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Re: enlightenment question



Enlihtenment DR0.16.6 is out, you can use it as the Window Manager for
GNOME or KDE. However, it is more useful in its role as the high-end
of a standalone window managers. Using it with Eterm (terminal) and
EFM (file manager), both from the Enlightenment Project, can be very
productive. This is especially true if you find yourself using a lot
of applications that are not really tied to one of the big DEs, like
GIMP, Firefox, XMMS, XChat, et al.

I find it satisfying to use Enlightenment when I am using a mix of a
few GUI apps with a lot of terminal apps. I tend to use terminal apps
for stuff like editors, ftp, file management, and documentation
browsing. With gpm/slang mouse support, I have found it is rather
efficient to use things like nano, elinks, and mc. The themeing
ability of eterm (and the window manager itself) give you enough eye
candy to let you know you are still working with a late-model computer
;)

Something you may be interested to know is that the Enlightenment
Window ManagerDR16 is no longer being *actively* developed. It is more
or less being 'point released' every so often, only really for
maintenance/bugfixes. There may, out of the blue, be a feature update
announced, but this is rare and secondary to the current project
goals.

The real development is being done on the Next Big Thing(TM) in
graphical interface implementation. The project has developed a
multitude of highly advanced and portable graphical libraries and
complimentary graphical tools as a prerequisite to building the next
version of Enlightenment, DR17.

DR17 will be a 'desktop shell', consisting of the next-generation
window manager, application framework, interprocess communication
mechanisms, and core development tools built on top of the advanced
libraries. When the new window manager is completed, to tie all of
this together, it will represent a significant leap in GUI technology
on a multitude of platforms.

Many applications have already been written using this foundation. The
results are astounding, and can only get better. Many innovations are
here and on the way.

Keep in mind, the project does not aim to compete with GNOME or KDE.
Many of the libraries, like EVAS, already have GTK and QT bindings to
allow interoperation with these environments. The goal here is to push
the envelope, not crash the party.

On Sat, 08 Jan 2005 18:09:27 -0800, Bryan J. Smith <b.j.smith@ieee.org> wrote:

> One thing to remember is that a "Desktop Environment" comprises of:
> - Session Manager
> - Window Manager
> - File Manager
> 
> In Windows NT 4+ (2000/XP), this is:
> - Graphical Display Interface (GDI)
> - Explorer
> - Explorer
> 
> In X11, there are several options.
> 
> Today, GNOME 2.x uses by default:
> - GNOME Display Manager (GDM)
> - Metacity
> - Nautilus
> 
> KDE 2/3 uses by default:
> - KDE Display Manager (KDM)
> - KDE Window Manager (KWM) [correct me if I'm wrong on this?]

Correction: It is Kwin :)

> - Konqueror
> 

FYI: there are Enlightenment applications to cover these requirements,
were DR17 ever wanting to become a full-blown DE. :)

Those would be:
- Entrance (Session Manager)
- Enlightenment Window Manager
- Evidence (File manager)

Notice a trend? GNOME has "G" apps, KDE had "K" apps, Enlightenment
has "E" apps. Isn't it lovely? ;)

To read up on the reborn Enlightenment Project and find links to
third-party "E" app sites, go to: http://enlightenment.org/

Cheers,
Ray McCord

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