Is it possible to have a desktop environment (gnome, plasma, mate, e.g.) running in one workspace and a window manager (xmonad, icewm, i3, e.g.) running in a second workspace. One could then just switch easily between them? In desktop environment you could be doing normal browsing communicating type things while in window manager workspace could be doing coding, compiling, or running number crunching code and analyzing results.
If this is possible, how do you set that up? As far as I see, you login either to a desktop or a window manager.
This could be done with a vm I know but in different workspaces things could be more easily moved or shared between them and you could instantaneously change environments.
Hi
Sure, just start them on different displays (tty’s) and switch to them a Multi-seat setup (might need to use something like barrier for keyboard/mouse control). Or can start in a window with Xnest, Xephyr etc (Install xorg-x11-server-extra).
I am not sure I understand you, but there can be different “workspaces” on diifferent levels.
You can have multiple logins with the same or different users, at the same time (can have different DEs of course), Switching with Ctrl-AltFn.
In KDE you can have different Virtual Desktops (I use two, but you can have more). Switch ny a simple click in thearea where they are shown in the panel.
In KDE there are Activeties (never used them, so find out for yourself).
Thanks for the reply but it is way over my knowledge of openSUSE start processes. I need a reference on startup processes to read.
By workspaces, I am referring to, e.g., in mate I have 4 workspaces shown on panel. Can have different programs in each. But, afaik can’t have different environments in each.
Regarding response:
First, I don’t know how to login to a particular tty. I don’t know how to login to multi different ttys.
Second, I have no idea what a Multi-seat setup is.
Third, I don’t know what xnest or xephyr are. They are installed. In a terminal I start Xnest or Xephyr and a gray window comes up. Nothing including keystrokes or mouse does anything in either.
Fourth, need to look up “barrier”.
Making a little progress. If I get to a new tty using ctrl-alt-fn#, I get to a login in tty#. I can login there as root or user (I am only user). Which should I login to?
After login, how do I then start a window manager or desktop? Can I start the display manager (input manager, e.g., gdm) to start environment graphically? I tried running startx and that errored out and went nowhere.
You start a second GUI session on the next (mostly #8) logical tty by using in KDE the Logout, Reboot, Shutdown button lower left in the Main Menu, Or the Power Session in the menu itself. In both you are offered a Switch User. Start from there. When started there, switch using Crtl-Alt-F7 and Crt-Alt-F8. More of them possible.
I did a short bit of testing. On TW, I can open a session from the TDM GUI login greeter, switch to e.g. Ctrl-Alt-F4, login as some other user, startx into a session, then switch back with Ctrl-Alt-F7 to find the DE as I left it, and same again with Ctrl-Alt-F4. This is as things used to be last time I cared to try long ago.
On same PC with 15.4, after the login from TDM GUI greeter and Ctrl-Alt-F4 to login as different user and startx, on Ctrl-Alt-F7, I get the GUI greeter, not the session I left running there. On Ctrl-Alt-F4, the session remains as I left it. If I skip logging in at the GUI greeter, Ctrl-Alt-F4 & startx, Ctrl-Alt-F5 & startx, I can switch back and forth always to find the session as I left it.
On these two installations DEs used are TDE and IceWM.
Using leap 15.4, I am finding that when I login with display manager graphically to my normal user login, it is am using tty #2. When I switch to another tty using for example tty3 (Ctrl-Alt-F3) I get a new text login screen. If I login as my normal user(tom) on this screen and then run startx, I get another text screen not a graphical screen.
If I switch to tty3 using Ctrl-Alt-F3 and at the login prompt, and I login as root, then run startx, I get gnome graphical desktop with no login entries required. Gnome just arts up on it’s own. I also get warnings about running gnome as a privaledged user. Note gnome is not my default desktop. The default is mate.
I have no ability to select and start a desktop and separately (in another tty) a wm.
