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Old 31st May 2008
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jggimi jggimi is online now
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Join Date: May 2008
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Think of it this way: X is the graphical infrastructure required to run a window manager, and the window manager is the toolset that lets you manipulate and manage what is on the screen: move and size windows, select applications, etc. Some window managers include lots of integrated add-on software and extend themselves into complete desktop environments.

If you come from MS Windows or Mac OS, you come from platforms with a single, proprietary window management environment. Some Linux distributions manage X in similar fashion, where you have one or perhaps a choice of two or even three window managers. BSDs can also be packaged like this. PC BSD is a FreeBSD-based packaging that is pre-configured with X for the casual desktop user.

OpenBSD isn't designed for the casual user. Actually, it's not designed for us users at all. It's designed by and for the developers, and we users are just lucky enough to go along for the ride and reap the benefits of their efforts. (Hint: see the Project Goals page, and note that users are only mentioned in regards to open access to the OS source code.)

X is set up the way it is, then, because it meets the needs of the 90 or so people who develop OpenBSD. The default window manager, fvwm, is the default because it has a compatible license and I'm told theo@ prefers it. And cwm was added about a year ago because bernd@ imported it and jasper@ prefers it. This latter isn't rumor: see the article in the OpenBSD Journal.

The 40 or so different window managers in the ports tree are there because other developers have favorites or interest in them, or, because ports were developed by end users, submitted, and accepted.

Last edited by jggimi; 31st May 2008 at 05:02 AM.
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