I want to install linux without a GUI (GNOME, KDE, etc.), but still want to use GUI based applications (Firefox, OpenOffice, etc.). Is there anyway of doing this? I was thinking I could just simply compile my OS with X Window System and some appropiate extentions, but I'm not entirelly sure if that would work.
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if they have a command line interface. Why not just use Lynx or Emacs?
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You can't used GUI based applications from within the CLI. You need to have a GUI to run these applications. If you want to work from the CLI, you might consider using a distro that starts in the CLI, and when you need to work in the GUI just type
startxto go to the GUI.That might be the best I can help you.
"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." - Rick Cook
If you want to use current commonly used GUI software, then you MUST us X Window.
However you can install a very minimalistic window manager (one of the most extreme I think is called rat-poison) and just start the X-session with only a command-line shell open and from there you can launch all the GUI programs you like.
You can also use KDE (or I guess Gnome), remove all the panels, wallpaper, desktop icons etc... and configure it in such a way that when it starts it loads only the libraries and it open a terminal, e.g. konsole, in full screen mode....
If you don't want to install X Window, I seem to remember that you can use frame-buffer (or something like that, sorry I don't have time to verify the details now) and use some GUI applications which do not require X Window (there are, but are very few and very basic).