What Is Your Favorite Desktop Environment?

S

Sinister_Diagram

Guest
I would have to say I have two particular favorites at the moment: XFCE and Enlightenment (E17) environments. Both are lightweight and allow the user to do as much, or as little, customization that they want to. I currently run Xubuntu, which is considered the best XFCE-based distribution, and I could not agree more. The fact that it is so lightweight on my system is amazing. Currently, with Chrome and gMusicBrowser up, the highest CPU peak has been roughly 28% and memory usage is at 505MB of 1,759MB! I have not used the E17 environment a lot, but I have tinkered around on it through the Bodhi distribution and a few others. If you install this environment along with another, it is completely bare, allowing you to do the full customization. This may or may not be good for users as it all depends on their knowledge.


I am surprised this has not been discussed a lot! Linux Forum has been getting a lot of new members, so I wanted to hear some opinions regarding your choice when it comes to a desktop environment. What do you like? Why? If you are new to Linux, you just might find some good hints as to what you can try out first.
 


+1 for Xubuntu, here. It's all a matter of taste, though. So you can almost expect 100 different answers from 100 people.
 
Yes I think with so many different flavours there are so many different options! I do like Xubuntu, and I did use Kubuntu too, but I didn't really like it. So far Mints my favourite.
 
Yes I think with so many different flavours there are so many different options! I do like Xubuntu, and I did use Kubuntu too, but I didn't really like it. So far Mints my favourite.

I am sure there will be a lot of various opinions, I just like to hear 'em! Lol:D I love the look and usability of Kubuntu (and a lot of other KDE-based distributions). However, KDE does not want to work well with my desktop computer. I get various screen glitches and lag - even experienced freezing on multiple times the last time I tried Kubuntu. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, guys!
 
LXDE is my favorite DE. Started using it on low-resource PCs like a couple PIII, several P4 and one or two pre-Athlon desktops. I became so used to its simplicity and functionality that I now use it on custom-builds with 4 or 8 GB DDR3 RAM using 64-bit distros.

Not a DE but rather a WM, openbox has gained my favor as very low RAM-intensive, too. It is an option with Peppermint Two and Zenwalk 7.0 -- both well worth looking into as distributions very functional on laptops as well as desktops. Debianites can look to antiX-M11, which has no DE, either, or CrunchBang.
 
Mints is the best according to me. I like it very much as it is elegant, easy to use, up to date and comfortable.
 
LXDE is my favorite DE. Started using it on low-resource PCs like a couple PIII, several P4 and one or two pre-Athlon desktops. I became so used to its simplicity and functionality that I now use it on custom-builds with 4 or 8 GB DDR3 RAM using 64-bit distros.

Not a DE but rather a WM, openbox has gained my favor as very low RAM-intensive, too. It is an option with Peppermint Two and Zenwalk 7.0 -- both well worth looking into as distributions very functional on laptops as well as desktops. Debianites can look to antiX-M11, which has no DE, either, or CrunchBang.

I used LXDE under the Lubuntu distribution and I enjoyed that desktop environment a lot. I love low-resource environments and I can quickly say that I do not use them merely on old computers anymore. I made the leap and just put Bodhi 1.4 on my desktop since I am loving the Enlightenment/E17 environment so much. I just tested out Peppermint 2 through a live cd last night and I really enjoyed it. It ran perfectly out of the box and I will definitely be keeping an eye on it's development. Thanks for your input!:D
 
I used LXDE under the Lubuntu distribution and I enjoyed that desktop environment a lot. I love low-resource environments . . . Thanks for your input!:D

You're welcome! Glad to be of some help.

I tried E a couple years ago via the distro moonOS and found it aesthetically pleasing. It beats XFCE in this regard, IMHO.

Please continue to feed us your considered opinion on Bodhi.
 
Mints is the best according to me. I like it very much as it is elegant, easy to use, up to date and comfortable.

Is it similar to Windows? That's what I've heard. Plus from the screenshots on their website it looks very, as you say, elegant.
 
