r/debian • u/BreadfruitParking395 • 3d ago
Community Which desktop environment do you use?
Only 6 options limit🥲
25
u/Toaster_Strudel_517 Debian Testing 2d ago
Xfce for my debian server.
11
u/retr00two 2d ago
DE on server!?
18
u/Toaster_Strudel_517 Debian Testing 2d ago
It's mainly a seedbox for a private tracker, plus it hosts a few other things like Frigate and my website. Having a lightweight DE can make it easy to navigate things.
12
2
u/phaubertin 2d ago
A setup I like for servers is to install only the X client libraries and do everything from another machine using X forwarding over SSH.
→ More replies (1)
30
u/retr00two 2d ago
No DE.
- WM: OpenBox
- panel: tint2
- FileManager: xfe
- terminal: urxvt
- editor: vim
When I want some whistles and bells, I add jgemu and sakura terminal.
Debian user from Potato.
11
4
u/moeren86 2d ago
I feel you.
- WM: FluxBox
- FileManager: xfe
- terminal: xterm
- editor: nano/l3afpad and codium
I do not see the point in bells and whistles.
5
→ More replies (8)2
u/ProfessionalMove3716 1d ago
Almost identical setup, I just use i3 instead of Openbox and thunar as my file manager
13
u/niKDE80800 2d ago
I use KDE just because I like that it lets you change its entire appearance and behavior without fighting you.
Don't get me wrong, I love GNOME, but also, libadwaita constantly wants to fight me. I get why they use libadwaita for consistency across their programs, but it just isn't for me.
4
u/CaptainAmerica0001 2d ago
I like kde because of the opposite reason. Because it got all the options and menus, I don't ever need to customize or install extensions to have some features (which I consider basic desktop functionality)
→ More replies (1)5
u/maximus459 2d ago
I've tried, but I just can't bring myself to like gnome. There's the design philosophy sure but I can work around that. I really don't like the file manager
Also, isn't it Plasma desktop?
3
u/niKDE80800 2d ago
What do you mean? You mean if KDE is the Plasma Desktop?
If I fastfetch then in my case it spits out "Desktop Environment: KDE Plasma 6.7.5"
So... yes it is→ More replies (1)
9
u/One-Suggestion-7906 2d ago
I use KDE since ver 1.0. I found it the one most practical, full of features, and easy to understand for my family. On any device, from notebooks to destkops
8
32
u/Syndiotactics 2d ago
GNOME keeps out of the way and simply works. The GNOME workflow is also unbeatable for my use case.
9
u/_Erin_ 2d ago
Agree! It’s fantastic.
→ More replies (1)7
u/schizowizard 2d ago
I'm with you in da Gnome squad =_=
3
u/Server_Administrator 2d ago
Same here. Just looks nicer and feels nicer in my opinion.
4
u/FishAndMicrochips 2d ago
Whenever I'm not on GNOME, something feels missing. The workspace-centred approach of GNOME just works so well!
2
u/SlowBoilOrange 2d ago
Can you elaborate on GNOME's "workflow"?
Maybe it's because I have been using XFCE almost exclusively for years, but I can barely imagine how a DE would impact my workflow besides maybe window tiling or multiple desktops.
3
u/Syndiotactics 2d ago
GNOME has been designed specifically for a certain workflow idea, utilizing many different desktops and lacking any visual distraction from something that is not active at the moment. If something really really needs to be there in the background, it will be in the last workspace.
This is why vanilla GNOME doesn’t have a dock or desktop icons. All files and apps are accessed by the same SUPER+typing search. No minimizing of windows, what is there is there. If something is a separate part of a project, it will be on another workspace. You will always get a full overview of all subprojects by pressing SUPER or moving your mouse to a ”hot corner”. Using GNOME to its full extent kind of forces me to be highly effective and organized, without ever thinking about it.
Difficult to explain, but most people who have a problem with GNOME try to use it with desktop-reliant Windows logic, even though its logic is much closer to that of a window manager, with various quality of life improvements that make it a full visually appealing, minimalist and consistent DE.
