Comparison of Windows and X Windows on Knoppix Linux Boot Disk and Window 2000 Citing Advantages and Disadvantages to Both

Comparison of Windows and X Windows on Knoppix Linux Boot disk and Window 2000 Citing Advantages and Disadvantages to Both

Patrick Hanrahan

POS/420

Amadou Wane

27, August 2005

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of similarities between Windows 2000 and Knoppix Linux Boot disk, as well as including the advantages and disadvantages of both.

Table of Contents

Abstract 2

Table of Contents 3

Introduction 4

X Windows 4

Windows Managers 5

Microsoft Windows GDI 5

Advantages and Disadvantages 6

Conclusion 6

References 7

Comparison of Windows and X Windows on Knoppix Linux Boot disk and Window 2000 Citing Advantages and Disadvantages to Both

Introduction

What is X Windows? The X Window System, often known as X, is a windowing system for graphics workstations developed at MIT with support from DEC, Indiana University (1997-2005). What is the Microsoft counterpart? Microsoft's Windows Graphic Device Interface or (GDI) performs the same functionality for Windows as X Windows does for UNIX or Linux operating systems. We begin the journey by separating out the Windows manager (KDM) from the X Windows (XFree86) on the Knoppix Linux disk. This is the first step in identifying the similarities of X Windows and Windows and is required prior to comparing the major advantages, disadvantages, and components in Windows and on the Knoppix Live CD... Even though the Windows manager runs, in essence, in conjunction with X Windows, Cooper, P. (1999).

X Windows

X Windows is the foundation for the GUI choices in Linux, Lockergnome (1996-2005). Lockergnome (1996-2005) goes on to state that it was fashioned in the mid-1980s and that it is a core set of instructions for creating a GUI. X Windows or “X” is not the GUI itself, nor does it describe how the windows should be created. What it does do, according to Lockergnome (1996-2005, is provide a common set of instructions for developers to use when creating them.

Windows Managers

User interface is what makes or breaks an operating system, in my opinion, and have often heard that people dread the transition to Linux from Windows for this very reason.

The desktop environment (DE) used for the Knoppix bootable CD, once experienced, should resolve all the fears associated with transitioning to or using Linux. As stated above, X Windows does not define how a window is drawn, so what is it that gives the desktop environment its “look and Feel” as a user interface? Window managers in Linux handle the drawing of windows, recognizing and responding to mouse clicks, and creating all the little touches that make up a DE’s look and feel Lockergnome (1996-2005). Window managers also operate independently of the Linux kernel, communicating instead with the underlying X Window system. Several window managers exist today, including the ones mentioned by Information Technology Research Institute (2004). Knoppix has six alternative "desktops". Alternatives to using KDM enable you run the X Window System on a computer that doesn't have enough RAM for KDM. It also saves loading time, because the alternatives load much more quickly than KDM. This is a distinct advantage when compared to Microsoft Windows. Information Technology Research Institute (2004) lists these six alternatives available for use with the Knoppix Live CD

• Ice Window Manager

• Window Maker

• Fluxbox

• Xfce