Module Five - Session 18: GUI

What will I be learning?

You will be learning about the X Window System (the GUI in Linux).

Linux is great as a server with only using a CLI. A GUI wastes resources, and with a server do you really need a GUI? But, Linux also works great as a work station and personal desktop OS. And as end users we need to have access to a GUI (we've become spoiled over the years). Linux has a LOT of different GUIs you can pick from. Keep in mind though, that not all GUIs are equal. You might have a Desktop Environment (which is probably what you are most use to with using Windows) or you can have a very simple Window Manager (great for older systems, as doesn't require as much resources).

After this chapter I should be able to...

You should be able to configure the X Window System (most distro's do this automatically for you, but you should understand how to do this just in case) and install a new GUI (as sometimes you might want a different one or try a new one out).

What should I practice?

As this section is more about configurations there will not be many videos, but more reading. Please look through the links.


Original webpage by Petersen Gross, modified by William Albritton.