[vox-tech] Is dselect still a package?

Cam Ellison vox-tech@lists.lugod.org
Thu, 7 Mar 2002 09:32:48 -0800


* Jay Strauss (jjstrauss@yahoo.com) wrote:
> Gonna read it on the EL (elevated train for CA folks), The L makes a loop
> around downtown, hence the term "in the loop", which obviously I'm not wh=
en
> it comes to installing and configuring X, so many files, so many options.
> So I've reinstalled, in the past.
>=20
> I understand X provides all the windowing APIs (to draw windows and such)
> I understand the window manager controls the look and ornamentation of
> windows
>=20
> I don't understand what the diff between KDE and Gnome are
>=20

Think of it as the difference between MS Office and WordPerfect Office -- 2=
=20
different approaches to doing the same thing.  There are parallels througho=
ut
with respect to functionality.

Maybe the critical mindset difference between MS and any of the Unices=20
concerns the monolith versus the building blocks.  You can look at the X=20
Window system as a layer on top of the basic blocks, but it's made of its=
=20
own building blocks.  (Sort of like the construction of an Egyptian pyramid
if you know about that, but don't push this analogy too far.)

KDE and Gnome more or less are another layer on top of that, and they allow
the user to do the sorts of things you became accustomed to with Windows. =
=20
You should deliberately set up one or the other, and try it, and then switc=
h=20
for a while.  It's mostly a matter of taste (I'll go put on my fireproof
clothing now, shall I?)

Cam

--=20
Cam Ellison Ph.D. R.Psych.
=46rom Roberts Creek on B.C.'s incomparable Sunshine Coast
camellison@dccnet.com
cam@fleuryassociates.com