I would like to know what Desktop Environments everyone is using and am particularly interested in what you like about your choice and what you don’t like. I think this could end up being an interesting discussion as long we don’t judge others based on their choices.
I’d like to see answers in the following format:
Current DE: KDE
Why do you like it?
I like the layout, it’s snappy and love the compositer
What do you dislike? Sometimes it’s a bit buggy with some GTK apps and it’s accessibility features, specifically text to speech are lacking.
Other notes: I also use i3 and MATE on a couple of PCs and enjoy them as well.
NOTE: Let’s try and keep it civil and keep distro discussion out of the picture. Feel free to post screenshots of your setup if you like! I know the temptation to troll is strong with this one, but 4 chan is just a click away!
Mostly use XFCE, LXQt and OpenBox because I like the minimal overhead and I need it to work all the time. Only really use OpenBox anymore for laptops or when I have a system that I might need X at some point, depends on what I’m using the system for.
Using i3 on my main laptop. I pretty much just pull the SSD and cram it into a computer where ever I go, the laptops just for the rare occasion that there isn’t a computer where I am going. Don’t really use i3 much though, started using it for tiling terminals but at some point got lazy and said screw it, I can do everything from inside the editor.
Mostly just like Desktop environments and WM that stay out of my way and use minimal system resources.
My workflow is 100% terminal and web browser. The DE doesn’t matter, and this DE came stock on my Corp linux dist.
I use a KVM to bounce back and forth between a linux and windows desktop. Cinnamon doesn’t have an easy way to stop auto-detecting displays, without breaking the ability to then use a GUI to change display options later. So I guess my only real complaint is probably a corner-case, but still annoying to me.
Its the desktop masterrace to be completely honest. Its up to date. It uses a superior programming language (QT). Easy to learn. No need to learn out of the box. Did not reinvent the wheel. Endless customization. I could go on why its superior to all.
Why do I dislike it?
Its still a bit heavy which can be fixed. Its buggy with GTK apps which are in an inferior language
MATE on my desktop system. Pros: lightweight, classic, easy access to configurations. Cons: doesn’t look modern (partially fixed by using themes), less supported than the main DEs.
Gnome Shell on laptop. Pros: modern looks, works better with touchscreens. Cons: configurations are harder to access or totally hidden, not a fan of gnome extensions through browser and shrugging off responsibility for maintenance onto 3rd parties for what should be default features
Default file manager has all of the features I want, and none I don’t.
Works reliably with or without hardware-acceleration
Cons:
Default file manager (Nemo) is the most unstable app I use.
Gnome and Plasma have better HiDPI handling by virtue of fractional scaling.
Does not automagically handle Qt theming
Developed by Linux Mint
I’ll be giving XFCE 4.14 a serious trial once it hits Debian Experimental. I’ve always been happy with XFCE’s code-quality, but the lack of HiDPI support is a deal breaker. The next release has HiDPI support.
It’s the default in Ubuntu and I do not have any big problems with it. I especially enjoy things like point and click configuration of wifi and bluetooth and a few other things.
What do you dislike?
Lack of tiling options
that when I disconnect my docked PC from my dual screen, all my apps gets thrown around and I have to manually reconfigure them
Takes up far too much screen real estate for some things like window borders and taskbars
Other notes
i3 fixes the three gripes I have with Gnome (albeit require some reconfigurations), so I’ve stuck with that for a while - but then I sometimes miss the dash to easily open up some programs, etc.
I just wanted to thank you all for responding. This has given me insight into what folks like and dislike and will help in my decision making while building my own custom distributions for friends.
Deepin de
Pros
It’s pretty it’s snappy and has alot of gui options plus it’s on a good number of distros.
I love the simplicity of the de I run it on deepin native.
Cons @PhaseLockedLoop “China” it has a China level spooky to it
