Are there any GUIs for Linux (that allow, for example, multiple concurrent shells) that do not run on top of X? Maybe something even smaller than X?
I’m partially asking this out of general geek curiosity, and partially because I want to run a really stripped Linux on an older laptop of mine, but I still have to be able to view images with it.
I have nothing against X, it’s just that I want to explore options.
Interesting question!
I know that I have heard about such interfaces, but a quick websearch only gives me mgr, supposedly a small non-x GUI, but their website (http://archimedes.nosc.mil/Mgr/) is down.
[sub]In other words, this post is nothing more than a bump, hoping to attract the attention more knowledgeable posters.[/sub]
Just out of curiosity, what is your hardware platform? A problem with older laptops is that their graphics cards can be very non-standard. The advantage with X is that there are drivers for just about everything. If you use something non-X you might not find the correct drivers, unless your hardware is pretty standard.
I have a Gateway 2000 Solo laptop with an early Pentium (i586, the kind of chip old Windows 95 machines shipped with), and I can run X along with one of the more minimalist window managers (Ice, WindowMaker, tab, etc.). I also have a very odd graphics card, apparently, and have had to use a vanilla VGA driver to get X to work. Nothing Gateway-specific even functions. Thank standards for common fallbacks! 
I suppose my card could be a problem, as I’m not about to crack the case and try to replace it. But it understands VGA, so I guess that’s a start.
In my own searches, I have come up with a kind of text-based window manager. Barely a step up from the Midnight Commander, I’m pretty sure it can’t do graphics. I need to be able to view graphics with this box, if it can do nothing else (it’s going to be a place to store and view images from a digital camera). mgr sounds like a partial start, but as the site is down, I guess I’ll have to reserve judgement.
I’m half hoping different GUIs will be less resource-intensive than X, and enable my little laptop to run smoothly while giving a technohpobe friend of mine a comfortable interface. The Ice window manager (sitting right on top of X) seems like my best bet right now, but I’m not one to settle quickly.
My own problems aside, I am curious about what kind of options I have as far as GUIs go. There is plenty of diversity within X, but my innate wanderlust compells me to seek out whatever is beyond the path more traveled. I’ve already gotten into things as diverse as the gopher protocol and MIPS assembly through that curioisty, and I want to know how deep I can get into this topic.