Q:  How can I distinguish a Workspace crash from a WindowServer crash?

A:  When something makes either the Workspace or the WindowServer crash, almost the same things occur:  the screen becomes gray, then loginwindow reappears.  However, to categorize bugs, it helps to know this trick for telling them apart:  If, when everything restarts, the mouse cursor is in the initial position, which is 100 pixels from the left edge of the screen and 100 pixels from the top of the screen, then you've had a WindowServer crash.  If, however, the mouse cursor changes back to the arrow but stays wherever it was before the crash occurred, then you've had a Workspace crash.  Although this is subtle, once you know you're looking for, it's easy to notice.  

QA316

Valid for 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 3.1