Idea for next video for new Linux users: In Windows, maintenance can be daily/weekly reboots, clearing profile and system Temp folders, optimize drives, registry cleaner, etc. List out any maintenance tasks needed or recommended for a Linux OS. If none, good time to provide high level overview why it is not needed to show differences between a Windows and Linux OS.
Yeah good idea. Just a quick answer before the full video comes out: You don't really need to do much or any maintenance in Linux. It kinda depends on the distro and mostly on the package manager but from time to time you can clean the cache of the package manager if it eats a lot of space on your system drive. Maybe manually delete config folders, in your home dir, after you uninstall program, if of course you don't plan to reinstall the program in the future and you like keep it's config. And if you have ssd enable TRIM (DO NOT USE 'discard' OPTION!!! run 'fstrim' periodically instead, like once a week (most distros have systemd timer which you just need to enable or is enabled by default)). If you change DEs it's good to remove their config/cache files. I'm on Arch which needs probably the most maintenance and that's most of the things I do (1 more thing is when program updates and I've changed it's config before if it has new default config it will install it as separate file which I have to merge with my config myself).
Would appreciate some maintenance guidance here. Currently using bleachbit, and removing yay's cache. Also an occasional fstrim. I have plenty of free space, but don't like 'mess'. I still kinda have the windows filesystem mentality (NTFS being the main reason I moved away!)
Hi Chris. You could start this series with a video with a "why go to Linux?" What are the pros and cons? Will all the software be there? Can I sync my contacts to my phone? Is it convenient? Can I work from at home if my office uses windows? Can I run windows on Linux if I have to? How do I deal with professional software like Autocad or Filemaker if I have a Linux system? Some history (short) could be good.
Maybe you will mention this in a future video, but each desktop environment can also be customized further with widgets or add-ons. This way if a user maybe just doesn't like the default application menu, they can find an alternative. Users are not stuck with the default layout. This is the great thing with the linux desktop environments, you can adjust them to work the way you want to. You aren't stuck with that being dictated by the owner of the operating system.
Longtime Linux user here since 2005. I've tinkered with quite a few of them, and that's one of many reasons I love Linux. To me, less is more (GNOME makes my head hurt and I find KDE too overwhelming), and I prefer Xfce, or LXDE if I'm using something underpowered.
Your incendiary love of KDE makes me want to try it again. The last time I used it, I broke it. I definitely would say it's not the best DE for new Linux users to try. It's better to get familiar with Linux first, maybe distro hop to see if you can find a distro that works best for you, and just work with that for a while. I'd say Cinnamon if you're trying to stay close to what Windows was like, or Gnome if you're trying to explore a little bit and try something that's totally different from Windows. Then start experimenting with different DEs. KDE is by far the most customizable DE, and it's easy to break something if you don't know what you're doing.
@@hwfq34fajw9foiffawdiufhuaiwfhw If you agree that it's easy to break it, then you know why I say it's not the best DE for new Linux users. New Linux users are coming from Windows or MacOS, which both have very limited customizability. You CAN customize Windows (idk about MacOS, I don't use it), but it's a pretty involved process and involves aesthetic things more than practical things. It's also impossible to do things like accidentally remove the task bar entirely, which was one of the mistakes that I made when I was giving Manjaro a try. I know how to fix that mistake now, but at the time I was still brand new to Linux and was curious and learning a lot of new things. Losing the ability to control my computer via the task bar and not knowing how to fix it was kinda scary. I realized I had fucked up and didn't know what to do about it other than to reinstall the operating system. But since my bad experience was with Manjaro, I decided not to reinstall Manjaro and went with Linux Mint instead. It was more comfortable and didn't give me as many things for my curious mind to tinker with and end up accidentally breaking something because I was getting ahead of myself. This happend to me about a year and a half, maybe two years ago. I now pretty much exclusively use KDE and run more complicated and customized installations of Linux, but that's only because Linux is something that I'm heavily interested in and is one of my favorite hobbies. So I was determined to continue using Linux and learn how to correct my mistakes and make Linux better for myself. Other new users, however, may not be as determined. If they have an uncomfortable experience with Linux early on, they may just go back to Windows or Mac and never look back. Which is fine. It's their right to do what they want with their computers. But it's bad for Linux and the GNU philosophy of freeing end users from their corporate shackles. Users shouldn't have to be forced to make silly commitments and agree to invasive privacy policies just to use software that, in mose cases, isn't even theirs once they purchase or subscribe. They're simply purchasing a lease that allows them to use someone else's software, forcefully subjugating them to whatever policies and standards the developers decide. There should be a better option available to users who want it, and Linux is that option. Yes, the freedom that Linux provides does come at a cost, but that can be mitigated. However, if Linux scares people away because the very interface that users use to interact with their computers fails or breaks and they don't know how to fix it easily, then Linux immediately loses is status as a better option. Better to have a system that spies on them but they can still use it, than to have a system that they can't use at all because they accidentally broke their KDE desktop.
