{"id":93097,"date":"2020-09-03T01:42:36","date_gmt":"2020-09-02T23:42:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prohoster.info\/blog\/administrirovanie\/kak-ustroena-grafika-v-linux-obzor-razlichnyh-sred-oformleniya-rabochego-stola"},"modified":"2020-09-03T01:42:36","modified_gmt":"2020-09-02T23:42:36","slug":"kak-ustroena-grafika-v-linux-obzor-razlichnyh-sred-oformleniya-rabochego-stola","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prohoster.info\/en\/blog\/administrirovanie\/kak-ustroena-grafika-v-linux-obzor-razlichnyh-sred-oformleniya-rabochego-stola","title":{"rendered":"How Graphics Work in Linux: A Review of Various Desktop Environments","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

This article discusses how graphics work in Linux and the components that make it up. It contains many screenshots showcasing various desktop environment implementations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you have trouble distinguishing KDE from GNOME or are aware of the differences but want to learn about other alternatives, this article is for you. It serves as an overview, and while it includes many names and some terms, the material will also be useful for beginners considering Linux.<\/p>\n

The topic may also interest advanced users when setting up remote access and implementing thin clients. I often come across seasoned Linux users who assert, \"on the server, there's only the command line, and I do not plan to study graphics in detail, as it's all needed for novice users.\" However, even Linux experts often discover the usefulness of the \"-X\" option in the ssh command with surprise and delight (and for this, it's beneficial to understand how the X server works and its functions).<\/p>\n

\"HowSource<\/i><\/a><\/noindex>
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\nI have been teaching Linux courses at \"LANIT Network Academy<\/a><\/noindex>I\u2019m confident that many of the over five thousand people I have trained read and surely write articles on Habr. The courses are always very intensive (the average course duration is five days), and I need to cover topics that require at least ten days for a thorough introduction. During the course, depending on the audience (whether beginners or experienced administrators) and the \"questions from the audience,\" I decide what to explain in detail and what to cover more superficially, allocating more time to command-line utilities and their practical application. There are quite a few topics I have to compromise on, such as \"Linux History,\" \"Differences in Linux Distributions,\" \"About Licenses: GPL, BSD, ...,\" and \"About Graphics and Desktop Environments\" (the topic of this article) among others. It\u2019s not that these topics are unimportant, but usually, there are many more pressing \"here and now\" questions, and only five days... However, for a general understanding of the basics of the Linux OS and the available diversity (so that even when using a specific Linux distribution, one still has a broader view of this vast and infinite world known as \"Linux\"), studying these topics is beneficial and necessary.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Throughout the article, I will include links for those who wish to delve deeper into the subject, such as links to Wikipedia articles (pointing to the more comprehensive\/useful version when both English and Russian versions are available).<\/p>\n

For the main examples and screenshots, I used the openSUSE distribution. Any other community-developed distribution with a large number of packages in the repository could have been used. It is difficult, but possible, to demonstrate a variety of desktop environments on a commercial distribution, as they often only use one or two of the most well-known desktop environments. This approach limits developers in releasing a stable, well-tuned OS. In this system, I installed all the DM\/DE\/WM (explanation of these terms below) that I found in the repository.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The screenshots with 'blue borders' were taken on openSUSE.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The screenshots with 'white borders' were taken on other distributions, which are indicated in the screenshot.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The screenshots with 'gray borders' were sourced from the internet as examples of desktop arrangements from previous years.<\/p>\n

So, let's get started.<\/p>\n

Main components that make up graphics<\/h2>\n

\nI will highlight three main components and list them in the order they are initiated at system startup:\u00a0<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. DM (Display Manager);<\/li>\n
  2. Display Server;<\/li>\n
  3. DE (Desktop Environment).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \nAdditionally, as important sub-points of Desktop Environment:\u00a0<\/p>\n