How-To Geek
Linux Users Have a Choice: 8 Linux Desktop Environments
There’s no one true desktop environment for Linux. Unlike competing operating systems like Windows, Linux users have a choice of many different desktop environments, all with their own styles and strengths.
You can install one of these desktop environments after installing your Linux distribution and switch between desktop environments from the login screen. You can also choose to install a Linux distribution that comes with the desktop environment. For example, you can get Ubuntu in many different flavors.
Unity
Unity is Ubuntu’s own default desktop environment. If you’ve installed Ubuntu using the standard installer, you’re probably using the Unity desktop right now.
Unity is Ubuntu’s vision of what a Linux desktop should be. In fact, for most users, Unity is probably synonymous with Ubuntu. From its searchable Dash (which also searches online sources) to its application dock that functions similarly to Windows 7’s taskbar, Unity has its own identity as a desktop. However, Unity also includes a variety of programs from the GNOME desktop. Prior to Unity, Ubuntu used GNOME — many of these GNOME programs, like the Nautilus file manager, are still used on Unity today.
GNOME
GNOME was once the most popular Linux desktop environment. The GNOME 2.x series was used by default on Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, and most other big Linux distributions. It was a simple, fairly lightweight desktop environment. After the transition to the new GNOME 3 with its GNOME Shell interface, Ubuntu and other distributions began moving away from GNOME. GNOME 3 was arguably too simple and stripped-down in terms of options and features — for example, it doesn’t even include a taskbar by default.
However, GNOME 3 now supports extensions that can add many missing desktop features, including a taskbar. GNOME 3 is a slick desktop that takes advantage of the graphical effects available on multiple computers, and some people do prefer its vision of the Linux desktop. It works similarly to Unity in some ways, with a full-screen application launcher.
KDE
At one point, KDE and GNOME were the two most popular Linux desktop environments. KDE has always been more complex than GNOME, packing in many more configuration options and features. It’s a bit more Windows-like than the other desktop environments here, coming with a single taskbar on the bottom of the screen that includes a menu, quick launch-type icons, a taskbar, a notification area, and a clock — the typical layout of a Windows taskbar before Windows 7.
KDE is a solid desktop environment that’s well-suited to someone who wants a lot of configuration options. KDE 4’s desktop comes with a variety of widgets, so the desktop itself can be extensively customized, too. KDE is based on the QT toolkit, whereas GNOME and Unity are based on the GTK toolkit. This means that KDE uses different programs than these other desktops — file manager, image viewer, and so on — they’re all different programs than you’d use on a GNOME or Unity desktop.
Xfce
Xfce is a more lightweight desktop environment. It was once very similar to GNOME, but with GNOME 3 striking out in a different direction, Xfce now has its own identity as a more traditional Linux desktop environment that’s quite similar to GNOME 2.
This option is ideal if you want a more traditional desktop environment without full-screen application launchers, overdone graphical effects, and desktop widgets. It’s also more lightweight than the other options here, making it ideal for older computers or ones without stable 3D graphics drivers that can’t handle the effects in Unity and GNOME.
While Xfce also uses the GTK toolkit, it includes many of its own programs, such as a lightweight file manager, text editor, and image viewer. You won’t find all the typical programs you would find in Unity and GNOME, although some common ones are present.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon was developed for Linux Mint. Cinnamon is based on GNOME 3, so it uses up-to-date libraries and other software — but it takes that software and tries to create a more traditional-looking desktop with it.
This modern desktop environment offers nice graphical effects and a rethought application menu. However, it doesn’t throw away the past and includes a taskbar, application menu that doesn’t take up the full screen, and so on. Linux Mint pushes Cinnamon as one of its preferred desktop environments, but you can also install and use it on Ubuntu.
As it’s based on GNOME, Cinnamon uses many GNOME utilities but also includes some of its own configuration tools.
