Install multiple DE to try on free time

i hate windows os… but like some of the ability to customize. but plasma has proven to be good and better. lol

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@andrew_ysk
sddm is the default desktop manager and works best on plasma so it is best to stick with it.

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where go to to make sure i am on sddm ? the welcoming windows does not pop up since i am not rebooting the laptop yet.

systemctl list-unit-files --state=enabled --no-pager

Run this command in terminal . It will give you a list and there will be a line like this

sddm.service

If STATE is enabled then you are using sddm

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Or simply

systemctl status sddm
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Completely forgot that

:grimacing:

oh oh… it seems that i have changed it to something else… … wait… it saids
state = enable
vendor preset =disabled.

so i am still in ssdm.

$ systemctl list-unit-files --state=enabled --no-pager
UNIT FILE                            STATE   VENDOR PRESET
org.cups.cupsd.path                  enabled disabled     
avahi-daemon.service                 enabled disabled     
getty@.service                       enabled enabled      
NetworkManager-dispatcher.service    enabled disabled     
NetworkManager-wait-online.service   enabled disabled     
NetworkManager.service               enabled disabled     
org.cups.cupsd.service               enabled disabled     
sddm.service                         enabled disabled     
systemd-networkd-wait-online.service enabled disabled     
systemd-timesyncd.service            enabled enabled      
tlp.service                          enabled disabled     
avahi-daemon.socket                  enabled disabled     
org.cups.cupsd.socket                enabled disabled     
remote-fs.target                     enabled enabled      

14 unit files listed.
[enos-andrew@enos-andrew-pc ~]$ systemctl status sddm
● sddm.service - Simple Desktop Display Manager
     Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/sddm.service; enabled; vendor >
     Active: active (running) since Fri 2020-09-11 08:33:04 CEST; 1 day 11h>
       Docs: man:sddm(1)
             man:sddm.conf(5)
   Main PID: 663 (sddm)
      Tasks: 8 (limit: 19092)
     Memory: 158.3M
     CGroup: /system.slice/sddm.service
             ├─663 /usr/bin/sddm
             └─829 /usr/lib/Xorg -nolisten tcp -auth /var/run/sddm/{a6e9088>

Sep 11 08:33:32 enos-andrew-pc sddm-helper[869]: [PAM] returning.
Sep 11 08:33:32 enos-andrew-pc sddm-helper[869]: pam_systemd_home(sddm:acco>
Sep 11 08:33:32 enos-andrew-pc sddm[663]: Authenticated successfully
Sep 11 08:33:32 enos-andrew-pc sddm-helper[869]: pam_kwallet5(sddm:setcred)>
Sep 11 08:33:32 enos-andrew-pc sddm-helper[869]: pam_unix(sddm:session): se>
Sep 11 08:33:33 enos-andrew-pc sddm-helper[869]: pam_kwallet5(sddm:session)>
Sep 11 08:33:33 enos-andrew-pc sddm[663]: Auth: sddm-helper exited successf>
Sep 11 08:33:33 enos-andrew-pc sddm[663]: Greeter stopped.
Sep 11 08:33:33 enos-andrew-pc sddm-helper[869]: Starting: "/usr/share/sddm>
Sep 11 08:33:33 enos-andrew-pc sddm[663]: Session started
lines 1-22/22 (END)

what is Cronie service ? is it the same as this :
*cron* is the time-based job scheduler in Unix-like computer operating systems. cron enables users to schedule jobs (commands or shell scripts) to run periodically at certain times, dates or intervals. It is commonly used to automate system maintenance or administration.

It’s a time based job scheduler. For example, timeshift uses it when you setup automatic backups.

Cronie is just one of many cron implementations.

i am ruminating your post… i won’t install multiple DE in an user acc… however i will try to install on separate acc… (even though not now. i have copied your instruction to my note keeping. will do it when i hav got the whole plasma working comfortably).
thx for your effort.

i don’t want to install btrfs, as it is just like NTFS (of win os). i like normal ext4. is it btrfs is encrypted ? so that if my laptop got stolen, then they won’t be able to access to my data ?
if i don’t use btrfs, can i still have 2 user acc on a same partition ? and each have diff DE ?

you also said Note : you shouldn’t use separate root and home partitions . Needs more work
that means i can have 2 user acc assessing same data ? i guess not also. same partition does not means same user data… lol
is there way to let 2 user acc to access same data ? my own data, not setting data. i only have 2 partition now, 1 is / , the other is /home. shld i tear a bit of space from /home to make another ext4 partition for data sharing between the 2 user account ? and have to tweak a bit so that both make that 3rd partition to be Desktop ?
i don’t know if that is workable… but just guessing.

and why timeshift cronie ? i know timeshift is just like “roll back” on windows os, in case ruin the system, timeshift can restore it to previous point.

 3. Install timeshift with the command `yay -S timeshift cronie`
4. Enable cronie service , commands
`sudo systemctl enable cronie.service`
`sudo systemctl start cronie.service`

the rest i will ruminate later… complicating… :sweat_smile:

:open_mouth: I don’t even know where to begin …

  • BTRFS and NTFS are both files systems, that’s about it.
  • You can combine encryption with all file systems.
  • User accounts are typically located in /home. Multiple accounts are usually stored in the same partition; but they could also physically be on different storage devices and just “linked” to /home.
  • Every user could have a different desktop environment, but these would still be installed into the same system. You have been warned in the previous posts that this may not be a good idea. In any case, multiple user accounts isn’t the answer to this problem.
  • Sure, users can share data; but you’ll probably run into problems because of the default file and folder permissions.
    Typically, when you create a file in your /home location you don’t want other users to be able to read or even delete it.
    Creating a folder and files on “another ext4 partition” doesn’t change this. You’re still the owner of these folders/files with specific permissions that differ from other users rights.
    To really share data without making it world-readable you’ll have to look into stuff called “Access Control Lists”, “sticky bit”, groups, etc.

I really mean this in a non-condescending, specifically not RTFM way, but you seem to want too much too fast for your experience level. We all start out not knowing about this stuff, but …

I’d advise you pick one or two “problems”, do some research, then post informed questions if need be. Follow through until you actually solve these specific issues. This way you’ll probably meet a bunch of helpful forum members and learn a lot about your system.

Right now, you seem very enthusiastic, but too unstructured. This kept me from posting a real solution. For example I could have posted how to actually set up your permissions if you want to share data between users. But I got the impression you don’t actually know why you’d need/profit from this and wouldn’t have used it anyway.

Again, I don’t want to discourage you from asking questions, quite the opposite, but jumping around the forum with all sort of issues could eventually lead to the regular posters ignoring you although being able to help. We wouldn’t want that, would we? :wink:

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Hii 2000,

I have decided not to try other DE, because I am really :hot_face: of plasma itself so far.
This is because my mouse suddenly failed to scroll.
Just now my first monitor went out… and it auto fixed.
My touchpad was not working correctly and after suspend and back, it auto fixed itself.
I seems to experience such thing before when too many apps controlling a set of setting… each changes something when it is running… conflicting.
I have marked this thread as solved didn’t I ? I want to go ahead with working instead of “messing around” with things that flip floping …

Thanks for your advice. I am tired of it myself.