attention to these sections to see how KDE—and desktop environments in general—can make your life easier.
If you’re looking for a way to make your UNIX experience feel a bit more like your personal computer, look into whether your system administrator can install KDE for you.
This lesson taught you about the background of graphical user interfaces, and about the X Window System in particular. Understanding X Windows will enable you to take advantage of these graphic-based tools.
For all the power of desktop environments, and all the automation of newer window managers, their configurations are usually stored in ugly text files in your home directory. If you want to duplicate your environment from one machine to another, these are a good place to start.
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