One thing that's realy cool on KDE/Plasma Desktop is you can replace the standard panel with the Latte Dock Panel and you can even make windows go underneath it when maximized
There is another related set of properties for desktops. The more complex functions a desktop provides, the less reliable it will be in practice. There is a reason why XFCE is always rock solid and KDE is always somewhat more buggy. The price for more functionality (complexity) is less reliability.
True. I think MATE has found the perfect balance there. You can do a crap ton of things with it using Compiz, and it's not gonna crash on you no matter what you do.
you confuse "in practice" for "in theory" And you're only *kind of* correct. More complexity increases the *possibility* of instability not necessarily *actual* instability in the system. Also xfce's relative simplicity does not guarantee it's superior stability. There's too many other factor involved from basic dev-ops to review and code quality, the experience, size and expertise of the development team, how active that team is, how responsive they are to bugs and much more.
@@clausmartini1074 I second your opinion, MATE has found the perfect balance. Though they should work a little on their aesthetics. It would make it seem much better for majority, in my opinion.
how about Windows managers ??? I3 / bspwm or awesome ? i think you need to talk about them so newbie do not install I3 and then Linux is ***** and never see the light
Agreed, and he also forgot Budgie DE, as it's become my favorite to use with Manjaro, as it's new user friendly, basic looking, but still looks good, is a good balance of features, while still being lightweight, and stable.
@@CommodoreFan64 You can't say he forgot anything. The choices are way too vast. Chris included what he wanted to cover. You think something is missing? What's stopping you from making your own video?
@@Dude_Slick Well excuse me for adding constructive criticism to a video, which is the original function of the UA-cam comments, so creators of UA-cam videos get feedback on their videos of what their viewers like, and don't like. So if you can't handle that, then maybe you should not be on UA-cam.
Due to my distro-hopping experience I can honestly say that if you search for something light and good-looking MATE is the way to go. I am using it on my old netbook. I wanted cinnamon but it was too sluggish, Xfce was sluggish a bit, and MATE runs buttery smooth, and it looks bit better than LXDE, especially with installed compiz, emerald, and conky. for this machine I do not consider gnome or kde. Also: I noticed that Debian MATE works faster than Ubuntu MATE on this netbook. (lenovo s10)
LXDE is is evolving into LXQT, .LXDE used a mix if GTK and QT elements. Some of these element are no longer developed or supported. LXQT uses QT for common, current and well supported components. It also makes things more consistent over all the desktop applications QT is a set of components called "tool Kit" or "tool set" They are pre-made building blocks for programmers to handle common functions, like file selection and program configuration. . One problem with installing multiple desktops is the possible mix of tool kits they require. Setting arrangements may vary between desktops and related tool kits.
Over the years I've always gravitated over to XFCE no matter which distro I'm playing with at the time. It just seems to be the perfect mix of features vs. hardware efficiency for my usage. It just seems like it can be as simple or as complex as the user wants it to be. KDE is probably my second favorite because of the options, but it's just too much for me after a while. I don't think I've ever really cared for Gnome. I don't hate it (except for maybe Gnome 3, I really don't like it at all lol) but I just never cared for it and usually switched to something else pretty quickly after trying to use it.
I love the perspective you presented on letting the desktop environment that YOU like, go with you as you try different distributions... so that you know where everything is. Taking your “familiarity” with you. I think that is the most valuable perspective for new users to understand. It gives a different thought as to what is really most important to users too.
