Which Desktop Environment ??

[JukkaR]

My task is install new operating systems to some of my school's computers. The only real alternative is Linux. But since there's students who don't like linux very much, they tend to spoil it some way. Gnome and Kde are so easy to configure, so every Windows user can spoil them easily (set font to windings, all colors to black, etc. if you know what I mean). I'd like to install some other than Gnome or Kde, but I don't know which. The computers are meant to internet using only, so I would like desktop environment with no panels, just icons on dekstop for phoenix or mozilla, telnet-program, abiword and 'shut down the computer' -icon. The desktop environment should also have some autologin -feature.. Any suggestions? And the Linux distribution will be Gentoo, of course...

[amittp]

ICEWM,

Has a taskbar, you can place all the icons there ( no icons on desktop though). Easy to use and u can remove the font changer from icewm menu very easily. So you will be safe. The Interface i think suits your purpouse. BTW, what do you mean by auto-login?
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[kappax]

you could use fluxbox with Idesk looks real nice and you would get some speed! or i think it is called openbox, then you can remove the slit so just a desktop and icons, but i think they students would like a slit, (who wouldent ) so they can keep tract of what the heave open.

[Malakin]

Don't forget to make sure you do something to make the Linux boxes seem more desireable then the windows ones. Mozilla with popup blocking is enough for some people...

If you are to ever use KDE you could set it up the way you want it and then make the kde config files read only for that user, I haven't actually tried it but I don't see why it wouldn't work. It's certainly much easier to lock down a Linux box then a windows one.

[JukkaR]

Kde and Gnome are too much for those computers, I'm going to install IceWM... And by 'auto-login' I meant such program that logins automatically the default user, but the new gdm (2.0?) is good enough. They (students) cannot spoil computers by doing anything in gdm.. The other thing I'm bit worry about is Grub that allows (any)user to modify boot extrensions or sth, before the kernel starts (pressing E in the bootloader menu). But setting the timeout in menu.lst to zero and it propably will work even next year... Sorry for my english..

[duff]

[Darth_Daver]

Fluxbox is nice, light, and fast. I can say the same thing about XFCE, but Fluxbox is generally more pleasing.

Grub can be password protected and otherwise configured to prevent boot-time changes. The password can even be encrypted.