Choosing a Desktop

Linux doesn’t give you one graphical desktop, it gives you a choice between a lot of different graphcal desktops. Of course, you can run Linux in a pure text mode, which is fine for servers, but not for a workstation. The top two graphical desktops are KDE and Gnome. For systems with only 256 megabytes of memory Xfce is my preferred choice. Each distro has a default desktop, and some distros are offering different install sets for KDE, Gnome, Xfce, or LXDE. If you are new, which one do you choose.

K Desktop Environment (KDE)

KDE is a Free Software (sometime I need to discuss the difference between Free Software and Open Source) project. Upto version 4.0, KDE was my preferred desktop. My early experiences with KDE 4.0 were not exactly pleasant. You get to wait until I review openSUSE to find out if my opinion has changed. If you are transistioning from Microsoft Windows, KDE offers a familiar look and feel. KDE is large project that includes its own office application suites. KDE hangs out on the leading edge of eye-candy, as part of there mission is to create a “beautiful” desktop environment.

Behind the desktop is an application development framework. The development platform for KDE is Qt. Qt has an interesting history with regard to being part of the Open Source community. The Qt libraries used by KDE are pure Open Source. Applications may tell you that they use Qt libraries, but forget to mention KDE.

Is there something blowing in the wind? Knoppix 6.0 uses LXDE as a graphical desktop. I am waiting form my Simply Mephis 8.0 CD to arrive to find out if they are still using KDE.  Mandriva was also tied to KDE, so it will be interesting to see what happens in Mandriva 2009 Spring. Has the KDE project went too far out on the leading edge?

GNOME

GNOME is part of the GNU Project, which makes it part of the Free Software Foundation.  Where KDE seeks beauty, GNOME seeks functionality with less features. GNOME is the default desktop for Debian, Ubuntu, and Fedora. The GNOME Human Interface Guidelines are unique, and offer some good guidance to software developers. While I don’t dislike GNOME, I have never been a fan of GNOME. Compared to KDE, GNOME takes a back seat when it comes to eye-candy.

As with KDE, GNOME offers a development framework. In the case of GNOME, the framework is Gtk+. Again, applications mention Gtk+, without mentioning GNOME.

Xfce

Both GNOME and KDE are heavy-weight graphical desktops, which takes its toll on memory resources. According to Olivier Fourdan, the creator of Xfce, Xfce was designed to be a lightweight desktop designed for productivity, fast exection of applications, and conserving system resources. Xfce is a modular desktop that allows the user to create their desktop.  The resulting desktop can have a very GNOME look, as in Xubuntu, or something totally different. If you want a graphical desktop that uses minimal resources, Xfce is a good choice. I use it on systems that only have 256 megabytes of memory, and it still allows me enough memory to comfortably run applications. The mouse in the Xfce logo make it easy to identify.

Like GNOME, Xfce used the Gtk+ library for application development.  One of my big frustrations with GNOME is that an application doesn’t always appear in the same location in the menu system of different distros. The Desktop Menu Specification sets forth a structure that all desktop package should follow. Xfce is one of those that abides by the specification. The next trick is to get application developers to abide by the specification.

LXDE

There is a new player on the scene that may challenge my views of Xfce as the lightweight desktop of choice. Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment (LXDE) claims that it is lightest desktop environment. From Xfce to LXDE comparisons, it appears that LXDE takes both less memory and CPU resources.  While it was first released in 2006, LXDE is just beginning to appear as a part of the distributions of the major Linux distros. The development library is Gtk+.

Besides Knoppix 6.0, I know that Linux Mint now offers a Xfce and LXDE version.

Changing Desktops

Yes, it is possible to change desktops after installation. No, it is not easy. Some distributions don’t give you a choice between desktops during the install. Some allow you to select one of several desktops. Some, allow you to install multiple desktops. It is definitely easier to get it right the first time. One of the advantage of Live CDs / DVDs is that they give you a chance to evaluate the desktop before installing it.