Linux Desktop Environments Explained

[@SavvyNik]

What desktop are you currently using?

[@КобаСозели]

tty

[@gljames24]

Cosmic

[@dotjretion]

kde plasma 🙂

[@SkegAudio]

vim how the heck do I exit out of here?! 😂

[@MaciekTM]

Gnome 46

[@TheBlueThird]

Long live XFCE! 😉

[@SavvyNik]

Haha

[@TheBlueThird]

@grousemoriarty To each his own. There is no "better" really. What works for you is what works for you.

[@Damglador]

xfce is weird, I wouldn't use it as a daily driver, but it's really light and can run well even on phones. I also liked general browser shortcut. Naming of programs on Linux is weird and would be cool to have general shortcuts for things like camera app, text editor, browser etc that uses default app instead of googling what text editor KDE is using to find it in programs. Folding a window to its title bar is also a cool feature.

[@AttackTitan008]

​@@Damglador Xfce is weird??

[@gljames24]

This is really well made and will help a lot of new users.

[@SavvyNik]

Thanks!

[@mapu1]

No it won't, its bunch of misinformation with absolutely no research done. Absolute waste of time.

[@antonysnook4932]

I use POP OS as it is simple and easy to use compared to more modern ditto's. A simple command in the terminal has put it into KDE. [sudo apt install kde-full] on startup after you type password a cog appears in lower right. Switch to KDE and there it looks like KDE and you have KDE apps. Click on the cog and go back to POP with KDE apps installed.

[@zombineutral]

I started using Void with DWM. I kept distro-hopping because I thought it was the distro, but it turned out I didn't like Gnome, XFCE felt dull, and KDE is too buggy. Then I started using DWM with a few patches and it's been fantastic. I plan to implement EWW(idgets) as well

[@yeremiahavisaputra5956]

What linux distro and desktop environment that used on this video thumbnail?

[@AttackTitan008]

Most likely its hyprland

[@Yoshikage-Kira_75]

​@@AttackTitan008I don't think so tbh because the thumbnail have a dock

[@jakobw135]

Is it possible to use two different desktops INTERCHANGEABLY, in one version of Linux? So for example, you load the Gnome desktop of a particular version and want to now add KDE plasma. Can this be done?

[@SavvyNik]

Here’s a video on what I think you are looking for Change your Desktop Environment on Linux kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqHTl5JnZtuLjNE

[@nask0]

Yep, absolutely possible

[@gljames24]

Yes. Your login manager should have an option on user login. It's often used for switching between X11 and Wayland variant of your desktop, but also will be auto-populated with all installed Desktop Environments.

[@jakobw135]

@@nask0So - HOW do you do that?

[@jakobw135]

@@gljames24 Is there a GUI to load a new desktop environment?

[@zerrubabbel]

You asked what I'm using, so: Arch Linux with KDE Plasma and Qtile (wip)... My Plasma is set, such that there is a thin panel on top with left justified start menu and application launchers, centered clock and workspace indicator, and a right justified system tray... I use Beauty Dream icons, the classic Bibata cursor, and that's about it... I hope to make Qtile resemble this setup... This all runs on top of a Ryzen 9 7900X3D and a Radeon RX 6800 You mentioned that Plasma is considered a "heavy-weight" Desktop, and I agree, but I think it's worth noting that both Plasma and Gnome run quite well on hardware that those coming to Linux from Mac or Windows might expect to be too old or too underpowered I had a MacBook Pro from 2012 (just prior to the release of retina displays), which unfortunately became unusable as of the Mac OS of 2019... I installed Ubuntu on it, and have lent it to a family member... While I think the Ubuntu version of Gnome seems "heavier" than vanilla Gnome, That MBP runs it like a champ, and despite being over 13 years old, It's still perfectly usable... The only thing I could complain about is the 800p display, but other than that, even the battery still lasts! So, I think your hardware has to be quite old and quite underpowered in order for the features that Gnome and Plasma offers to no longer be an option.

[@SavvyNik]

Thanks for sharing the system info. You got a nice setup.

[@Mirethec]

I think he meant heavy-weight compared to other Linux DEs not windows

[@bueukillustrator89]

I also installed 24.04.1 on my Acer Aspire (edit: from year 2012). Maaan, I love the fan's sound.

[@LymanPhillips]

I'm a GNOME guy. For me, the GNOME desktop is elegant, minimal and customizable enough for me. I also love the keyboard driven aspect of it. My machine has a plenty of memory and CPU to handle the interface, so this allows me to use an environment that makes me happy and productive

[@meemon7580]

Are Window Managers (like Hyprland, Iwm, Sway) also considered to be desktop environments?

[@coffee-is-power]

No, Desktop environments include also the applications and all of the integrations you need for you to use your computer. The window manager is a part of a desktop environment, not the whole desktop environment, and so if you want to use it you need to setup everything yourself, including the panel, install all the applications you need, the keybinds, integrations between the applications, setup ways to access common settings like volume and brightness and so on which are features ofered out of the box with DEs like gnome, kde, xfce and lxqt

[@hv-1944]

How would you categorize COSMIC, heavyweight or lightweight or somewhere in middle?

