desktop-environments interview questions
Top desktop-environments frequently asked interview questions
There's a way to safely try KDE on top of an Ubuntu installation, keeping the possibility to revert the changes in case I dislike how it runs?
Source: (StackOverflow)
I want to install lubuntu on my current (pre-existing) Ubuntu Install because of it's light-weight footprint.
Can I preserve currently installed apps after installation?
Source: (StackOverflow)
This question already has an answer here:
as the title:
How can I find which desktop environment I am using?
I want to accomplish this using command line.
Source: (StackOverflow)
This question exists as it fills a specific criterion. While you are encouraged to help maintain its answers, please understand that "big list" questions are not generally allowed on Ask Ubuntu and will likely be closed per the FAQ. More information on the software-recommendation tag.
What kinds of desktop environments or shells are there for Ubuntu users to install?
Please list one desktop environment or shell per post with:
- a description on why you like or suggest it (features, performance, etc.),
- a good screenshot, preferably of it running on Ubuntu and showing off some of its features,
- the minimal requirements required for it to be usable, If there is any setting to lower it's requirements(Like kde's low-fat profile), please mention how to enable said setting
- some instructions on how to set it up, if in the repositories, please provide a software centre link
Currently most popular: Gnome Shell
Source: (StackOverflow)
I wonder, isn't still there an easy way to create a desktop shortcut in Ubuntu 14.04 (or Unity)? There is no context menu on desktop doing this.
So I tried the following: I looked for an app I want to create a shortcut for in the dash, then I tried to drag it to the desktop. And guess what? I got the error:
Source: (StackOverflow)
I read that there is now a 2D version of Unity built on Qt. How do I install it, and once it's installed, how do I switch to it?
Source: (StackOverflow)
I often come across the terms Unity and GNOME while reading about Ubuntu. I understand that Unity is the default desktop environment for Ubuntu. What is GNOME and how is it related to/different from Unity?
Source: (StackOverflow)
In general what is the approach to switch the desktop environment or window manager on Ubuntu? The main difference between stock Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Lubuntu is supposedly the use of Unity vs. KDE vs. LXDE.
However, in order to try various desktop environments and window managers I don't want to have to reinstall the respective flavor from scratch just to get a particular desktop environments or window manager. There probably is an easier method than that.
The question: How can I easily test different desktop environments and respective compatible window managers (say KDE, LXDE, Unity, GNOME, XFCE and StumpWM)?
Source: (StackOverflow)
As the title says.
I'm having a really hard time trying to understand what the differences between a desktop environment and a window manager are?
EDIT: This is what I found out later.
There are basically three layers that can be included in the Linux desktop:
X Windows – This is the foundation that allows for graphic elements to be drawn on the display. X Windows builds the primitive framework that allows moving of windows, interactions with keyboard and mouse, and draws windows. This is required for any graphical desktop.
Window Manager – The Window Manager is the piece of the puzzle that controls the placement and appearance of windows. Window Managers include: Enlightenment, Afterstep, FVWM, Fluxbox, IceWM, etc. Requires X Windows but not a desktop environment.
Desktop Environment – This is where it begins to get a little fuzzy for some. A Desktop Environment includes a Window Manager but builds upon it. The Desktop Environment typically is a far more fully integrated system than a Window Manager. Requires both X Windows and a Window Manager. Examples of desktop environments are GNOME, KDE, Cinnamon, Xfce among others)
Source: (StackOverflow)
This question already has an answer here:
My computer has 1GB ram and a very end low graphics card, but I don't know how much power it has.
Unity is very slow on my computer, and I saw that there are many desktop environments which are much lighter and faster, even for a slow computer.
So, what's the lightest desktop environment?
Source: (StackOverflow)
Background
First of all, this is not a question about opinions. I am assuming that we are talking about Unity 3D and on a computer with decent graphics configuration. By "desktop environment", I am assuming the most generally accepted definition of what a DE means.
I have seen lot of comparisons made and many people saying that Unity is the slowest desktop environment on Ubuntu (compared to others like Gnome, XFCE, LXDE etc.). I don't know whether people took KDE into consideration or not.
Question
- Why is Unity slow compared to other desktop environments? Is it just because of the high graphics used in Unity or something else? (I don't know what in unity makes it run slow.).
- What changes can be/ are being made to Unity in order to make it
faster/ improve its perfomance?
Source: (StackOverflow)
I'm new to Ubuntu (and Linux in general). Sometimes when looking at programs in the Ubuntu Software Center, I see things about the programs being 'for the GTK+ environment', or 'for GNOME', or a whole lot of other things. All I know is that I've got Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, and what I'm seeing through my monitor appears to be the controversial Unity interface.
What are these other things I see mentioned in the descriptions of programs (such as KDE, GTK, QT, GNOME, GNOME 'shell', etc.)? Are they Linux GUIs that are alternatives to Unity? Are they dependencies that I need to have?
I've spent the last several months getting used to Ubuntu in its present form (though I confess, I have played around with Compiz, which is fun as hell). Will these other things completely turn my world upside down if I use them?
Source: (StackOverflow)