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#1 2019-05-19 15:52:54

hello
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Registered: 2019-05-19
Posts: 1

Window managers and user interface

Hello everyone!
I have just installed arch linux on my laptop and wanna continue with a window manager. However, I don't know whether I need an user interface, too. I use my laptop for school and therefore need to watch videos and images, make presentation, etc.
So I want to know: can I do all that stuff by just opening an app from terminal or do I need an user interface for this?

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#2 2019-05-19 15:59:56

Trilby
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Registered: 2011-11-29
Posts: 29,441
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Re: Window managers and user interface

hello wrote:

So I want to know: can I do all that stuff by just opening an app from terminal or do I need an user interface for this?

What do you mean by a "user interface"?  Of course you need some sort of interface, and you are the user, so yes, you need a user interface.

This could be just the tty console, or it could be Xorg with a window manager or DE, or it coul be wayland, etc.

Can you just open an "app" from a terminal?  It depends what you mean by "app".  Any program can be run from the terminal, but some will require an X server to be running.


"UNIX is simple and coherent..." - Dennis Ritchie, "GNU's Not UNIX" -  Richard Stallman

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#3 2019-05-20 19:28:03

04Sec_
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Registered: 2019-05-19
Posts: 6

Re: Window managers and user interface

I asked those questions too, and I can understand that you are confused. Let me explain:

The tty is the standard console that you have, so no Desktop Environments or Window Managers

To get a DE or a WM, you need to install a display server, like Xorg, then graphical drivers, and then a DE/WM

To have a graphical login screen, you'll have to install a Login Manager

And, about your question. You can't run graphical programs in tty(console only)

Hope this will help

Here are some usefull links:

https://turlucode.com/arch-linux-instal … tallation/

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xorg

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xi … X_at_login

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Display_manager

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/De … nvironment     or        https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Window_manager

Last edited by 04Sec_ (2019-05-20 19:28:54)

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#4 2019-05-20 20:11:46

Trilby
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Registered: 2011-11-29
Posts: 29,441
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Re: Window managers and user interface

04Sec_ wrote:

You can't run graphical programs in tty(console only)

Mostly true.  A few graphical programs can run in the tty, but these are 1) rare and 2) specially made to be used this way, these are not your more common X11 programs.  But out of the laundry list of other things you listed, only Xorg is required to run X11 graphical programs.  No window manager is required, but in many cases it could be useful.  Certainly no DE, DM, or anything else you listed is at all relevant.


"UNIX is simple and coherent..." - Dennis Ritchie, "GNU's Not UNIX" -  Richard Stallman

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#5 2019-05-20 20:12:15

sonoran
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From: sonoran desert
Registered: 2009-01-12
Posts: 192

Re: Window managers and user interface

Good summary 04Sec_. However I don't think you are doing new users a favor with the turlucode.com link. Their Arch basic installation page recommends installing packages with pacman -S, installing the AUR helper yay, and enabling the archlinux.fr repo - all likely to lead to problems. Yet another example why third-party guides are not supported by Arch.

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#6 2019-05-20 22:58:52

Aex12
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Registered: 2019-05-18
Posts: 6

Re: Window managers and user interface

sonoran wrote:

Good summary 04Sec_. However I don't think you are doing new users a favor with the turlucode.com link. Their Arch basic installation page recommends installing packages with pacman -S, installing the AUR helper yay, and enabling the archlinux.fr repo - all likely to lead to problems. Yet another example why third-party guides are not supported by Arch.

What's the problem with installing packages with "pacman -S"?

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#7 2019-05-20 23:01:41

Trilby
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Registered: 2011-11-29
Posts: 29,441
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Re: Window managers and user interface

Nothing.  I scratched my head about that comment too.  That is the correct way to install something.

If you haven't updated in a while, there's a chance the package version in your local database is no longer on the mirrors - but you'll just get a 404 error from pacman - no harm done.

I've heard it advised that one should always use `pacman -Syu $package` to install new packages.  There's no harm in it, but if you update reguarly - which every archer should anyways - there's also no point to it.

Last edited by Trilby (2019-05-20 23:03:01)


"UNIX is simple and coherent..." - Dennis Ritchie, "GNU's Not UNIX" -  Richard Stallman

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#8 2019-05-21 01:06:25

andresgabriel
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From: Santiago, Chile
Registered: 2016-01-18
Posts: 13

Re: Window managers and user interface

If "user interface" = "Desktop Environment"
Yes, you don't need a DE to do all those things if you have a WM, for example I3, but you have to build almost the entire ecosystem of apps in your pc to do all those things. Browser, pdf reader, media player, codecs, etc.

| can I do all that stuff by just opening an app from terminal or do I need an user interface for this?
Yes, but the people who use only WM often use a Rofi, Dmenu or keybinding's to open apps, its much more clean.

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#9 2019-05-21 03:27:33

sonoran
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From: sonoran desert
Registered: 2009-01-12
Posts: 192

Re: Window managers and user interface

Aex12 wrote:
sonoran wrote:

Good summary 04Sec_. However I don't think you are doing new users a favor with the turlucode.com link. Their Arch basic installation page recommends installing packages with pacman -S, installing the AUR helper yay, and enabling the archlinux.fr repo - all likely to lead to problems. Yet another example why third-party guides are not supported by Arch.

What's the problem with installing packages with "pacman -S"?

It's a partial upgrade.

ArchWiki wrote:

Always upgrade (with pacman -Syu) before installing a package.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Sy … nsupported

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#10 2019-05-21 03:34:12

Trilby
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Registered: 2011-11-29
Posts: 29,441
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Re: Window managers and user interface

No, it's not a partial upgrade.  Partial upgrades are the result of using '-Sy' without 'u'.  Using just '-S' is safe.  As noted above it could fail to install the package if you've not updated in a while, but it would not be a partial upgrade.


"UNIX is simple and coherent..." - Dennis Ritchie, "GNU's Not UNIX" -  Richard Stallman

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#11 2019-05-21 03:34:43

jasonwryan
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From: .nz
Registered: 2009-05-09
Posts: 30,424
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Re: Window managers and user interface

sonoran wrote:
Aex12 wrote:
sonoran wrote:

Good summary 04Sec_. However I don't think you are doing new users a favor with the turlucode.com link. Their Arch basic installation page recommends installing packages with pacman -S, installing the AUR helper yay, and enabling the archlinux.fr repo - all likely to lead to problems. Yet another example why third-party guides are not supported by Arch.

What's the problem with installing packages with "pacman -S"?

It's a partial upgrade.

No. It is not a partial upgrade. A partial upgrade is -Sy $package. As Trilby points out, the worst that can happen with a -S $package is a 404.


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