GNOME Shell has been installed and used as the default desktop in Ubuntu 17.10 since April 2006 , and decisions are now being taken on other details too, in which one of them is the topic on “which display manager to be used to power the login screen”. And from which a decision has been reached now that Ubuntu 17.10 will be using GDM (GNOME Display Manager) by default, replacing LightDM.
What is LightDM and GDM?
LightDM and GDM (GNOME Display Manager) both are login and display managers in Ubuntu. They both provide graphical login capabilities as well as remote logins using the XDMCP protocol.
LightDM
LightDM is an x display manager that aims to be fast, extendable and multi-desktop. It uses different front-ends to draw login interfaces, called Greeters.
Basic features are:
• A well-defined greeter API allowing multiple GUIs
• Support for all display manager use cases
• Low code difficulty
• Faster performance
GDM
GDM (GNOME Display Manager) is a display manager (a graphical login program) for the windowing systems X11 and Wayland. It is a highly configurable reimplementation of the X Display Manager.
GDM allows users to troubleshoot or personalize settings without having to depend to a command line.
All New?
GDM isn’t going to be a very different platform to use. We will still be able to swap between different desktop sessions and also access a few supplementary features, like music controls on the lock-screen while music still plays
One feature that you won’t find is that GDM does not support guest sessions (which either happens in Ubuntu-not any more.) An update was extended by Ubuntu that disabled” guest sessions in LightDM on Ubuntu” the previous month , due to a security flaw that granted the contents of other users’home folders by the guest user. Even though Ubuntu replaces LightDm with GDM , Ubuntu will continue to support LightDM for” Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, 16.04 LTS and 17.04 releases. Although this “support” will be defined to bug fixes from the Ubuntu desktop team.
GDM will appear in the main Ubuntu archives shortly, after which it’ll likely be added to the various meta packages that make up the default Ubuntu desktop experience and trickle down to be installed by default.
A new theming with new login experience is coming to our desktop!