MATE
MATE is a fork of the original GNOME 2 that aims to preserve GNOME 2, continually updating it so it will continue to work on modern Linux distributions. MATE has also seen some new features, but the main purpose of MATE is to give people who desperately miss GNOME 2 the opportunity to install it on new Linux distributions. It’s officially supported along with Cinnamon in Linux Mint, where it’s given a prominent place as a default choice.
This desktop environment is ideal for people who really miss GNOME 2. In some ways, a desktop environment like Cinnamon is probably better positioned for the future as it’s based on newer software like GTK 3, while MINT is stuck with the older GTK 2.
LXDE
If you didn’t think Xfce was lightweight enough, try LXDE. LXDE is focused on being as lightweight as possible and is especially designed for older computers, netbooks, and other systems with low hardware resources. While it’s a lightweight desktop, it includes all the standard desktop features — some lightweight desktops omit the taskbar entirely, but LXDE doesn’t.
Like Xfce, LXDE bundles its own lightweight file manager, text editor, image viewer, terminal program, and other utilities.
Xmonad and More
This isn’t a complete list — not by a long shot. There are many more niche desktop environments and window managers you could use, including Xmonad, a tiling window manager. Tiling window managers attempt to make your life easier by automatically arranging windows in tiles on your screen, saving you the trouble of dragging them around and allowing you to quickly rearrange them with keyboard shortcuts. It’s a good example of just how different from each other Linux desktop environments can be.
What desktop environment do you prefer on your Linux box?
No reason to "not use a distro" because of its DE. You can install any of the DEs that you prefer on any distro.
LXDE is the best Desktop :strawberry: Pi Warriors!(I know it is a strawberry...)
Hi Guys, I got the article. I will apply it here in Unileste(INFOSOL/LIC). Unfortunately we'll use Xfce because of lightweight apps. Thx in advance.
There's no place like Gnome, the simpler the better, NOT unity crap! I'm retired. I could give a rat's ass about learning new garbage, especially when I don't need to, and it's NOT important. The desktop is the launching pad. I'll stick with what I know and what works. Developers have too much time on their hands. If I could have stayed with Ubuntu 8.10 or 9.10, I would have been happy. 10.04 is just fine, thank you!
I don't even know what you mean. Fedora can't possibly be using Unity as default! It's developed by canonical exclusively for Ubuntu.P.S.: I've rarely seen a Linux user flame like a typical Apple fanboy.
Someone please tell that to all those fanboys! I guess one has to go through at least one headless or completely CLI setup like Arch Linux to realize that.
I have tried KDE, Gnome, XFCE and LXDE. I love Unity. It is so much more intuitive. I hate having to scroll through menus. With Unity I just depress the windows key and type what I want to open. I have Unity Bar set to auto hide, so I don't see it unless I swipe the mouse pointer on left side of screen or I hit the windows key.
However I respect your choice of DE. That is what linux is all about: Choice!
Speaking of Arch, I vote that HTG does a guide/walkthrough on installing Arch Linux properly. Obviously there are an infinite number of choices to be made, but even a simple guide showing the "safe defaults" would be nice.
Typo on the last line of the MATE section.original: while MINT is stuck with the older GTK 2fix: while MATE is stuck with the older GTK 2
I've been doing "Older Laptop Rescues" on 3-4 year-old laptops their owners are ready to chuck because they're "so darn slow"... those owners don't realise there's nothing wrong with the hardware, it's the OS.So, I clean that OS as best I can, defrag and shrink down the Win partition which typically leaves a good-sized area to install Mint with the Cinnamon DE. I do check back with these users to make sure they're happy with this: uniformly elated!
I chose Cinnamon because for Windows users, it most closely resembles what they're already used to. To me, honouring workflow and respecting people's hard-earned knowledge of computing is crucial for getting them to accept a new computing environment.
As we say here in Oz: "new isn't always better"... there has to be visible, appreciable benefits to making a change. So, I make sure not just that these new GNULinux converts are initially happy, but stay happy!
