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Chapter Ten. The X Window System. Objectives. Explain the purpose of the major Linux GUI components: X Windows, windows manager, and desktop environment List common windows managers and desktop environments used in Linux Gather the hardware information necessary to configure X Windows
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Chapter Ten The X Window System
Objectives • Explain the purpose of the major Linux GUI components: X Windows, windows manager, and desktop environment • List common windows managers and desktop environments used in Linux • Gather the hardware information necessary to configure X Windows • Configure X Windows settings using various Linux utilities
Linux GUI Components Figure 10-1: Components of the Linux GUI
X Windows • X Windows • The component of the Linux GUI that displays graphics to windows on the terminal screen • X clients • Component of X Windows that requests graphics to be drawn from the X server and displays them on the terminal screen
X Windows • X server • The component of X Windows that draws graphics to windows on the terminal screen • XFree86 • The Open source licensed version of X Windows version 11 • Originally intended for the Intelx86 platform
Windows Managers and Desktop Environments • Window manager • The GUI component that is responsible for determining the appearance of the windows drawn on the screen by X Windows • Desktop environment • Software that works with a window manager to provide a standard GUI environment that uses standard programs and development tools
Windows Managers and Desktop Environments • KDE is the traditional desktop environment used on Linux systems • K Windows Manager (kwm) • The window manager that works under the KDE Desktop Environment • Qt toolkit • Software toolkit used with the KDE Desktop environment
Windows Managers and Desktop Environments • GNOME Desktop Environment • Default desktop environment in Red Hat Linux • Typically uses the Sawfish Window Manager and the GTK+ toolkit for the C programming language • The GTK+ toolkit was originally developed for the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP)
Windows Managers and Desktop Environments Figure 10-2: The KDE Desktop Environment
Windows Managers and Desktop Environments Figure 10-3: The GNOME Desktop Environment
Windows Managers and Desktop Environments Table 10-1: Common windows managers
Windows Managers and Desktop Environments Figure 10-4: The Enlightenment Window Manager
Windows Managers and Desktop Environments Figure 10-5: The Feeble Virtual Window Manager
Windows Managers and Desktop Environments Figure 10-6: The Tab Window Manager
Windows Managers and Desktop Environments Figure 10-7: The Window Maker Window Manager
Starting and Stopping X Windows Figure 10-8: The GNOME Display Manager
Starting and Stopping X Windows • GDM Configurator • Graphical tool used to configure the appearance and behavior of the GNOME Display Manager • /etc/X11/gdm/gdm.conf • The file that contains the configuration of the GNOME Desktop Manager
Starting and Stopping X Windows • X Display Manager (xdm) • Present a graphical login screen to users • KDE Display Manager (kdm) • Graphical login screen for users that resembles the KDE desktop
Starting and Stopping X Windows • startx • Command used to start X Windows and the associated window manager and desktop environment • Desktop Switching Tool • Graphical tool that allows Red Hat Linux users to set the default desktop environment or window manager
Starting and Stopping X Windows Figure 10-9: The Desktop Switching Tool
Configuring X Windows • X Windows is the component of the GUI that interfaces with the video hardware in the computer • In order for X Windows to perform its function, it needs information regarding the keyboard, mouse, monitor, and video adapter card • For the video adapter card, X Windows requires: • The video adapter card model • The amount of RAM on the video adapter card • The chipset on the video adapter card
Configuring X Windows • RAM Digital Analog Converter (RAMDAC) chip • Used to convert the digital video images used by the computer to the analog format needed for the monitor • Clockchip • Computer chip that coordinates the flow of information on a peripheral component such as a video adapter card
Configuring X Windows • X Windows also requires the following information about the computer monitor that is attached to the video card: • The maximum resolution supported • The horizontal sync (hsync) range • The vertical sync (vsync) range
Configuring X Windows • SuperProbe • Program used to determine the computer’s video adapter card properties • /etc/X11/XF86Config • Configuration file used by X Windows
Configuring X Windows • Mouseconfig • Command used to configure a mouse for use by X Windows • Xconfigurator • A program that is used to configure video adapter card and monitor information for use by X Windows
Configuring X Windows Figure 10-10: Mouse configuration using mouseconfig
Configuring X Windows Figure 10-11: Updating the XF86Config file using mouseconfig
Configuring X Windows Figure 10-12: Starting the Xconfigurator utility
Configuring X Windows Figure 10-13: Detecting the video adapter card model using Xconfigurator
Configuring X Windows Figure 10-14: Choosing the monitor model using Xconfigurator
Configuring X Windows Figure 10-15: Choosing custom monitor settings using Xconfigurator
Configuring X Windows Figure 10-16: Choosing the hsync range using Xconfigurator
Configuring X Windows Figure 10-17: Choosing the vsync range using Xconfigurator
Configuring X Windows Figure 10-18: Probing for video adapter card information using Xconfigurator
Configuring X Windows Figure 10-19: Manually selecting the video adapter card memory using Xconfigurator
Configuring X Windows Figure 10-20: Manually choosing a clockchip setting using Xconfigurator
Configuring X Windows Figure 10-21: Probing for clockships and RAMDACs using Xconfigurator
Configuring X Windows Figure 10-22: Choosing resolutions and color depths using Xconfigurator
Configuring X Windows Figure 10-23: Starting X Windows to test configuration using Xconfigurator
Configuring X Windows Figure 10-24: Completing the Xconfigurator utility
Configuring X Windows • Xf86config • Text-based X Windows configuration program that ships with X Windows • It allows the configuration of keyboard, mouse, video adapter card, and monitor information for use by X Windows • /dev/mouse • symbolic link to the device file used for the mouse configured at installation
Configuring X Windows • Although most monitors today support a wide range of hsync and vsync values, choosing too high a value for either may damage the monitor • Xvidtune • Program used to fine-tune the vsync and hsync video card settings for use in X Windows
Configuring X Windows Figure 10-25: The xvidtune utility
Chapter Summary • The Linux GUI has several interchangeable components • X Windows is the core component of the Linux GUI that draws graphics to the terminal screen and uses a text configuration file • Window managers modify the look and feel of X Windows • Desktop environments include a window manager as well as a set of standard programs and development libraries
Chapter Summary • You may start the Linux GUI from runlevel 3 by typing startx at a command prompt, or from runlevel 3 or 5 by using gdm • Configuring X Windows requires a thorough knowledge of the video hardware used by the computer • The Xconfigurator, mouseconfig, xf86config, and xvidtune utilities may be used to configure the hardware settings of X Windows for such things as the mouse, keyboard, and video adapter card