Logging In Through the Desktop Manager
Although GNOME is the default desktop environment, others are available without
much effort. If you have multiple desktop environments installed, you will be able to
select one in the display manager when you log in. First, you need to enter your user‐
name so the system can identify the default environment you have configured. This
may be the last one you logged into.
Figure 1-4
shows environments that I can select
from on one of my Kali Linux systems.
Figure 1-4. Desktop selection at login
There have been numerous display managers over the years. Initially, the login screen
was something the X window manager provided, but other display managers have
been developed, expanding the capabilities. One of the advantages of LightDM is that
it’s considered lightweight. This may be especially relevant if you are working on a
system with fewer resources such as memory and processor.
Xfce Desktop
One desktop environment that has been somewhat popular as an alternative over the
years is Xfce. One of the reasons it has been popular is that it was designed to be fairly
lightweight for a full desktop environment and, as a result, more responsive. Many
hardcore Linux users I have known over the years have gravitated to Xfce as their pre‐
ferred environment, if they needed a desktop environment. Again, the reason is that
it has a simple design that is highly configurable. In
Figure 1-5
, you can see a basic
setup of Xfce. The panel on the bottom of the desktop is entirely configurable. You
can change where it’s located and how it behaves, and add or remove items as you see
fit, based on how you prefer to work. This panel includes an applications menu that
includes all the same folders/categories that are in the GNOME menu.