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I really like KDE, it's very comfortable to use and KDEConnect is fantastic. And I love the KDE software, like Dolphin, Kate, Kile, and Konsole.
you got that to work? I am still confused on how. ps I am using fedora 32 and KDE so that may be the issue. if you know how to make that work I would like to know how and possibly get documentation on that as well.
LXDE will still be supported for a while, so no worries if you’re using it, but LXQt is its successor and is actively developed. These desktops are both used in Lubuntu. The long-term support version of Lubuntu, 18.04, uses LXDE, whereas Lubuntu 19.04 and future releases use LXQt. LXQt isn’t quite as lightweight as LXDE, but it’s more feature-rich while still being very light-weight. They’re both great, especially as alternatives to Xfce, which is slightly heavier.
Motoryzen I haven’t done any side-by-side comparisons, nor have I used Xfce or LXDE recently. I know there are some memory footprint benchmarks floating around on the web, but I haven’t seen any of the recent ones. In my experience, although all were fast, Xfce was heavier and slower than both LXDE and LXQt. But I’m just one anecdotal data point.
I found some recent benchmarks. They’re not the greatest metrics, but it’s clear that in order from lightest to heaviest, it goes LXDE, LXQt, Xfce. But the differences are negligible unless you’re running a very low-spec computer, at which point it might be prudent to run a desktop that’s even more lightweight.
Hope you see this comment, but be nice if you could go through each Desktop Environment / DE and make a video to explain them. You might have that by now. But, be nice to see all of the options of each DE in a separate video. But, again, thanks. You are so encouraging me to move from my life-time skillset and career option. Because I see benefits of Linux now, after 2 of my wife's computers are hosed after Windows updates. 1) 120gb SSD is too small for update so windows updated itself, but paused / stopped, and now system is locked itself up -- doesn't have any more space on drive ... so, I bought a 480gb to now have TO MOVE THE WINDOW FAILING INSTALL to a BIGGER DRIVE where it can continue installing. 2) other one did the last windows update -- because it was on a much older Win10 version update (few updates back, whatever don't remember which version of Win10) and now, many files are corrupted or messed up. It will boot into safe enviornment but WIndows won't run. So, I've got 2 down machines in my house, and I've got to take care of that over Pandemic period. But, I can see how Linux would never have that damned problem occur. So, I get the benefits, Titus, you are breaking through to me now.
How does i3 (i3-gaps) dwm bspwm fit into these. I understand these are window managers not desktop environments. Does KDE, gnome, etc have there own window managers? Could you use kde with i3-gaps so that applications tile?
You can start with a KDE base distro and install I3 on top of that. Next time you log in switch to I3 and now you're running I3 with all the kde applications
As a recent convert from Windows to Linux, I found Cinnamon desktop the easiest to relate to, and Budgie was also pretty good. Once I gained some experience and knowledge, I started to prefer KDE for its flexibility, and Xfce is also good in that regard, especially if you have a lower powered machine. If you're a convert from Mac, I would probably look at Deepin or Elementary (Pantheon) options first. I find Gnome to be more difficult because I've always been brought up with point and click rather than using keyboard shortcuts... but that's just my use case scenario :) Nice work, Chris... as always :)
As a die-hard Gnome fan/user ... KDE is lightweight and runs great on lower hardware. Better than XFCE now. You should avoid Enlightenment if you are new, it's very "tweaky" and WILL require some fiddling. KDE, Cinnamon, XFCE and MATE can be configured via point-and-click (no terminal commands) to look and behave however you want and completely unrecognizable from their respective default installs.
It's *so*weird that Plasma is so lightweight given the level of eye-candy, but it's true. It puts Gnome to shame. (I think this is a HUGE endorsement of Qt, really)
Man! I love your videos so much. Finally I was able to switch to Linux (Manjaro 18, KDE) I only use windows for 1 program! I even gave up premiere pro and after effects, now I can live on Linux completely! Thank you!
