1. Overview
Linux beginners often find themselves lost when exposed to a lot of new Linux terminology all at once. Among the possible terms, a common one is the Desktop Environment, also known as DE.
In this tutorial, we’ll discuss what a desktop environment is and why we need it. Moreover, we’ll also cover some popular desktop environment and their variants.
2. Desktop Environment
Desktop Environment is a bundle of components that provide users with a graphical user interface (GUI) to more easily interact with their system. These components usually include but are not limited to file managers, icons, themes, wallpaper, and desktop widgets. Furthermore, desktop environments might include default applications and utilities.
Linux distributions often launch two versions:
- server
- desktop
The desktop version usually has a default desktop environment to offer a GUI. We can change this default DE with another one later on. However, it’s not recommended to do so until we know what we’re doing.
We can even check the name of the current desktop environment via multiple methods such as the $XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP variable:
$ echo $XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP
ubuntu:GNOME
This way, we can distinguish a DE even if it has been customized and themed.
Now, let’s discuss why we need a desktop environment. The answer is simple, we require a DE to control the Linux kernel with a mouse, keyboard shortcuts, and, most importantly, graphical elements. Without a desktop environment, we might only be able to use Linux via the command line interface (CLI) with the help of commands or through remote graphical user interfaces. Although it’s true that many Linux users still prefer the CLI over GUI, it’s also a fact that due to these desktop environments, many beginners gain the courage to switch to Linux and start learning it.
3. Desktop Environment Components
Moving forward, let’s list some of the usual components of a desktop environment:
- file manager
- panels
- theme
- icons and fonts
- window manager
- launcher
- terminal emulator
- menus
- windows
- workspaces
- system tray
- pointer
As mentioned earlier, in addition to these components, a DE often comes with some applications and utilities:
- text editor
- desktop widgets
- calculator
- wallpapers
- audio player
- video player
- Web browser
- document viewer
- archive manager
- resource monitor
To conclude, we can say everything that aids the user experience or the look and feel is part of the components that make up a desktop environment.
4. Choosing a Desktop Environment
Another important point that might be popping up is that if all desktop environments pretty much offer the same things, having many might not make much sense. How can we decide which desktop environment we should use? It depends on many factors such as resource usage, preferences, customization options, and more.
Some users prefer a classical-looking desktop, whereas some prefer a modern, minimalist-looking desktop. Other than looks, some users prefer a desktop environment that has a high performance while some just want it to be lightweight. So, there’s no hard and fast rule for selecting a DE, simply dig into the details of what a desktop environment offers and see if it’s what we need.
It’s recommended that we make the system look appealing to the eyes which can be possible by finding a preferred DE and further customizing it. This way, working with the system tirelessly for hours can be a more enjoyable experience.
5. Popular Desktop Environments
Now that we discussed enough about desktop environments, let’s look at some popular ones.
5.1. GNOME
GNOME is best known for its simple, intuitive, and modern look. It was first released 25 years ago, yet, it’s still one of the popular desktop environments. Additionally, it doesn’t consume a lot of resources.
Overall, GNOME is suitable for users who love clean desktops with clear and easy instructions.
5.2. KDE Plasma
KDE Plasma is another popular desktop environment that has a reputation for providing high customization options to its users. It also gives a sense of familiarity to Windows users. Furthermore, KDE Plasma was resource intensive which isn’t the case anymore. Now, it consumes fewer resources and offers high efficiency.
To conclude, it’s best for power users who want to customize their systems extensively, especially visually.
5.3. Budgie
Budgie is best known for providing a minimalist, simple, elegant desktop environment along with customization options. It not only looks familiar to Windows and Mac users but also to users of other desktop environments.
Overall, people looking for an esthetic and customizable desktop can opt for Budgie.
5.4. Xfce
Xfce is a lightweight, visually appealing, modular desktop environment. It’s faster than KDE and GNOME both. Additionally, it supports old hardware and offers numerous customization options.
To sum up, Linux users with old or slower hardware love Xfce as it offers an attractive, customizable desktop environment. Further, those who don’t want the bells and whistles of other desktop environments also turn to Xfce.
5.5. MATE
MATE is a popular, lightweight desktop with an easy-to-use interface. It offers a traditional desktop experience similar to GNOME 2. Additionally, it utilizes resources efficiently.
Overall, it’s the best DE for people who prefer a traditional layout desktop that’s both efficient and stable.
There are many other popular desktop environments available. Despite popular desktop environments, sometimes a different or unique DE may feel appealing, such as Regolith. Before trying a DE, we should read its details from its official website and community forums.
6. Desktop Environment Variants
While there are official versions of desktop environments, there can also be modified, customized editions of the same. These are usually unofficial (community-based). The reasons to create a variant can be any such as increasing performance, tailoring for a specific use case, or customizing layout.
We can classify most of the variants as a fork or spin.
6.1. Fork
A fork is a desktop environment created with certain improvements or changes in an existing desktop environment. There are many forks of popular DEs which themselves have gained a significant amount of followers. For instance, MATE is a fork of GNOME 2 which came into existence after the release of GNOME 3 to provide users with the classic feel of GNOME 2 while still updating the underlying components.
6.2. Spin
We’ve often heard of distro names that sound familiar yet weird. This is because popular Linux distributions officially launch some of their spins or flavors that feature a specific desktop environment or set of software packages different from the main version. These spins are designed to target an audience that’s comfortable with a specific DE but still can enjoy the particular distro. For instance, Kubuntu is an official flavor of Ubuntu that comes with the KDE Plasma DE and other KDE applications to enjoy in Ubuntu.
Apart from spins and forks, we often categorize any customized distro or DE as a variant.
7. Conclusion
In this article, we discussed that the desktop environment is a set of components that provide a GUI to use Linux.
Without a DE, Linux is a plain CLI that utilizes commands to perform any task. There are many popular desktop environments including Ubuntu, MATE, and KDE Plasma. Each DE has its own benefits. To choose the best desktop environment for ourselves, we should read about it and decide if it’s what we require.
Finally, we also discussed variants of a DE, i.e., a modified or customized edition of a DE.