What’s the right Linux desktop UI for you?

If you’ve never used Linux before and are considering it now, there’s one thing you’ll inevitably run into, and that’s choice.

With Linux, you can choose your distribution, kernel, init system, file system type, boot loader, default apps, and your desktop environment.

Even before you dive down that rabbit hole, you’ll discover that there’s a difference between a desktop environment and a window manager.

For some, it can quickly get overwhelming.

That’s why I’m here to help you make sense of the desktop choices.

Are you ready for this?

The difference between a window manager and a desktop environment

The first question you might ask yourself is, “What’s the difference between a desktop environment and a window manager?”

A desktop environment is a suite of tools and applications that provide a graphical user interface and include such features as panels, menus, and file managers. A window manager, on the other hand, takes care of managing the appearance and behavior of application windows.

To make this even more confusing, every desktop has a window manager. For example, GNOME has Mutter and KDE Plasma has KWin.

To make this even more confusing, some window managers are designed to serve as your desktop UI without having to also install a desktop environment.

Ahhhhh! It’s just too much.

Nah. It’s much easier than you think.

Because you can use both a window manager and a desktop environment as your desktop UI, I’m going to address both. Before I continue, I’m not going to talk about every window manager and desktop environment out there, as there are a lot. I’m going to primarily talk about the desktop environments and window managers that I believe are great choices for both new and skilled Linux users.

Ready?

Let’s go.

GNOME

Let’s just start off with a bang, as GNOME is one of what I call the “Big Three” desktops for Linux. GNOME is a “minimalist’s dream come true.” The idea behind GNOME is to get out of your way so you can focus on whatever it is that you need to do.

That’s not to say that GNOME is bereft of features. This is a full-featured desktop environment and includes everything you need to be productive. The biggest difference is that, instead of finding a typical desktop menu from which to launch applications, you open the Application Overview. From within the Application Overview, you can manually locate the application you want to run, search for the application you want to run, or pin applications to the Dash.

The Dash is essentially your panel, only it’s tucked out of the way.

If you don’t like the idea of the favorites bar being tucked away, you can install GNOME extensions, such as Dash To Panel or Dash to Dock. There are tons of GNOME extensions from which to choose that will extend the feature set of your desktop.

Who is GNOME for?

GNOME is a great desktop for minimalists who don’t care to have the usual desktop bits and pieces in the way. GNOME is essentially a blank canvas that allows you to do what you want without the usual distractions.

KDE Plasma

KDE Plasma is not only one of the most beautiful desktop environments on the market, but it’s also one of the most configurable. The out-of-the-box experience will look immediately familiar because it has all the usual trappings of a desktop: a panel, start menu, system tray, and clickable icons.

That default layout is very easy to use. A Windows user with zero Linux experience could log into a KDE Plasma desktop and immediately know how to use it.

Of course, the more you use KDE Plasma, the more you might want to customize it. You can do this manually, or you can download global themes. In the upcoming 6.6 release, you’ll be able to customize your desktop and then save your customizations as a global theme.

KDE Plasma is the desktop I usually recommend for those who are new to Linux. There are a few reasons for that: First, it’s easy to use. It’s also very fast and stable. KDE Plasma also happens to be one of those unique desktops that will grow with you as you learn more about Linux. At first, you’ll leave the configuration as the default. The more you learn, the more you’ll find yourself wanting to tweak it so it better suits your workflow. By the time you’re a few months or years into it, you might wind up with a KDE Plasma desktop that is completely unique to you.

Who is KDE Plasma for?

I typically say that KDE Plasma is for users of all types — especially those who place an emphasis on aesthetics. If you want the most usable and beautiful desktop available, KDE Plasma is the way to go.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is the default desktop for Linux Mint, which happens to be one of the most popular Linux distributions available. And if Linux Mint is good enough for my esteemed colleague, Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, it’s good enough for anyone. Trust me, he knows open source better than most.

Seriously, Linux Mint is the distribution I usually suggest for those who want to dip their toes into the Linux water. One very good reason for this is Cinnamon.

Cinnamon came about when GNOME 2 evolved into GNOME 3, which was a radical departure from what users were accustomed to. There was a good portion of the GNOME userbase who didn’t want such changes, so they forked Cinnamon from GNOME 2.

Cinnamon is pretty much a universal desktop, meaning it has all the bits you’ve grown accustomed to. If you’re a Windows user, you’ll feel right at home on Cinnamon.

Who is Cinnamon for?

Anyone. Seriously. Anyone could make use of Cinnamon, regardless of whether you’ve never used Linux or you’ve used it for decades.

Xfce

Like Cinnamon, Xfce is immediately familiar. The default configuration is a panel, desktop menu, system tray, and clickable icons. And although Cinnamon is very customizable, there are few desktops on the market that can be bent and twisted in the ways that Xfce can.

On top of that, Xfce is blazingly fast. Like Cinnamon, Xfce is considered a lightweight desktop environment, but as far as speed is concerned, I’d have to give the win to Xfce. That’s one of the reasons why so many lightweight Linux distributions default to Xfce.

If you want to know what separates Cinnamon and Xfce, consider this: Xfce is one of the better desktops for older hardware. If you have an aging machine lying around, you should install a Linux distribution that defaults to Xfce (such as Xubuntu) and watch that computer run like it was brand new. Xfce does not offer 3D acceleration (while Cinnamon does), so you won’t find the same level of speed and smoothness for animations.

Essentially, Xfce is a highly configurable desktop that doesn’t include all the bells and whistles of a modern UI.

Who is Xfce for?

Xfce is for those who value speed over looks and might have an older computer they want to revive. Xfce is also for those who like to tinker with their desktop layout, but don’t place much value on visual effects.

i3

OK, we’re going to veer away from the typical and venture into a different type of desktop: the tiling window manager. What is a tiling window manager? The easiest way to think of this is that a tiling window manager makes the choice of where an app window is placed for you.

Even better, a tiling window manager does a great job of making the most out of your desktop real estate.

The first app you open will take up the entire screen. The second app you open will automatically split the screen with the first app. The third app you open will split the right side of the screen with the second app you opened. The first app you open will split the left side of the screen with the first app you opened.

It might seem a bit confusing at first, but the good news is that i3 is a tiling window manager that is suitable for those who’ve never used a tiling window manager.

One thing to keep in mind about tiling window managers is that they typically only use the keyboard. You open apps with the keyboard, change the focus of the app you want to use, move tiles around, etc. You could use a tiling window manager and never touch your mouse.

Because of this, tiling window managers are often considered highly efficient, especially for developers and other types who lean heavily into multitasking.

Who is i3 for?

I would say that you need a bit of Linux experience before you jump into the tiling window manager. But if you think you’re ready for it, i3 is the way to go.

No, I don’t believe i3 is a good introduction to Linux, unless you’re absolutely certain you want the most efficient means of working with your apps.

Yes, there are a lot of other DEs and WMs than what I’ve listed here. For example, there’s my favorite COSMIC, which is relatively new. But if I had to recommend a UI to anyone who is either bored with what they have or wants to make the jump to Linux, you can bet one of the above would be my first recommendation.

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