In older terms, the desktop environment is the GUI (graphical user interface) - Windows 3.1 was a desktop environment/gui (it was the graphical user interface to the backbone DOS)
I've been using KDE however with the Latte Dock, it's pretty much MacOS. Love how customizable Linux is. Thank you algorithm for letting stumble across this amazing channel and operating system!!
Just as a little abriged history on Linux DEs, KDE was the first big one, followed by gnome. They were the first "suites" of full desktop environments with all the creature comforts modern users expect from their desktop experience. Both Cinnamon and Mate were created after the gnome team launched "gnome 3" (gnome-shell nowadays). Mate is basically a re-creation of old gnome, while Cinnamon caters more to the UX that windows users are accustomed to. XFCE and LXDE were "addons" to a base X session (the latter now being deprecated and replaced with LXQt) and Enlightment was a really cool idea in the early 2000s since it was super flexible. Chris, you should probably check out Budgie, it's not really big right now but it's a great DE if you're into the windows kind of layout. It's based on gnome's stack but instead of the heavy gnome-shell on top, it has a really streamlined and snappy DE. PS: almost if not all of the DEs mentioned can be customized. You can have a KDE based desktop that looks and feels like OSX with a top bar and a bottom panel, or a gnome shell with a start menu and a bottom panel just like windows. Welcome to linux, you can have it _your_ way!
Linux Mint's pretty good, reminiscent of Peppermint OS, but I'd hardly recommend if you're running with a large hard drive size and anything over 4gb RAM. In those 2 instances it just becomes kind of a dry, non-hardware-pushing experience unfortunately.
You forgot Budgie, as it's my favorite so far despite some of its flaws, because it's a good balance of looking good, and being lightweight, it's also a good fit with Manjaro.
Decided to change up tracks here on my end and give myself a 30 day challenge. Backed up my documents/pictures/etc. and wiped my Debian based Cinnamon DE. I am now going Manjaro KDE full-time for 30 days... wish me luck lol
Excellent video. Choosing a desktop environment can be a daunting choice for a new Linux user, but this video clarifies much of the initial confusion. Fantastic content, as always, Chris. 👍 👍
I use to run XFCE, but got tired of having to deal with composting issues with AMD hardware every time I setup a system, so now I use Manjaro with Budgie DE, and no issues on that end.
KDE is the best, you are a man of taste. Although I add the Latte Dock to it and make it somewhat Mac-like with the start menu on the top and tons of extensions in the now-empty sidebar. KDE can be made in to anything it is the most customizable.
The interesting thing is also how dynamic Linux can get. If you don't like it - Fork it! MATE and Cinnamon are two pretty popular enviroments and they only happened because of Gnome 3. Many people weren't very happy with that change. So the Folks over at Linux Mint forked Gnome 3 to make it a bit more traditional - cinnamon. And some other Folks just continued with the Gnome 2.x base and worked from there to pretty much maintain it, keep it up to date and pack some feautres in, without really changing the look and feel.
The Dell XPS 15 comes in a touch screen also. I've often wondered, as you are doing, what distro would be good for a touch screen (working out of the box).
*** ON MULTI-DE systems *** it's ez enough. I *highly* recommend sddm display manager. When you install additional DE's they'll appear in the log-in screen as a pull-down or other menu (depending on the theme) automatically, there's really nothing else to do. When you log in, you select the DE , enter your password, and off you go. You can switch between them by logging out of one session and lgging in to a different one in a different DE. EZPZ. Plasma > Gnome (IMO) Gnome is a beast with resource use, the devs have a giant bug up their butt about custom theming and the Gnome extension system is as silly and broken as it was when Apple did it pre-OSX. (remember the puzzle pieces?) Plasma is highly customize-able. So you can go Mac-like or Windows-like or even Gnome-like or even Hanna Montana-like (google it) and they designed it that way. The KDE suite of software is AMAZING. Kden Live among them. Plasma is less resource hungry than Gnome by far. Deepin is from China - meaning it complies with Party requirements. You may or may not find that trustworthy. LXDE is so good for what it is, rescuing and extending the life of old hardware. It's a good thing. There is also LXQt.. because Qt. " ElementaryOS's Pantheon is *gorgeous* and will appeal to new Linux users coming from the Apple ecosystem Cinnamon/Mint are kinda falling out of relevance. New users should consider Elementary instead. I have no experience with xfce, unfortunately.