2
u/MoshiurRahamnAdib 2d ago
See this maybe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig4dDdaUDS8
You can also change the workflow to how you like with extensions, but I think the default is already the best
2
u/SlowBoilOrange 1d ago
Thanks for the video and /u/Syndiotactics for the description. I see what you mean by workflow now. I think that's almost too slick for me.
Probably just due to me being a creature of habit. I started computing when the desktop metaphor was king and I think that's just how my brain continues to work.
I usually run low-end rigs, so I don't like the idea of stashing apps away out of sight, but still running. I barely even use Xfce's multiple desktops.
I am tucking this away in the back of my mind though. If I ever setup a decent gaming PC/workstation this might be the way to go.
6
11
u/Interesting_Buy_3969 2d ago
WHY IS EVERY SINGLE DESKTOP ENVIRONMENT NAME IN ALL CAPS? KDE AND GNOME ARE THE ONLY ONES SUPPOSED TO BE WRITTEN LIKE THIS
2
2
u/wizard10000 2d ago
WHY IS EVERY SINGLE DESKTOP ENVIRONMENT NAME IN ALL CAPS? KDE AND GNOME ARE THE ONLY ONES SUPPOSED TO BE WRITTEN LIKE THIS
Because except for mate, cinnamon and gnome flashback they're all acronyms.
6
u/TheElvenAngelCatboy 2d ago
Primarily KDE on my ThinkPad, and I experiment with XFCE and i3wm on other machines. My smallest machine with 4GB RAM and 128 GB SSD is tty only, lol.
But I want to get a good rice together and apply it on my other decent machine, as well as set up a NAS I can access from anywhere safely.
4
u/QuantumCakeIsALie 2d ago
set up a NAS I can access from anywhere safely.
Look into Tailscale!
→ More replies (4)
5
5
5
5
9
u/Sea_Decision_6456 2d ago
Gnome, because I'm used to the default bindings, and because GTK is cool.
5
3
5
4
5
4
u/Koki-Niwa 1d ago
my taste comparison: KDE vs Gnome is like Chinese food vs Japanese food
→ More replies (1)
11
u/Salatwurzel 2d ago
Gnome.
Gnome is really next level when it comes to consistent design/workflow, everything feels like it "belongs together" and is developed with the same vision in mind, while KDE feels like 50 different apps/menus with 50 different design visions are just thrown together into one big desktop.
Everything else KDE does better, but man ... i'm a lover of consistent design and workflow experience. Once KDE figures out how to get to gnome level in that area, i'm going to switch to KDE.
3
u/DeepDayze 2d ago
I use KDE Plasma as my desktop but have Cinnamon and Openbox on a couple of other machines
3
3
3
u/ComradeSomethingIDK 2d ago
Nowdays using window managers, but XFCE and cinnamon both will always have my heart. Not a fan of KDE, gnome is pretty nice but I prefer WMs over it.
3
4
4
2
u/PhotoJim99 2d ago
I use multiple DEs. If a machine has enough RAM and horsepower, I use MATE. But if it doesn't, I uce XFCE4 which isn't quite as nice to use but it's quite good enough.
2
2
2
u/TinyHammerBigNail 2d ago
I use KDE on 3 computers, gnome on 2, xfce on 1. I am about to rebuild a few more computers people are giving me to recycle. Those will have a mixture of XFCE and GNOME. When I get my next fatty boy GPU stacked computer it will get KDE. So its like picking one is unrealistic unless you are like a supremacist like those windows folks.
2
u/captainstormy 2d ago
I'm using KDE these days. I wanted something with all the most modern features. I really prefer MATE but they are lagging so far behind these days I can't use it anymore.
2
u/Gloomy_Attempt5429 2d ago
KDE para uma verdadeira experiência desktop somado ao KDE conect. Xfce para leveza. Mas uso fluxbox por questões de desempenho e modularidade. Se meu equipamento fosse com mais desempenho, provavelmente eu teria baixado o debian minbase com KDE e fluxbox seria minha interface gráfica secundária
2
2
2
u/Freakzeardv2 2d ago
Well, when i started with Linux i picked Cinennamon, since i liked the name. I just figured they all would be very similar.
