how to change default desktop environment

[linx_usr]

Hello

I use a Debian(lenny) OS with GNOME as my default desktop environment. Can i change this desktop to KDE as my default DE??HOW?

[oz]

I'm personally not a fan of mixing Gnome and KDE on the same system because of some weird issues that will always show themselves sooner or later, but some users mix them and are quite happy with the end result. If you want to do that, you'll need to install KDE and set your display manager (GDM or KDM) to use KDE rather than Gnome at GUI logins.

If you don't want to mix them, you'll need to do a fresh install and pick KDE as your desktop environment, or remove Gnome from the current system and install KDE. The problem with trying that is that you'll likely leave some remnants of Gnome scattered about on the system.

[devils casper]

I am using both KDE and Gnome in Fedora and Debian. Everything works fine, no problem yet.
Have you installed KDE? If yes then execute this

su -
dpkg-reconfigure kdm

It will set KDM as default Login Manager. Select KDE as default DE there.

[MASONTX]

Casper, do you have to reboot to change from one desktop to the other, or do you toggle back and forth?

[jayd512]

No need to reboot. You can sort of 'toggle' between them.
Just log out of your session. Near the bottom of your login screen, you'll have a little drop-down menu that you can use to choose your WM for that new session.

Example, in my Fedora install I can choose between Gnome or IceWM upon login.

[oz]

do you have to reboot to change from one desktop to the other, or do you toggle back and forth?

If you don't run a display manager, you can change the lines in your .xinitrc file to start a different desktop environment. It should look something like this:

#!/bin/sh
#
# ~/.xinitrc
#
exec gnome-session
#exec startkde
#exec startxfce4

[MASONTX]

Ozar, you just showed me that my minimal knowledge is less than I thought. I was just getting a handle on the difference between a windows manager and a DE, but what is a display manager? Or is that just a different name for something I may already know?

[MASONTX]

Jayd, I thought Gnome was a DE. Is it a Wm also?

[oz]

Ozar, you just showed me that my minimal knowledge is less than I thought. I was just getting a handle on the difference between a windows manager and a DE, but what is a display manager? Or is that just a different name for something I may already know?

Display managers basically give you a login screen and handle the Xserver startup / shutdown sequence. The K Display Manager (KDM) and Gnome Display Manager (GDM) are a couple of examples. XDM is another one that's been around for a very long time. You don't have to use a display manager and can start the Xserver without one. I personally use a simple .xinitrc file.

You can read up on the differences between desktop environments and window managers here:

Desktop environment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Window manager - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[MASONTX]

The links showed me some DE's I hadn't seen before, IRIX, EDE, workbench, Ambient, and ROX. The more I see in linux the more I realize it's true when you say it is infinitely customizable. If you tried every WM with every DE, you'ld have carpal tunnel syndrome by the time you finnished.