The first desktop environment for me was KDE 3.*, but then KDE started to change in a way I did not want, and I tried XFCE and LXDE. Use has convinced me XFCE is the best approximation to what I need. I also tried window managers and like some of them, but they are too primitive and require a lot of manual settings before they can be used easily. One thing that prevented me from using window managers, is their screen resolution which resulted in very small font rendering. On my computers I always use bigger than average font rendering. One particulat thing that I hate on XFCE, is touchpad settings do not permit changing mouse speeds beyond a ridiculously slow maximum. Another issue is mouse pointers cannot be selected to be large and clearly visible.
Great overview Chris, I wish this video was around when I first started looking into Linux and making sense of it. I think you should of mentioned the Budgie desktop. New users from Windows would find it really familiar and its a great desktop environment.
You did a great job covering the most common Desktop Environments. You should cover some window managers (like OpenBox or i3) and how to build your own Desktop Environment if someone wishes to go that route, I know that is for more advanced users but some people wanting to branch out to Arch or Gentoo may want to go that route..
I was always distro hopping and landing on kde because it is customisable but since deepin, i don't feel the need for hopping. Was using the deepin os accidently erased it instead of a hdd that I wanted to give to a friend. Then had some issue with the reinstall after update, it put me in beta for some reason, tried manjaro deepin and I think this is almost perfect. The only thing bothering me is the start menu which is inconsistent, softwares keep changing categories and that I can't put the start menu small version to show categories by default.
I use KDE, and the first thing I do is delete the bottom bar, add a top bar and dock to make it have the MacOS layout, but I get all the customizability of KDE.
Yup. And I went so far as to make a Plasma theme that took the best of what I loved about Apple's look and feel and made a dark-version. (Apple didn't have one yet)
Getting a laptop tomorrow, and the plan is to install linux on it. I have a feeling it's gonna be running Titus Tech UA-cam 24/7. Regarding this video, I think I'll go KDE or Gnome for desktop environment, and sprinkle some of that Conky on it, you talked about some episodes back. Thx for all the great content, sir.
You don't need/want konky with Plasma. That's what widgets are. They're made with QML and make Konky look like a toy and anyway Lua sux compared to QML
KDE is a great choice. It's got some great default apps such as KDE Connect which is an app that allows you to use your phone as a remote control for music and videos, you can use it as a wireless mouse and to transfer files, and Kdenlive which is a very good video editor. Only downside about kdenlive is it's a bit demanding. You'll kinda need a powerful computer to get the best experience out of it. But I guess that goes for KDE in general.
KDE is defiantly one of the heaviest in terms of RAM usage. Just download a few different flavors (like your top 3 or something), put them on some USB sticks and test them. The beauty about Linux is you can test the distribution from the USB stick without installing it. That way you can test the performance and everything before you actually install it. So just do that. Run some programs and do some things.
Chris, you are my go to guy for Linux. I will be switching to Linux when I get my new laptop around the first of the year. I'm not going to play around using external hard drives. I'm going to make the switch and commit to learning Linux. I've toyed with the idea for 10 years now but couldn't overcome the fear of losing the familiarity factor. I hate MS and Windows and want to get as far away from them as I can and since I'm running Windows 7 now is the perfect time to switch. I subscribed to your channel about a month ago and I really appreciate everything you have taught me. Thanks
Thanks Chris if i hadn't come across your Chanel i would still be on win 10,now have pop os on my main machine and linux mint on my laptop, have even converted my friend from win10 to linux mint. Always informative learnt a great deal from you. thank you.
The great thing about Linux, everybody can use whatever software he wants, nobody in a big company tells you which software you get on your system. But use either Arch or Debian base (including popOS) and use KDE. :) (or Gentoo but that is not for beginners)
@@GradyBroyles We should all compile our own BLFS Linux from sources. Preferably the development version of BLFS so we would have more fun with possibly having some bugs that we then get to fix :)
How do you know what Desktop Environment a particular distribution uses and is there a list of what Desktop Environment each distribution uses? If you don't know what Desktop Environment you have how can you find out?