What is a "full-screen launcher"? (I thought a "launcher" was a desktopicon (hopefully with an english label) that one can click to run a program.)One of the comparisons i'd like to see is how one creates such an icon in each environment for xterm say, and also for a homemade program in my home dir.
Got two monitors, no problem in linux. Got a scanner, no problem in linux with that either. Don't have a high end graphic card because no need to. An Nvidia GeForce 9500 GT suits my needs. No problem with that either, have full effects in compiz. The problem may be the operator.
Granted some things are tough to configure in Linux and a few just won't work at all. Instead of trashing something, maybe you can share with us the great things you can do with your windows. I am all ears.
Edit: Don't mean to be abrasive jeepmanjr80, but your response is way off base. This topic isn't about whether linux is ready for prime time. It is about the many DE options available in linux. Most linux users don't really care if it is ever ready for prime time, all they care about is how well it works for them. And that my friend is why they use it!
Linux is great, and that is a fact. One of the biggest reasons, if not the biggest reason Linux is great is its customizability. It can fit anybody's personal preferences, and computer needs. Now, some people like Unity or Cinnamon (like me), and some people like Gnome, or Mate (Not like me). This is my preference, and only my preference. Sometimes a light DE is needed, and sometimes we can trade some resources for some eye candy; no choice is wrong. Linux is about freedom, and freedom to choose my DE everytime I log in is one of the reasons I switched from Windows. Now to quote Abe Lincoln: "Be excellent to each other....and....PARTY ON, DUDES!"
Whitson has already got an article up on the Lifehacker. That's seems to help people get started. Obviously, Beginners Guide on the Wiki is the best one can get!
thats absolutely incorrect. linux even picks up my wireless printer/ scanner and i've made labels and business cards. i also run without security software and it's not reporting home about my activity to any corporations to gather information. the updates take 2 minutes and i only had to restart it after an update for the nvidia graphics driver. you really should work with it a little more. i've abandoned windows, its just a curiosity now.
Linux is not trying to take over the computer market. It exists as an alternative OS. Those unwilling to do the work necessary and/or learn how to use and configure linux to suit their individual needs should remain with Windows. Again I use linux because it works for me, I could not care less if another person tries linux today. Case in point: I only mention linux on HTG in linux threads, which means the OP has specifically brought up linux or has a question about linux. Otherwise I never discuss linux, even in my personal life.
Here is a community you may like: http://linuxhaters.blogspot.com/
Quite often I hear people say they've tried linux and don't like it when all they've really done is try the Unity desktop on Ubuntu. It saddens me that they pass judgement on the linux operating system, looking only at a miniscule part of it, totally ignorant of all that it has to offer. The reality is that there is A LOT MORE to linux than Ubuntu Unity. Too few prospective newbies to linux have even the slightest clue to all the choices available to them. Even if they think they have an idea of which desktop enviroment they prefer the look and feel of it can be different from distribution to distribution. Sometimes you have to try quite a number of linux distros and desktop enviroments before you can find that special one that's a good fit for you. This is no small task as there are an awful lot of distributions to choose from, and each of those coming with several desktop environments. I tried several dozen combinations before I finally settled on Linux Mint 14 KDE 64 bit. While KDE may be a bit more resource hungry and possibly a tad slower than some other desktop environments it offers an awful lot in return. It's polished, feature rich, has excellent applications, and gives users a massive number ways to configure the way it looks and behaves. Furthermore the KDE desktop is being very actively developed, with new releases every six months. After five years the KDE developers have done a masterful job with 4.x in refining its look and feel.
This is what keeps Linux from getting more popular. I fully understand that the many choices in Linux are welcome by the enthusiasts, but for the average user that is too confusing.
It already starts with the choice of the right distro. Not everybody is willing to try out 25 different flavors before they find the one that suits them best.
If the OEMs could agree on 2 or 3 main flavors that they will support, Linux could make a killing - especially in light of the Windows 8 disaster.
