[lug] detecting which window manager?

[Michael Hirsch]

On 6/27/05, D. Stimits <stimits at comcast.net> wrote:
> I'm using fedora, but that should be irrelevant to this question. I'm
> wondering is there any way to detect which window manager is being used?
> 
> This should be easy, but I'm stumped, ps aux shows nothing relevant. I'm
> set to use kdm for login...apparently the window manager is not set as
> an argument to kdm or X servers. Window managers themselves appear to
> not be a process, at least not when launched under kdm...this would make
> sense though, as kdm runs at all times, and the window manager to run is
> not known till the user starts a session. I was digging around in
> /etc/X11/, could not find anything that would definitively tell me. In
> /etc/sysconfig/desktop, the only relevant entries are for DESKTOP="KDE"
> and DISPLAYMANAGER="KDE"...but I'm under the impression that KDE is
> *not* a window manager, just a login manager. Am I wrong? Is KDE also a
> window manager? Or am I running something else like sawfish or icewm?

KDM is a login manager that is part of the KDE project.  KDE is an
integrated desktop environment--and that includes a window manager. 
When you look at the list of processes do you see lots named
"kdeinit"?  If so, they you are running KDE and KDE is your window
manager.

Under KDM you can usually choose to run with KDE, GNOME, IceWM, or
some other desktop.  There usually is a default, but the easiest thing
to do is pick the one you want.  I thought that Fedora defaulted to
GNOME, but I don't use it and won't swear to it.

Michael