Typically they are referred to as "spins" or "flavours". The description will tell you what the default desktop is, but you can install any of the other desktop environments on that same installation if you decide to do so later on.
They'll tell you on the website. For instance, If you go to Linux Mint's website, you can see that it comes with Cinnamon, MATE and XFCE. Ubuntu on the other hand, named most of their distro by what desktop environment it uses. For instance, their Kubuntu spin uses KDE, Xubuntu uses XFCE, Lubuntu uses LXDE. And then there's Ubuntu MATE which uses MATE, Ubuntu Budgie which uses Budgie and regular Ubuntu which uses Gnome. There's also Ubuntu Studio for music creators. This one uses XFCE. So that one is not self-explanatory. There are many desktop environments. So before you decide which one to go with, search them up on youtube or look at some images on the distro's website.
It was, I believe the first DE I ever used/saw - my Maths teacher had it on Gentoo and it came with Ubuntu of course and I fell in love with it and chose distros that came with it (I wasn't too clued up on installing/changing DEs at this time). I did use KDE on OpenSuse and PCLinuxOS for a bit, but then I found OpenSolaris and focused on that rather than Linux for a bit, till I just ended up using mostly macOS and Windows. Currently still with those two on my gaming PC (macOS via Hackintosh methods), and Trinity DE version of Q4OS on this old MSI Wind U100 netbook I acquired with the hope of installing Mac OS X Leopard or Snow Leopard which I eventually gave up banging my head on the wall with and settled for Q4OS after a brief period of Chromium (CloudReady).
I kinda have a bit of Nostalgia with MATE, since it's based on Gnome 2.x and pretty much continued the look and feel, after Gnome 3 came around. The first time I used Linux, it was Ubuntu 8.10 if I remember correctly - or something like that in that time period. Later I became that absolute KDE lover, which propably will be my favorite forever. But I don't know, sometimes I just like using MATE, propaly because of that Nostalgia factor; because other then that KDE gives me anything I could ask for.
LOL, the Desktop Environment. The one thing that probably separates Linux users more than package managers and the love/hate relationship with SystemD. I loved KDE from 1 to 3, hated KDE 4.x and now back on it in KDE 5. When KDE 4 came out, I switched to Gnome 2.x and when Gnome 3 came out, I went to Cinnamon. After Gnome 2.x got forked and became MATE, and that project gained some traction, I switched to that for a while. Somewhere in between I've run XFCE, Enlightment, LXDE, and built my own environment on Window Managers like Fluxbox, Blackbox, and Window Maker. I've also played around in the extremely basic TWM just to know what that was about and worked with servers running CDE at previous work places. I have Gnome 3 running on my laptop for now, but I probably won't stick with it. Even after all the bug fixes and updates, I just can't stand it. It drives me nuts. I just cannot approve of the direction Gnome has gone with their DE. It makes no sense to me at all, but that's just me. I know I've built odd environments from the ground up on Fluxbox and all they've done is get other people completely lost. My advice to new Linux users: Look at screenshots and maybe even a video of them in action so you can see how they are used and pick one based on that. Don't be afraid to branch out a bit too. I'm willing to bet you're looking leave Microsoft/Apple for more than the the very reasonable reason that you hate them. Try out a few DEs and see which one fills the gaps left open by Microsoft/Apple and consider going with that one instead. My advice for running a GUI on a server: Don't. Just don't. You're going to running everything on the command line anyway so it's not worth it. Linux users/appliances usually use Web based interfaces for a GUI anyway and in my experience there's very little reason to run a GUI on a Linux server. If you need copy/paste, make sure you're using a good terminal emulation that supports it well. If for what ever reason you absolutely MUST run a GUI on a Linux server, then I've had the best results with LXDE, but if time allows it, I'd prefer to take a Window Manager like Fluxbox and build my own DE on that to keep it as minimalist as possible.
When it comes to installing multiple operating system you can install them right beside whichever and it gives you the boot option when you restart and it'll give you the boot option to start into either one of them it's very simple it's very easy to do.
Awesome video Chris very well explained, I started with mate about nine months ago and have enjoyed it very much. But recently I've swapped over to xfce 14.4 it is gorgeous.
