X/gnome/kde?

[Loxley_72401]

Are these pretty much all the same type of thing? Or is X different from Gnome/KDE? If so, how?

I am building my first ever linux system.

Loxley

[Hayl]

XFree86 (X) is a/the graphical interface
KDE is a desktop environment that runs on X
Gnome is a desktop environment that runs on X

a desktop environment is a Window Manager, Desktop Manager, and a standardized application look/feel/behaviour

you do not need to run a full desktop environment to use a GUI interface with Linux. you can run only a window manager, or a wndow manager and a desktop manager in any combination.

KDE and Gnome both include their own native Window Managers (although "native" is probably not the right word in the case of Gnome)

PS: my screenshot is Openbox (a window manager) and idesk (a desktop manager). I normally just run Openbox but I turned on idesk for the screenshot.

[Loxley_72401]

Okay, that almost makes sense. You spoke english, and used small words, which helped a lot. :)

So, X is the program that contains the actual code for mouse, windows, resizing+moving them, and all the other things that a GUI needs? Isn't a desktop and window management part of this???

And KDE/Gnome/Others are... what, like "skins" of X? No, that's got to be a gross simplification. Are they "prettier" programs that make use of the core X functions to do their thing?

Loxley

Edit: Found this in the Debian documentation...
The X server doesn't provide any of the features one might expect from a GUI, such as resizing and rearranging windows. A special X client, called a window manager, draws borders and titlebars for windows, resizes and arranges windows, and provides facilities for starting other X clients from a menu. Specific window managers may have additional features.

Um, so what is just X by itself used for???

[Raoul_Duke]

Can't do much with X on it's own but you need to have it to run anything with a GUI :)