Most linux users really don't care if linux becomes "mainstream" or garners a nice share of the market. People who use linux use it because it works better for them than Windows or OSX...period. That is what the choice is about for me. Personally I really don't care if another person begins using linux today or in the future. I don't use it because it has the most users, or it is the most popular.
With that being said I will gladly help someone with Linux, but it is because they asked. I am not in the habit of promoting linux. here is a nice read
@theMike Linux Mint KDE is sweet! When I installed it on my computer it ran so well I eventually uninstalled Windows 7. For a short while I was dual booting the two, but for the last few months its just been linux. Outside of one or two programs I don't miss Windows at all. Like you I am also looking at the XFCE desktop. The other day I started playing around with a live cd of SolydX 64 bit, an XFCE distro based on Debian testing. Apparently Solyd is being developed by Schoelje, a former developer in the Linux Mint stable who worked on the Linux Mint Debian versions of KDE and XFCE. When Clem Lefevre decided to discontinue them I guess Schoelje felt the time was right to go off and continue the distros on his own. He intends to package updates very similar to the way they handle Debian based distros at Linux Mint; tested software that's periodically released.
@whs I too found Gnome 3 far more restrictive than Gnome 2. For several months I had Mate on my computer and like you I prefered it to Cinnamon. While the work of Clem Lefevre on Cinnamon is showing more and more progress with each release I still think it's not there yet. At least it isn't for me. I was really hoping he would add the ability to change the colors in the themes in the upcoming Linux Mint 15, but I believe that feature may have been put off until version 16. Until I have the ability to control Cinnamon's look a little more I think I'll refrain from using it. Canonical's Unity desktop is not my cup of tea either. I don't think Shuttleworth's vision is much better than Gnome 3's. YUK! Both of those desktops make me want to barf. Mate's ok but the simple truth is that it's dated and Gnome 2's days are numbered, whatever form it takes. If you like the Gnome 2 look with Gnome 3 features then you might want to take a look at the SolusOS 2 project under development by Ikey Doherty. Initially SolusOS was a Gnome 2 Debian based distro but problems maintaining it got Ikey to rethink the issue and go it alone on version 2. That's right, no upstream association that would provide them with packages. A new distro is born. They intend to maintain their own repository, have PiSi as their package manager, and use the Consort Desktop Environment, a fork of Gnome Classic (Gnome 3 fallback mode). I'm not going to go into all they're doing except to say they are building a distro from the ground up. The Gnome 2 look and feel with Gnome 3 features could be the answer a lot of linux users are looking for.
this looks interesting HYBRYDE
@theMike WOW! Hybryde Linux does look interesting. I've never seen anything like it before; one distribution with eight desktop environments that you can rapidly switch between without logging out. Now that's pretty cool! There was one review of an older version in distrowatch.com but it was Croatian and I needed Google to translate it. The translation left much to be desired and I could understand only bits and pieces of what was said. I would be interested in reading what some of the more popular and noted english speaking reviewers have to say about it.
One distro not mentioned is Puppy Precise 5.5. Case in point, 18 months ago a young co-worker who knew I wanted to frankenstein together some old computer parts to fashion a steam-punk type creation just for fun gave me her friend's old (really old) single core 2003 512 mb ram laptop. Was planning on using the monitor screen as a part, but decided to check out the system first. Slow as molasses running (rather, crawling) windows xp. Installed Ubuntu 10.0 first to see if it might be usable. At first it was fine in spite of the horrible desktop/gui, then updated adobe flash and suddenly almost no streaming audio or video. The only purpose for this laptop was to run Coast to Coast am radio while doing graveyard shift at work and occasional cool physics videos on youtube ....so no flash meant the laptop was once again worthless. Finally tried out and installed Puppy Precise. Nice that it had a decent desktop (hated ubuntu to death) and best? Everything worked. All flash and streaming media, radio and videos. No problem setting up wpa2 aes either. It just works, and yea, very few tweaks like resetting screen resolution, and quite a bit faster. Nice to give new life to a dinasaur laptop and have it be so useful for slow hours at work as night auditor. A lot less crap to go through than ubuntu to get it to function and no problems with media as with ubuntu. Never did get video back after adobe flash update on ubuntu, which made that distro useless for me. Try Puppy Precise 5.5 if you don't want to spend your life in the command prompt zone or googling for days trying to get video back. Not a huge learning curve for someone used to windows, probably easy for someone who's never done anything in with command prompts in the terminal as well. Might be a good entry distro into the world of linux for non-geeks. It just works.
