[sf-lug] Running "standard" X-windows in addition to Gnome / KDE? (RBV)

[RBV]

First, thanks to everyone who responded to my inital query with follow-up questions that have helped me clarify my thinking a bit.

> Can you go into a bit more detail about what "standards-based" X-windows
> means?

I *believe* that what I've been thinking about may be something called "Motif"(?)  It's the somewhat less glitzy looking X-windows programs that are neither Gnome nor KDE.  One example of the sort of "pre-Gnome/KDE" GUI environment I'm thinking about is exemplified by the "nedit" text editor.

OK, so I recall having seen an entire GUI environment (dare one call it a desktop environment?) that looked like nedit.  Is that Motif?

Assuming yes, I'm curious how one might get an entire Motif environment to play with.  (I' continue to use Gnome as my preferred GUI / desktop manager...)


> I am curious how you installed KDE. Did you install the meta package?

In Ubuntu, I used Synaptic to install "kdebase".  That installed enough resources to run a somewhat less opulent version of KDE in a second virtual terminal.  One can then add interesting KDE-stuff as desired, although my recreational use of KDE hasn't led me to do that, at least not yet...

For a start, I find it useful to create additional user accounts for my virtual sessions.  There are then two ways I know how to create that second virtual terminal KDE session.

The easiest way is, in the Ubuntu panel choose Applications > System Tools > New Login.  Ubuntu displays a GUI login screen.  In the GUI login screen, choose Options > Select Session > KDE, then login in.  That new GUI session "lives at" CTRL+ALT+F9.  Use CTRL+ALT+F7 to return to the "main" session.

The second way is to use CTRL+ALT+F1 (up to and including F6) to display a command-line session.  Login to that session, then use "startx -- :1" to start the same GUI login screen displayed by the New Login program.  Note that I was initially confused by this method because although the GUI session initially appears on the F1-F6 text-based session, one needs to use CTRL+ALT+F9 to leave and return to the GUI session.  I.e., one uses the text terminal session to create a GUI terminal session in a second virtual terminal.

> Do you mean something like Xfce or Icewm? A plain X session won't do you any
> good. 

I'm beginning to understand that.  I think what I was talking about was Motif...(?)

So, bottom line is that I'm curious whether an all-Motif(?) is possible, and if so how to install and configure it?

Cheers & thanks 'gain to all,
Riley
SFO