If you port cinnamon to any other distro, it doesn't come with all features eg usb writer, usb formatter. On Fedora, it didn't have software centre all together! I had to install gnome software centre & then all things to do.
I'm a windows 10 user that wants to use Kali for pen testing but have. Never used Linux. Should I use a beginner distro before going to Kali in order to understand Linux commands? Or should I just go straight to Kali? Also I will be running a dual boot win 10 and Linux system with no Vm running.
I think the reason that comes up a lot when talking about Linux is so that people thinking about trying it have a familiar frame of reference. Most people, as you know, end up usually pretty far from that aesthetic once they learn what they can do with Linux.
What desktop envuronments work well with Arch Linux? I really want to try deepin, Gnome, KDE, , xfce. Will it make my system buggy if I install too many desktop environments?
I've tried Solus, and really want to like it, because of Budgie DE, but when I tried it, a lot of my AMD hardware just did not like it, and some of my older AMD 64 bit AM2 era systems would not boot on it period, but I use Budgie DE daily on all my machines running Manjaro, and outside of a few things like not being able to put icons on desktop, and not being able to move icons around on the right side of my taskbar which are both very minor for me it's been fantastic, as it's very stable, and lightweight, and I don't have worry about compositing issues on AMD hardware as use to do with XFCE, and MATE.
@@CommodoreFan64 yeah I had a couple of small issues, like software that just isn't available for it (looking at you Google Remote Desktop) but the positives surpass the negatives by a long margin.
I have observed, that most windows users new to linux complain less when using KDE vs Gnome.... Back when I used a full DE, I really enjoyed KDE.... but now... I prefer Awesome WM with my personalized lua project folder... lol... I did adapt KDE's alt+space search... using rofi to display a search progs in the similar way.... center top screen... within Awesome ;-)
It's worth mentioning that there are a variety desktop enhancements or themes including ones which look like Windows, from XP to version 10, largely from individuals. Just search for "Linux Themes".
Chris, my 5 year old computer with 16gb memory takes 10 minutes to get to the desktop after it stops doing its heavy IO activity. Please talj about how to get a Windows ish DE that doesn't take centuries to load.
Remember! The main difference in Linux distros are the Desktop Environments and package managers. The rest are the core components are always included in every distro. I know the veterans will say: Why didn't you say GNU/Linux like you usually did? Sometimes I'm lazy. However this time I'm helping the new users to get them started. Cut them some slack you veterans. I'm also young, I used to be like them.
Used to run KDE until version 5 came along and I found it to be too blingy so switched to MATE which I have been using for a few years now. Maybe I will take another look at KDE at some point in the future
You're such a clever man. I have a question: Tell me, why are some plugins missing in KDE programs (Kate Snippets for example) when using KDE as a desktop under Mint and POP-OS?
@@ChrisTitusTech May I suggest that we see you at the beginning and end of video, dedicating bulk of time to screen where your demo topics are occuring:, a hybrid of Distro Tube and Switched to Linux. dig?
OMG Chris....... I honestly just wrote a long post about this on your subreddit... Guess I will just watch this instead. I searched your entire channel last night and now this - SCARY
By the way, I dont care which DE you use, or how ever you pronounce their names. Just wanted to say that in official videos from GNOME, they do indeed pronounce it Gh-nome. I just use i3wm, without a compositor. I hope other people use what makes them productive or comfortable.
What's important about DE/WM to me is that it has to be: 1. Stable Rock solid. It works exactly the same thing in 100 years time as it did yesterday. I'm not hipster! 2. Good documentation 3. Lightweight I used to use LXDE but apparently lightweight is not the primary focus. I got impression it's gonna follow XFCE: ua-cam.com/video/0cz75cMYHRM/v-deo.html 4. Win95-esque stacking window manager I don't use tiling window manager. I use dvtm as terminal multiplexer and having two tiling window managements is a bit overkill. About Win95 look and feel it's just a matter of taste.
I like KDE, I've set it up enough that I can dial it in just the way I want it without much fuss or muss. Xfce and Mate aren't bad but KDE is my sweet spot. Also don't forget LXQt.
