How to change from KDE to gnome in fedora 16?

[cricketlong]

I want to back to gnome......

[Gareth Jones]

sudo yum groupinstall "GNOME Desktop Environment"

will install the "standard" GNOME packages that you'd get if you chose GNOME during the Fedora installation.

I don't know how you change the display manager though.

[nonamedotc]

I believe it might be possible to change the display manager by (creating and) adding a line in the /etc/sysconfig/desktop file.

DISPLAYMANAGER='GDM'

I know this can be done for KDE but not sure about GNOME. Is it possible that once GNOME is installed it will automatically take over DM?

[marko]

The display manager is irrelevant to the which desktop you want to run, KDM can launch both Gnome and KDE and GDM can also do either

[nonamedotc]

Originally Posted by marko

The display manager is irrelevant to the which desktop you want to run, KDM can launch both Gnome and KDE and GDM can also do either

I know and I agree. It is just that if OP desires to change the display manager too! I for one like GDM (and GNOME) better even if I have xfce installed (sometimes). That's why mentioned that too ....

[hadrons123]

I thought GDM is the buggiest of all. I prefer lxdm.

[Gareth Jones]

The general idea is that people would prefer the display manager that integrates best with their primary desktop shell. There's no real technical reason not to use kdm (or any other of your choice) with GNOME, only aesthetics/convenience.

[burkecabaniss]

What is the answer to the question ? I have read the replies which are mostly about choice. I made a specification error on upgrade, or I wasn't asked. I have yum installed gnome*. I want gnome on startx and I still don't get it. There must be a config choice.

[dcharlespyle]

What exactly do you want to do? Do you have gnome 3 installed? Are you logging in from KDM or GDM? In either case you can change the session you are using. There should be an option to select your current session. Change it to GNOME before you enter your password and logon.

If what you want to do is to change from KDM to GDM as your default display manager, there are several ways to do it. The easiest way is to use a gui application to change the default display manager.

Fire up a Terminal and:

$ su
# yum install system-switch-displaymanager-gnome

Then, open the application and change your default display manager to gdm. You may still have to choose your default desktop session before logging in at GDM, however.

Let us know if this helped.

[burkecabaniss]

Thank you for your quick reply. What am I trying to do ? Upgrade fc13 to fc16 from DVD, no more. I have many problems such as upstart vs. systemd that are unrelated to gnome.

In fc13 I ran startx from runlevel 3; gnome and rest, OK for many months. After f16 upgrade I had to "FALSE" "AutoAddDevices" to unfreeze my mouse and keyboard and thereby get X up. I found I had TBird and FFox but had lost things like OpenOffice and display settings (theme, fonts, etc.). I take the title above to be the best source for an answer to the last problem mentioned.

I did `yum install gnome*` and it seemed to work (many messages) but I saw no gnome on my screen. I envisioned a sysconfig or other configuration file that would specify KDE versus gnome. That was my inquiry. After your reply I did `yum install system-switch-displaymanager-gnome and restarted X. I see no gnome.

Maybe I don't know where to find the graphic tools for display configuration. I am a wonderful designer of COBOL systems including for web applications, many many years, but that's my technical limit.

[dcharlespyle]

In KDE, type in the search bar on the menu the word "display" without quotes and you should see Display Manager Switching Tool. Run that and you should be able to change your default Display Manager from that. It will ask you for your root password before you can proceed. Make sure that GDM is selected and apply the change.

If I recall correctly, you will need to restart your system to see the resullts after you have done this. You also will have need of changing your session from kde to GNOME before logging on.

If that program does not run at all, let me know and I will have you install another package that will work from the command line. Let me know how it goes.

[DBelton]

To change the default display manager back to GDM, just delete the /etc/sysconfig/desktop file. GDM is the default.

To run KDM, create a /etc/sysconfig/desktop file with the contents:

DISPLAYMANAGER="KDE"


But, both Gnome and KDE should be accessible from either GDM or KDM.

[dcharlespyle]

OK, I admit that deleting the above mentioned file is the easiest and fastest solution. Either way should get your GNOME back (although you still will need to change your session before entering in your password and logging on).

IF you have GDM as your default display manager, the red arrow in the attached screenshot shows you where to change your session. If you don't see a list of sessions including GNOME, let us know and one of us can get you there.

[burkecabaniss]

Thank you all. I imagined and hoped for a solution such as the two last replies. I believe they are very good answers to the title above, at the basic X level in which I operate.

But it didn't work for me. My problem is something else related to the yum database and/or my installed packages. When I know more about it and need help I will find an appropriate title.

[R3v0lut10nary]

Completely purging an entire desktop environment like KDE (or Gnome) is a pain in the ass. If you want to make a clean break from one to the other, my suggestion would be to back up your home directory, reinstall, and restore your home directory.

That's the lazy and clean way to do it.