2
2
2
2
u/Ffffgdgfgcfcff 2d ago
On my main Linux computer I use Cinnamon because it runs LMDE 5 and I have Cinnamon customized to look similar to windows 7 because that's what the OS that's currently installed replaced.
2
u/oligarchy_killing_me 2d ago
Hyprland, I love it so much (and I am not into ricing, I just want a good workflow).
2
2
2
2
u/thriveth 2d ago
Niri +Noctalia here. I used to be ride or die AwesomeWM but Niri made me fall in love all over.
Of the more established DEs I prefer GNOME.
2
u/SmileyBMM 2d ago
Been using Plasma for years, but Wayland is still a mess on my 2 PCs' hardware. So I'm giving XFCE a try, happy with it so far.
→ More replies (2)
2
2
2
u/LonelyMachines Debian Stable 2d ago
Gnome. I love Cinnamon, but I decided to force myself to learn Gnome. Now that I'm used to it, I understand many of the design decisions and I enjoy using it.
2
2
7
u/silenceimpaired 2d ago
KDE just doesn’t feel as polished to me as Gnome. I hate the limited options of Gnome defaults, but I also hate the unlimited options of KDE. If COSMIC ever gets as polished as Gnome I’m switching.
→ More replies (8)2
u/Sataniel98 Debian Stable 2d ago
but I also hate the unlimited options of KDE.
Just stick to the defaults? It's not like KDE forces you to diverge from the out of the box experience.
→ More replies (3)
4
u/rocketwidget 2d ago
Headless. But my use case for Debian is my own personal server, not my daily driver.
3
u/Kaseffera 2d ago
Why Gnome on desktop?
2
u/Kaseffera 2d ago
Follow up question: why do you install plugins to make gnome look like KDE? What’s there in gnome that you want to keep it while still having traditional desktop environment and icons as in KDE?
→ More replies (11)2
u/AncientAgrippa 2d ago
I really like it. I like how easy gnome extensions are to use (and edit). Dash to Dock is great, so is Dash to Panel.
I personally feel KDE looks dated, but I can see why people like it. I have no religious affiliation with GNOME nor Debian, which many people seem to do with their DE/distro.
→ More replies (1)
4
u/Hot_Hunt_7152 2d ago
I use two environments: on my personal computer I use GNOME, and on my secondary one I use Cinnamon.
2
1
u/Inevitable-Self-2702 2d ago
I'm still on my first install of Debian after ~6 mos. I didn't know what I was doing and thought "whatever I'll go with gnome". It has its problems and isn't that customizable, but honestly it only gets in my way every once in a while. I want to try KDE, but I also want to just do my work lol
1
1
u/Astrodion123 2d ago
I have used gnome these days but mate is still great. Still sad that development is slowing down 🥲
1
u/profeshamat Debian Stable 2d ago
Not only GNOME itself I prefer but Debian's implementation of it. It's up there with how Fedora Workstation ships it.
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Relevant_Hope_900 2d ago
Included with Debian...None. I build COSMIC DE my Trixie and Forky machines:
me@cosmic-desktop:~$ apt list --installed cosmic-session
cosmic-session/trixie,now 1.10.0+deb13-20261009 amd64 [installed]
1
u/dinozavarr 2d ago
Ever after gnome shell came out I'm mostly on KDE. Sometimes on sway, open box or xfce
1
u/KhrisKringle-0504 2d ago
I use KDE because my computer can run it and its customization, but XFce is goated, same with LXQt... Goated.
1
1
1
u/JANK-STAR-LINES 2d ago
My Lenovo ThinkPad T430 runs Debian Xfce although my older T60 runs the same distro with i3wm instead. I have also been getting used to configuring DWM on other systems albeit I was using Alpine Linux for that.
