Desktop Environment vs Window Manager

When new users are first coming to Linux, the biggest thing that can confuse them is amount of choice. Most computer users are used to having one set UI (user interface) to do things. So with the amount of choice Linux throws up in front of a new user, it can be overwhelming. The first thing that new users need to know about UI in Linux is that you can customize and change it in a variety of ways that most other OSes don’t make it possible. The main reason for this is because the UI in Linux, which is called xorg or x, is just a bolt on the whole operating system.

So what is a desktop environment? The major ones that most will mention are either KDE or Gnome. Essentially what a desktop environment does is create a GUI (graphical user interface) that allows most commands not to be run from the CLI (command line interface), giving you a nice point and click interface to interact with the system. A desktop environment for Linux also has programs that come bundled with it, much like Wordpad and iChat are included in Windows and OS X, respectively.

KDE

Most applications have some form of a K in most of the applications names. This trend has been changing over the last few years as things like Dragon Player are now part of the KDE mainline install. Gnome also includes many applications, but these applications are following a set of guidelines for interface design that the Gnome developers follow. Applications that Gnome will generally come with are openoffice.org, pidgin, or empathy instant messaging client, just to name a few. There are obviously many more desktop environments than these to Xfce, LXDE, FVWM- Crystal, and many more.

Window Manager

Now most people think that a window manager is all they need as the system requirements are less demanding than with a full blown desktop. A window manager in Linux is just that: a program that allows you to manage open processes. There are a lot of window managers for Linux available; some are JWM, Ion, and ICEWM. A new trend that has been emerging in Linux is the use of things that are somewhere between a desktop environment and a window manager. Some of these would include things like Enlightenment and Afterstep just to name a couple. Basically what these allow you to do is manage programs, settings, and various other things from a GUI, but do not have the addition of tethered programs associated with the environment.