[@SavvyNik]

heavyweight when it comes to memory usage at the moment but it's not fair to judge until the official release.

[@kwaki-serpi-niku]

I use multiple desktop environments on most of the Linux boxes that I own, but I tend to prefer KDE plasma over any other DE. What I don't like are distros that either discourage the use of multiple DE's....or a distro that just can't run more than one DE.

[@lefteris.p]

Gnome because I hate KDE's instability. But I'm truly waiting for a cosmic success. I have so many problems with gnome project and there choices. If it wasn't for the extensions....

[@coffee-is-power]

KDE just feels goofy for me idk

[@iam.rakesh]

Im 17 and Im new to linux community. I just switched from Windows to Linux last month, I want to gain knowledge about linux OS, please tell me from where i can gain. It would be helpful to know..

[@TheSulross]

How deep do you want to go? Are you into computer science and software programming? Is always good to start with the origin story - which Linux is in the family tree of Unix, which its origin dates back to AT&T Bell Labs in the 1969 through 1972 (for its particular genesis phase - on the heels of another OS project called Multics). Linux got created circa 1993, does not have actual Unix source code, but is modeled on a classic Unix architecture approach, and was aimed specifically at the 32-bit Intel 80386. The 80386 has integrated hardware virtual memory management features and Unix is really only worth bothering with when there is hardware support for memory virtualization. The Unix industry devised some standards for a “Unixy” OS API, which is called POSIX, and Linux implements support of that (but it still has OS features and APIs unique to Linux). There are a lot of common Unix tools that Linux comes with. These originated from GNU foundation when Linux adopted their software license. These tools are not based on any ATT Unix source code but tend to be clone implementations of some of the classic tools that were developed for Unix. In addition to AT&T Unix, there was an offshoot called Berkeley Unix. This variant over several releases kept writing replacements of AT&T source code to the point it no longer had source code dependency on AT&T Unix. But this Berkeley Unix (BSD) still got bogged down for four years in a court battle where was sued by AT&T. Eventually that that was settled and from there we get Berkeley Unix variants such as FreeBSD which is still going strong today. But that four year window of the lawsuit gave Linux an opportunity to fill a vacuum, and it did. So it was able to garner a larger user base following and went on to become THE dominant Unix-like operating system. Now Apple’s MacOS X has direct heritage to Berkeley Unix and it exceeds Linux on the desktop. But Linux is predominate in use on servers, cloud servers, and Android is based on Linux fork. In breadth of presence and influence, Linux exceeds MacOS X. FreeBSD and its cousins get a lot of use on servers too, but Linux more so. Linux desktop use is in a rapid growth phase, though, and is probably safe to say it is growing at a faster rate of adoption than Windows or MacOS X. And that Reader’s Digest of the history brings us up to the subject of this video.

[@iam.rakesh]

@@TheSulross yes I'm into Computer Science and Programming, BTW thanks for the brief history.. 😀

[@ultrasoundaudio7844]

Am currently using windows 10. And I also planning to move to Arch with XFCE. For more perfomance. Looks doesn't matter if there is perfomance 😅

[@rdnowlin1206]

What about the operating system (OS) like GNU. That's a layer between the DE and Kernel. Is it part of the user's space or a separate box?

[@AssociateMinisterReserveDeacon]

A. When I install Linux for family and friends. I installed both The GNOME Desktop Environment and The KDE / Plasma Desktop Environment. B. I've found that some KDE / Plasma applications don't work well under The GNOME Desktop Environment. C. For maximum software compatibility I install both Desktop Environments. D. Does anyone else install both The GNOME Desktop Environment and The KDE / Plasma Desktop Environment on the same Linux installation? If YES. Please leave a reply to this list of comments explaining why you install both Desktop Environments on the same Linux installation.

[@apekshityadav5226]

Whats that twm and bar ur using it looks cool

[@intermarer9145]

Why am I watching this, I've used linux for years 😅 Anyway, good video!

[@SavvyNik]

Thanks

[@TheSulross]

To keep tabs on what newbies are being told

[@epppyyy]

how to do your thumbnail?

[@j_t_eklund]

So Linux is an OS and a kernel? What OS am I running on my custom built kernel that is not based on/f Linux kernel yet runs these application's? What are other OS distributions that has a proper sole name, that are using the Linux kernel and these applications?

[@lefteris.p]

A Linux os is anything that runs a Linux kernel. For example FreeBSD is a different os that has it's own kernel that can run gnome DE.

[@KakashiHatake-xk9to]

What is the desktop in thumbnail? And if it is tiling wm can I get dotfiles pls?

