Jun 9, 2011 17:01 GMT  ·  By

As you all probably already know, the upcoming Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) operating system will have a new default display manager, called LightDM.

LightDM is an operating system's display manager, also known as login manager. Few people know that a display manager is also in charge with the remote logins via XDMCP protocol and manages the X servers.

Why LightDM for Ubuntu 11.10? The answer is simple: because we need a new and themeable login screen that matches the Unity interface.

But first, the development team wants your help. They want you to try and test LightDM as much as possible, and report bugs as you find them. Here's what Robert Ancell said a few days ago on Ubuntu's mailing list:

"As LightDM is scheduled to be the default display manager in Oneiric by Alpha 2 it would be awesome if we can get as many testers as possible, so please be a guinea pig!"

"Expect less features than the current GDM (e.g. user switching not yet implemented). I've been using LightDM exclusively for over a week without any major issues and others have indicated they are also using it without issue."

We've tested LightDM for you! Here's how LightDM looks on Ubuntu 11.04...

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As you can see, it looks ugly at the moment. However, until the final version of Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) will be released, the login manager will look something like this...
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How to test LightDM? Easy... just follow the instructions below for your Ubuntu operating system.

Testing LightDM on Ubuntu 11.10

Hit the CTRL + ALT + T key combination and paste the following command in the terminal window that appears:

sudo apt-get install lightdm lightdm-theme-gnome

Testing LightDM on Ubuntu 11.04

Hit the CTRL + ALT + T key combination and paste the following command in the terminal window that appears:

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:lightdm-team/ppa

...and now paste this command...

sudo apt-get install lightdm lightdm-theme-gnome

Once LightDM is installed, you will be prompted to choose the default login manager, so hit the OK button on the prompt screen and select lightdm from the list.

Make sure you save anything important before running the above commands, as you will be logged out of your current session. Please report bugs here. Happy testing and don't forget to drop a comment below about LightDM!