What is your favorite desktop environment?

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Two cents

Opensource.com

When you install a Linux distribution, a set of programs comes along with it. It's easy to add and delete elements of the programs that don't fit your needs, says Meine in his article How to choose the best Linux desktop for you. But what about altering the look and feel?
 
The key is to go with the right desktop environment for you.
We've chosen a few in this poll, but there are many more. Which is your favorite and why? You can tell us in the comments, or even submit an article about it.
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3566 votes tallied
KDE
26% (930 votes)
Gnome
34% (1215 votes)
Xfce
12% (424 votes)
Mate
8% (302 votes)
Cinnamon
10% (355 votes)
Other (tell us in the comments)
10% (340 votes)

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80 Comments

I like Gnome the best but I'm currently using Unity with Ubuntu 14.04. I'm used to it now. I've used XFCE and it's okay too.

I may venture into stuff like Awesome and i3, but since Gnome 3.12, Gnome has been my mainstay on the Linux desktop, sure I keep Unity installed alongside it to test with Ubuntu's alphas a betas, but Gnome does what I need and want it to better. Gnome just simply suits my needs better.

I used KDE for quite a while, but now I can't imagine myself using anything but the elementary's Pantheon DE.

Unfortunately, elementary's team doesn't have enough resources to port it to other Linux distributions.

If anyone's interested why they decided to make an operating system instead of desktop environment: http://elementaryos.stackexchange.com/questions/767/why-a-whole-operating-system-and-not-just-a-de

I periodically cycle through desktop environments and window managers, but I keep finding myself coming back to Enlightenment.

I use i3 with XFCE + GNOME daemons because it's super light and quick to navigate around.

Mate, Mate, Mate.

Because Gnome went rogue.

But XFCE works too.

Gave Gnome a chance this weekend. It is very limited and, more importantly, limiting.

Some options have to be changed with a registry-like editor (gconf IIRC) and some options get a stern warning to be not used (like not raising a window when clicking inside). Amazingly, one cannot read the warning itself in its entirety, because it won't fit on the screen, the window cannot be movet (no Alt-mouse dragging) and resizing the window "reflows" the content, keeping it hidden.

I found that even the medium-sized Xfce is way better than Gnome in configurability. Xfce's Thunar and LXDE's PCManFM cannot do "rubber band selection" as well as Dolphin or Konqueror (didn't test Gnome about this).

Every person is different and I concluded Gnome has low usability for me. Xfce is good substitute for when KDE is not possible; LXDE version 5 (the last one IIRC) is also usable, but requires some text config file editing.

One major problem I have with KDE (and possibly other DEs are no exception) is how to export personal configuration when updating or installing Linux on another machine. I would like this to be somewhat comfortable like using a pendrive or a cloud service to store profiles for me, for my wife, for kids and for seniors (all of which have different needs).

I use i3 and like it. Before that Gnome and Cinnamon were probably my favorites

I use awesome (a fork of dwm) and a lot of suckless tools (www.suckless.org).
Especially, I love the terminal emulator st and the luakit browser (although I often switch back to the tor-browser). I also use some gui plan 9 programs, most notably the text editor sam.

Plasma by KDE community is by far the best. Nothing even comes close when it comes to its power and configurability and features. And it is easily the best looking desktop. I always miss something if I have to use any other desktop than Plasma.

I'd be on KDE if I could stream media over SMB on my LAN. That feature was broken around KDE 4.5 and it hasn't been fixed yet. :( I have 2TB worth of my movie collection, live concerts, etc., and I just can't bring myself to use KDE when literally every other environment has this part figured out. I've even offered up money to have it looked into, but not a single person bit down. Otherwise, I stick to Unity. It looks good, does the job, has a lot of sane defaults (including awesome keyboard shortcuts), etc. Different strokes.

KDE has nothing to do with that, except if you mean the infamous video player Kaffeine, which is totally broken anyway. Just use VLC for that, it works just fine.

Fluxbox on arch.

