KDE and X-Window-System difference?

[ejt]

What is the difference between KDE and X-Window-System? They seem to me to be the same thing, namely the graphic interface for Linux?

[pontiouspilate]

Well X is a server on your system that transfers the info from the DISPLAY and with the correct drivers and setting using TCP port 6000 to display a signal to your monitor. KDE or GNOME for that matter is nothing but an application that sends data to the DISPLAY output to be sent to the X server. you can run just the X server by going into runlevel 3 and typing this into the command line

X <ENTER>

and watch your screen
you notice that you see nothing but little x's but no KDE or gnome. this is just you X server nothing less.

Hope that helped