One of my mentors in the linux community always told me "learn the terminal (command prompt). If you do you can get almost any machine to run." Very wise words indeed. No reason to put down the single probably most important tool in all of computing. If one does not understand it or is not willing to learn it, that is OK too.
This is a very good reference for learning the shell/terminal:
http://linuxcommand.org/learning_the_shell.php
Just to point out that as the vast majority of a Linux distro is covered by the GPL the GNU license forbids what you're talking about. Of course, an OEM can package any distro it wants, pre-install it on its hardware and have at it provided the it includes the source code or a clear notification from the OEM on how to get the source code. Linux and other GPL covered software, remember, is free as in beer not free as in you can never charge for it. The charge could be as simple as covering support costs or a host of other reasons including some program(s) the OEM wrote before the computer hit the market.
I prefer a host of other reasons for using Linux most of the time than cost. It's an interesting discussion of available desktops for Linux here and, for the record, I use KDE when and where I can because, IMHO GNOME sucks big time. That said I'm not getting into a desktop war or purity war which is what I found myself in the middle of years ago when I installed my first Linux distro. I just happen to like KDE and I'm pleased to say that the more time goes by the less it has in common with Windows and silly things like Aero and Aero peek and similar "improvements" to the Windows desktop that make it nearly impossible to use.
ttfn
John
Every one of these articles brings out the pyschopaths who love to bash and judge others. I don't suppose you ever heard of the pyschological principle called projection? That is where you take something inside yourself that you find objectionable and hurl or project it outside of yourself onto someone or something in an effort to be rid of it and "cleanse" yourself.
Sean_Millon why don't you tell us your experience with the Linux Desktop? If you have none then maybe everyone here will remain better served if you should remain in the Windows sections of the forum.
The best DEs are completely dependent on the user. Windows -> Linux converts would work best with Cinnamon. KDE is best for people who want to customize everything and don't care that you dont have a choice but to customize it, Gnome3 is best for people who want bleeding edge innovation, LXDE is best for those with low end hardware that still want as modern a DE as possible. The list goes on and on with all being best for certain situations. Then you finally get to Unity when the answer is basically...never best.
So you like Awesome? Awesome is pretty good but have your tried Xmonad?
Pantheon is a very nice DE but it is limited to ElementaryOS. You can't put it on any other distro yet. Arch is usually the first to get alternate DEs working on it but they have not been able to make it work yet. ElementaryOS is not a good OS either because they use very dated software due to requiring an LTS as the base.
well said sir.
That is not completely true. Cinnamon crashes Ubuntu when trying to install alongside Unity. Unity doesn't install in anything other than Ubuntu (though would you want it to lol). Pantheon only works properly in ElementaryOS. For the most part you are right...you can practically install anything you want but there are limitations.
Hi all, I must say I like debian with gnome. I haven't tried any other desktop yet and I am pretty new to the Linux scene, but so far I am loving debian, I have it set up on my file server and laptop and with a Lil reading it was a breeze to set up and configure for what I needed. I only use win 8 on my gaming rig because for games I have noticed it is a Lil tougher to get some to run properly. I also wouldn't be using win 8 if I didn't get it for free either lol... I'm probably going to try lxde on my laptop, I noticed gnome tends to bog it down after awhile. Thanks for posting this it gave me a few ideas for what DE's I could try.