Is it similar to Windows? That's what I've heard. Plus from the screenshots on their website it looks very, as you say, elegant.

In my opinion, I do think Mint is quite similar to Windows. However, I came across a Linux distro by the name of "Zorin OS" that is known for having an appearance and usability that is nearly identical to a Windows-based system. I had been keeping my eyes on this distribution and decided to burn a live cd to give it a go. I must say that I was VERY impressed with it and if anyone is looking for a Linux distribution that is similar to Windows, I would even dare to say this may be your best bet. It worked great, out of the box, on my desktop while testing it. Plus, it comes with some great applications ready to use without slowing down your system. The minimum system requirements are great as well.

If you would like to know more, feel free to ask some questions around the forum or do some searching - YouTube would be your best bet if you want to see it in action.
 
I use Puppy Linux which comes with JWM, Jonathan Window Manager. Pretty neat and comprehensive. I have also tried XFCE when I installed Linux Mint. Since then I found out that I could actually change the Desktop Environment almost on the fly. So I played around with a few like LXDE and KDE. In the end, I still came back to JWM. Mainly because if I want something complicated, I can always just use Windows. I migrated to Linux to get my work done in the fastest possible time.
 
My favorite desktop environment would be KDE although i've tried out different others like GNOME and LXDE, i found that KDE had that elegant feel that added to the overall architecture of your dektop screen and gave it that glossy appearance, Like in OpenSUSE the polished interface was really very good.

LXDE as under Debian has that classic look, which i'd love to see on smaller devices and low performance systems, like especially my Mobile tablet Nokia N900, i have LXDE running.

The Application launcher, notifications and all the icons and buttons were all perfect in KDE.
 
My favorite desktop environment would be KDE although i've tried out different others like GNOME and LXDE, i found that KDE had that elegant feel that added to the overall architecture of your dektop screen and gave it that glossy appearance

I do agree that KDE is up there when it comes to a beautiful interface right out of the box. Enlighten can be made visually appealing with themes and other tweaks, but if you were to install E17, it is bland and pretty boring. The same goes for LXDE if you are judging it solely on it's appearance and you prefer something that has a lot of color or detail - it is simple and straightforward, though I do find it nice as well. I have used Kubuntu, OpenSUSE, and a few other distros with the KDE environment - I was overwhelmed with how gorgeous it looked without doing anything to it!:D
 
I do agree that KDE is up there when it comes to a beautiful interface right out of the box. Enlighten can be made visually appealing with themes and other tweaks, but if you were to install E17, it is bland and pretty boring. The same goes for LXDE if you are judging it solely on it's appearance and you prefer something that has a lot of color or detail - it is simple and straightforward, though I do find it nice as well. I have used Kubuntu, OpenSUSE, and a few other distros with the KDE environment - I was overwhelmed with how gorgeous it looked without doing anything to it!:D

Indeed, after all KDE was awarded with the Best Desktop Environment of the Year 2012. Especially it's KDE 4.7 what inspired the Linux tech journals the most. Apart from appearance i've read that users felt most comfortable with the interface and well integrated applications.

I really loved how most of the applications blended so well with the notification system and the task bar. I wonder if businesses will try to adopt KDE based linux OS's. :D
 
I am yet to find a real preference for any one DE, I have used Xfce, KDE and GNOME. I really like aspects of each but mainly use the CLI as I only have Linux on my server at the moment. I might install KDE on the server since it is light weight and I like the idea of having a GUI at times.
 
I prefer XFCE so my flavor of choice is Xubuntu. It runs well on my netbook and my desktop alike. :D
 
Chakra

Have you guys tried Chakra
For me it is the best KDE distro
I have been using it for a year and have had no problem:)
 
used LXDE under the Lubuntu distribution and I enjoyed that desktop environment a lot.
 
I have only ever used KDE and Gnome. Out of the two of those I preferred Gnome.
 
Kubuntu is the best and most user friendly.
I don't think any others compare.
 

Staff online

Members online


Top