1
1
u/Perturbee 2d ago
Xfce for remote desktops on headless machines, KDE Plasma for my main desktop with actual screens.
1
1
1
1
1
u/ShrikeBishop 2d ago
I use sway with some gtk apps (thunar, evince, fille-roller). Keep it simple and snappy.
1
1
1
1
u/toolsavvy 2d ago
KDE and MATE.
MATE is used with Debian on my really old and recourse-limited laptop (technically a notebook, they say) because it actually runs better than with XFCE and uses less RAM. It's actually very usable as an internet machine so long as you don't have more than 10 tabs open at once. With XFCE can only have 3-5 tabs open at once before it becomes useless.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Nehemoth 2d ago
Headless around here.
2
u/anto77_butt_kinkier 2d ago
Ah yes, the most efficient way to run things. You can't have high idle GPU utilization if your GPU isn't being utilized at all ;)
→ More replies (4)2
1
1
1
u/Brilliant_Sound_5565 2d ago
I use XFCE on my daily Debian driver which is an intel nuc, only got a crleron in it with 16gb ram but it does everything I need that system to, my other machines is a dell XPS with Win11 on it lol 😂 that's got enough power and 64gb ram lol . Although I do like gnome and I run that on a other Linux laptop that I have
1
1
u/moeren86 2d ago
You should have added the option "custom", i am pretty sure a non insignificant number of people pick and choose WM and apps from the repository.
1
u/bgravato 2d ago
I generally don't use any DE, just i3-wm standalone.
But if I'm using a DE it's going to be either XFCE or LXQt.
1
u/brewdog_millionaire 2d ago
I use i3wm, but I do have XFCE just because I installed it so I'd have a desktop
1
u/Gaben_is_awesome Debian Testing 2d ago
Had the most fun with OpenBox, XFCE sill always be my favourite, but KDE is ideal long term
1
u/Solid_Guess_7154 2d ago
Niri all the way, I used Plasma for like 6 months but after giving Hyprland and Niri a try (I saw some really pretty stuff at r/unixporn), I ended up staying with Niri + Noctalia
1
1
u/Reasonable-Guitar667 2d ago
SwayWM, I have only what I need to download and watch TV and nothing else, love how simple and easy it is
1
1
u/Grandleon-Glenn 2d ago
I use KDE mostly, as my roommate uses my desktop and she had issues with finding out how to shut down the computer on other DE's.
I'm thinking of moving to Openbox or i3 for my laptop, though. The graphics card does't like Wayland very much.
1
1
1
u/MustardOrMayo404 2d ago
KDE
KDE Plasma on my primary setup, but on some other setups that run on low-end hardware and only counting DEs officially supported by Debian, I usually use MATE but sometimes use Xfce instead.
1
u/ElSasori69 2d ago
I kinda like the idea behind LXQT, it uses QT and GTK depending on what is more lightweight, at least that's what I uderstood, I'm currently using KDE on Debian Stable, I'm thinking on going Debian Testing with LXQT but I would prefer to stay on Stable, the problem is I would like to have a more updated version of LXQT and MPV.
1
1
1
u/no_brains101 2d ago
Im using i3 for X11 and sway for wayland, quickshell for my UI, and lightdm to launch sessions.
IDK what desktop environment is that.
1
1
u/Savings_Difficulty24 Debian Stable 2d ago
Currently using gnome, but I tried kde on a VM and am tempted to switch
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/KGBStoleMyBike 1d ago
I've used XFCE since Gnome 2.3x was depcrated. MATE was good but had poor intergration with gtk3-4 apps. Xfce didn't conflict as much and it was easier to get how i like things. Before I used KDE. I'd really love is someone bring kde 2.x into the modern day with updated apps with the same gui.
1
1
u/ProfessionalMove3716 1d ago
i3 with a hodgepodge of other utilities:
- tint2
- various tray applets
- thunar
- urxvt
I'm also using this on FreeBSD and Arch.
1

111
u/Sataniel98 Debian Stable 2d ago
KDE is technologically the best, but Xfce is most in line with Debian's philosophy.