No bells, no whistles and the mouse/keystrokes do not bounce all over the desktop opening unintended inputs and applications ;-)

I picked "other" because I don't like just ONE. I go between Gnome, Unity and KDE (Plasma 5), each has their own strength. I prefer Gnome's Activity screen to Unity's Dash (Scopes) but wish I could custom-order, group and/or customize the applications somehow. I wish the title bar for windows in Gnome were not so fat. Takes up too much real estate, while Unity's title bar is slimmer and the menus can be placed in the top panel thus saving space. Unfortunately neither of them provide custom auto-rotating background wallpapers (while Xfce and KDE does). Plasma 5 just plain looks really good, and has customization capabilities the others lack (move the panel, rotating wallpaper, etc.). On my underpowered netbook I use Mate, but probably won't put that on my primary desktop. So I can't just pick one, but if I could pick multiple ones then put me down for KDE, Gnome *and* Unity! :) Then again, this outlines the true benefit of open source; choice.

I'm on Openbox at the moment, running Mageia 5. Before that, KDE.

I've tried all desktops and I always come back to XFCE specially Xubuntu. I just want something light and simple. I've convinced friends and family to switch to Linux, especially using XFCE. They find it similar to Windows.

Doesn't understand why you did not include Unity in your poll. It because RedHat is your sponsor?

We apologize for the oversight! There are a ton of great choices out there (including Unity!), so it was difficult to make sure all of them were represented.

Thanks for making sure it didn't get forgotten!

Maybe I'm just suspicious (well I'm from Czech Republic :)) but I don't believe that you forgot one of most known desktop environments.

But definitively thanks for response.

Not that I'm a fan, but leaving out Unity is rather silly

LXDE

I have them all installed on my Ubuntu 14.04LTS box, but I prefer Fluxbox.

Unity, simple and efficient for work.

I totally agree. Unity for me as well.

It is ludicrous that unity does not feature in this poll. It is easy to use and has come a long way since inception. It is probably the most widely desktop to come preinstalled. It highlights the trouble with the open source community that the haters speak loudest...and unity has suffered in their hands.

I'm a fan of Cinnamon. Before that I used GNOME but the lack of customization annoyed me. The GTK3 support is really good in Cinnamon and it's customizable and familiar, as well as stable. Also, extensions don't mysteriously randomly stop working like they do in GNOME

I too use Gnome 3 but didn't find the need for extensions other than hide activities bar that is because i use citrix receiver 13.2 to connect to my office network with windows and when i open outlook I have mouse pointer pointing incorrectly but hiding activities bar resolves the issue, other than that , i didn't find need for any extensions.

I was using Gnome 2 , now using Gnome 3 and will be using it as it is the best for me

I love Gnome 3 DE Best, Arch Distro best , KDE smells of Windows and still in 90's era.

I am archlinux user , but I believe all innovation is happening in Fedora and RH, gnome is sponsored by them and it is the DE i use, i tried KDE 5 too but not suitable for me, ugly too.

None of the linux DE's have reached their prime yet and Windows Still has massive edge in performance and every other dept, but i use linux usually at home as in office it is windows only , i prefer Gnome as it different compared to windows, KDE and others too similar to Windows.

I am using 100% GTK3 Apps , but have a grievance, epiphany is very buggy and crashes all the time, features are thin too, hence use Opera, hope it gets all the love and issues are resolved.

LXDE

I'm Using Unity right now. The Unity menu is limited as to the number of programs you can place on it.

Cinnamon. Totally 100% Cinnamon. I use Fedora/Cinnamon because I like the way the command line feels better under the Red Hat umbrella (I know that sounds weird, but it's true).

I wish Mint was under the Red Hat umbrella, but I can't have everything.

Ubuntu & Unity

Definately Unity love Ubuntu 14.04 LTS

I'm not a desktop kinda guy, really. I've been using *nix for so long file managers really just get in my way. I like small resource light window managers. Right now I'm running Window Maker, but I've run everything from AfterStep to FVWM, BlackBox to TWM.

Fluxbox. It's not officially a desktop; it's a window manager. But it has enough desktopiness to meet my needs without all the gee-whiz bells-and-whistles added just for the gee-whiz.

I love MATE'S old-school goodness. I've used it ever since GNOME got fubar'd, and couldn't be happier.

Using Elementary - my favourite desktop... 2nd choice would be Unity. All the others feel like Windows 95, I hate old school (even though I've been using UNIX for 20+ years).

OpenBox

gnome 3 for me, nothing else will do.Thanks.

only Gnome looks modern and nice , others are dull and old .

You obviousky haven't seen Plasma desktop yet. When you do, Gnome starts to look old and boring.

I3

Openbox (since CrunchBang, to ARM Banana Pro)

i3, my favorite

I'm relatively new to Linux, and not much of a techie, so I'm happy with Ubuntu Unity. :)