[@DustinHarms]

Dang, was looking for the video on Kernels that the video says is in the description and there's just a wikipedia article. xD

[@SavvyNik]

Sorry about that. Thanks for the reminder here it is - What is a Kernel and what does it do? Explore the Kernels of Linux, Windows, and MacOS. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6eqlYxsodqHqrc Just added to the desc as well

[@DustinHarms]

@@SavvyNik Hey thanks for the reply! It happens so much on YT and usually I don't comment about it, but I couldn't find the video on the channel easily.

[@SavvyNik]

Appreciate it! I try and keep that updated but sometimes I forget haha

[@antinatalope]

In your opinion, what is the best way to get CDE as my desktop? I'd prefer to run it on my Pi 400, but would run it on an ×86-64. Yes, it's a nostalgia issue.

[@SavvyNik]

You'd have to build from source more than likely: something like - sudo apt update sudo apt install build-essential autoconf automake libx11-dev libxt-dev libxmu-dev libxft-dev libxpm-dev libjpeg-dev libxext-dev git clone github.com/ThomasEichhorn/CDE.git cd CDE ./autogen.sh make sudo make install sudo nano /usr/share/xsessions/cde.desktop [Desktop Entry] Name=CDE Comment=Common Desktop Environment Exec=/usr/dt/bin/Xsession TryExec=/usr/dt/bin/dtsession Type=Application

[@antinatalope]

@@SavvyNik Super clear instructions! Thanks so much! 😀

[@volodd]

I read somewhere that it is full of secutiry holes. And it makes sense - it is old and most probably almost unmantained desktop environment.

[@FierroSev]

Gnome is king, those extensions make it the best.

[@0Raik]

Also the problem. Not everyone uses extensions and people cant find them easily because Gnome doesn't do a very good job in the distribution unlike KDE which plasmoids are integrated and downloading its just there. Also Gnome breaks extensions in every update. Yes. I'm aware and use Gnome extensions manager and love it but is not included and really looks it should.

[@FierroSev]

@0Raik i agree. It is king when it works but the biggest pain when the extension breaks due to an update to gnome.

[@ACE7F22]

Arch Plasma By the way, where's the "environment variables" guide? Was hoping for more of a breakdown on how the environment works, instead of just a surface level description.

[@Sama_09]

what is the best desktop that can be used to remote ?

[@0Raik]

As in remote desktop? Usually use ssh and its shell based (commands). Any desktop will work with it so if you only use that computer remotely you might want the lightest and fastest desktop environment or maybe no desktop environment at all.

[@84Actionjack]

I use KDE Neon on a 9900K CPU system w/2060 GPU, and LMDE distro on 9600F CPU w/1060 GPU.

[@JestyJoshua]

Most underrated desktops are enlightenment and trinity

[@whatsanimesh]

Definitely

[@abcdoooabcd]

teach us everything about steam os please

[@AttackTitan008]

I use arch btw

[@user-tw2kr6hg4r]

thats not ubuntu's gnome config, its probably fedora considering gnome software and gnome web are installed

[@capnsalty0200]

I am in love with cinnamon, I works for me.

[@0Raik]

Same. Use it as my tv media center OS

[@Sama_09]

Wayland ??

[@yaroslav7328]

Wayland itself is not a DE, it's protocol for communication between the display server and clients (application and windows). It is a newer replacement for X11 windowing system.

[@StevenWJRichards]

I need to download a very simple Linux desktop to teach a 65 year old lady how to use e-mail, online banking, e-bay, buy rail tickets, log into government websites to claim pension and other simple things. I use Ubuntu, but is there anything simpler? Also the best Linux browser with VPN because she will probably use hotspots.

[@SavvyNik]

I personally think something like elementary os would be super simple for someone to use and learn. Super minimal. When it comes to browsers Firefox is the one most people are used to using on Windows. If they want a chrome experience I’d suggest Brave

[@AnirudhTammireddy]

En-voire-ment?? En-vi-ron-ment ?

[@SavvyNik]

are you making fun of my speech :D

[@fmj_556]

Ubuntu

[@Born4Pizza]

first

[@SavvyNik]

Pizza sounds good right about now

[@BoomBustProfits]

I will never give Microsoft another $1...Windows sucks & Bill Gayes is an Evil Demon! Learning everything I can to switch to LinuxMint or whatever the best version is foe ex-Windows/Win Office users...

[@GordonLi-y9j]

You sound like a freedom fighting gnu/linux npc

[@miller42]

While I really dislike Gate, the man has not been in charge of Microsoft in a long time.

[@RicardoSilvaTripcall]

Oh lord ... here we go again ...

[@AlTiri-rd7ly]

I agree... windows has annoying buttons, displaying news, it uses too much memory on idle and many other things that you don't have to be computer savvy to know they syck. I'm 47 and loving linux mint.

[@chriss2595]

How old are you.

[@maxzero3647]

MX linux

[@dillacorn_linux]

that's not a DE.. that's a distro "xfce" is default DE right?

[@maxzero3647]

Yes