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Shezan avatar Ubuntu

Can I use same software after switching Window Manager or Desktop Environment in Linux

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Shezan

I am using Kubuntu and I have Kwin as the Window Manager and KDE as the Desktop Environment.

I use VSCode and other software.

I am switching to another Desktop Environment and Window Manager alongside Kwin and KDE.

This means I will have both KDE and other Desktop Environments installed on my computer and I will switch between these from login screen. The same is true for the window manager.

If I switch to Cinnamon Desktop Environment or GNOME Desktop Environment or any other Desktop Environment, or if I switch to i3, bspwm, dwm Tiling Window Manager or Fluxbox, Openbox Stacking/Floating Window Manager, or if I switch both Desktop Environment and Window Manager, can I use the same VSCode and other software on these different Desktop Environments and Window Managers, or do I need to install same software for each of these Desktop Environments and Window Managers?

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kde
David avatar
cn flag
David
All the same software should work on any DE or WM.
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us flag
Archisman Panigrahi
@David You can post that as an answer
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guiverc avatar
cn flag
guiverc
Some desktops are WM *agnostic*, however some are not. I'm using Lubuntu thus LXQt desktop which is a WM *agnostic*; Lubuntu uses `openbox` as its WM; Debian use `xfwm4`... Yes almost all DEs *should* work with any WM, however you'll discover you may not get all functionality working as some are coded and expect certain WMs to be used. I'm a *lover* of multiple DEs installed (I select which I use at login) so my box has multiple installed; but I expect the same operation from apps for all (though my multi-DE does influence some aspects of my machine...)
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David avatar
cn flag
David
@Archisman Panigrahi seems it is too late for that but thanks.
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David avatar
cn flag
David
@guiverc I do not think that is a good idea. A second answer will look like I m just trying to copy your answer. That would not help the OP and would not help me.
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guiverc avatar
cn flag
guiverc
Fair enough... and *Thank You!* for thinking of what is best for the community! @David
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Score:2
guiverc avatar Ubuntu
cn flag
guiverc

Some desktops are WM agnostic, however some are not. I'm using Lubuntu thus LXQt desktop which is a WM agnostic desktop; Lubuntu uses openbox as its WM; Debian use xfwm4 (with LXQt)...

Yes almost all DEs should work with any WM, however you'll discover you may not get all functionality working as some are coded and expect certain WMs to be used. I'm a lover of multiple DEs installed (I select which I use at login) so my box has multiple installed; but I expect the same operation from apps for all (though my multi-DE does influence some aspects of my machine...)

My current session is Lubuntu (LXQt using openbox) however if I logout and switched to another, eg. Xubuntu (Xfce) I'll have a different wallpaper, but as I've setup my panels to be on the same edges of the same monitors the difference visually is minimal, I'll just have a mouse replace the bird on my menu icons (ie. Xfce logo instead of LXQt). I've set it up that way, ensuring my Qt5 & GTK themes work together well enough that I'm happy. My xfwm4 & openbox themese likewise match. I could logout & use Ubuntu (GNOME) too; it's less visually like the other two (doesn't have the same number of panels & other differences) but its difference can be useful (using it gives me a holiday from my normal setup).

Key though is I'll use my apps the same way regardless of desktop though (the major difference being the media keys work differently between DEs; I've made that the same before too, but have opted to leave that default now).

I choose to use some different apps on the various environments (qterminal when using Lubuntu/LXQt, xfce4-terminal when using Xubuntu/Xfce, gnome-terminal when using Ubuntu/GNOME...) as they're the most efficient on those environments, and boxes with limited RAM I even use different text editors when I switch DEs, but as this box as 16GB of RAM I can use features that suit me; so some text files are always in featherpad (regardless of my DE as it's setup perfectly for my usage), others are in mousepad etc. I decide what apps I use, unless the machine has limited resource (I still use devices with 1GB of RAM where I'm ultra careful!), or some tasks I'm performing really require those resources (so I'm lean with what I can control).

Regardless, on my multi-desktop installs I use the apps the same way regardless of my chosen session (DE/WM choice).

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guiverc avatar
cn flag
guiverc
This is really a very long *opus* of @David's first comment "*All the same software should work on any DE or WM*". I believe their are exceptions, though they are few & limited to specific circumstances, where the OP didn't provide any of note that I saw.
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