Could you please make a video about installing diferent desktop env ? Also how to fix some problems when installing linux on dual graphics card laptops. Even when i installed it on mine it took for ever to shut down and reboot and still could not find the problem. And with installing majaro gnome on laptops .. keep getting blackscreen after I log into it.
A lot of times you have to disable your integrated graphics. Usually Debian/Ubuntu based Distros will do this automatically and choose you dedicated GPU by default. But the Distro I would choose for this is POP OS, you have a choice between AMD and NVIDIA drivers (this can be useful if you dedicated is NVIDIA because they use a proprietary driver), and if you choose the right image it installs the correct drivers for your graphics card. Hope this helps.
I have already written somewere in CTT Video comments, that standard computer user do not want to spend years of his time to learn many things of Linux OS. He/ she just wants to use his computer as a tool to do something else, something that he/ she likes more than the computer itself.
Do Distros work better with their own Desktop? EG: Mint with Cinnamon? What issues are there moving another Desktop over a Distro? Also, I know that when I went from using Mac to having to use Windows, it took a while to learn where stuff was. Surely it's putting people off Linux having so many choices just in the *look* and *feel* of the desktop, which is what most non-techies probably think is the very OS itself. How to choose? And if the business world wanted to chuck Windows 10 and move into Linux, what would they choose? What would the standards be? Basically, should Linux combine resources and get behind a few core Distros & have a "Lite", "Regular" and "Maximum" Desktop for each? Maybe it's my army background, maybe it's my insecurity with too much choice. But I'd love there to be more standards and 'security in numbers' if that makes sense. :-)
Eclipse Now Yes, certain Distros are preconfigured to work best with a particular DE, but configuration is configurable ;p. Switching to a distro and wanting to keep your DE (ie wanting Cinnamon on Debian last year) will simply mean that worst-case nothing is set up to work out of the box and you have to manually configure everything. As for the business world, having both a bookkeeping firm and a retail store myself, I use Debian LXQt. RHEL would be a better choice for large firms, but only for the tech support. The best thing about Linux in general, though, is the ability to SSH into the server (no DE, strictly command line) and run the same (server-side) program on any Distro with any DE. Call me old fashioned, but IMO any distro other than Debian & Redhat is for at-home use, business clients need the documentation & peace of mind that you only get with 40ish years of stability.
THERE IT IS! Your explanation of lxde and comparison to KDE is exactly why distros matter! Of course I'll customize it, but how happy will I already be with it out-of-the-box? I know you moved on from the argument, but it probably doesn't help that this mantra's still in the back of your mind. At least I assume it is, idk, how long has it been?
Hi Chris. Can you provide a link for a decent and accurate glossary for linux newbies ? You guys have your own lingo..eg "flat packs". BTW... your Shoji screen for back lighting looks much better in the soft blue than the harsh neon raspberry you had before. Thanks for all your help.
finally this was brought up.. as a windows user/amiga os4 i only want mate desktop environment .. and could you guys share sites to distros that have mate as main environment. i want to make a jump.. but, ubuntu mate isnt really talking to me.. i want more mate..kind of lol p.s does every distro's support mate? last time i tested 4-5 years or so..it didn't work well with the few i tested.. so long time.. correct me if im wrong
Gnome is my favorite. I almost hated it because it has a similar look to Ubuntu's Unity. I stopped using Ubuntu when they switched to Unity. Gnome, on the other hand, isn't that hard to get used to. My only complaint is how Steam acts on it. In windows, if you close out Steam, it minimizes to task bar. In Gnome, it disappears like it's closed. However, it's still running in the background and you have to go Gnome's version of Task Manager and End/Kill the program there (or you can do it in command line). In other linux desktops, Steam acts just like it does in Windows and you can just click on it in the task bar and close it out there.
i have i3 on my main machine. playing around with FVWM on a machine im setting up for music production (going to be messing things like different kernel and other stuff that i can screw up). i3 is especially good for small laptop screens, i mostly use one desktop per app, no need to minimise anything or drag windows around.
You should have chosen a different screenshot for Deepin. It looks WAY better with visual effects turned on. Other than that, this is a really helpful video for anyone new to Linux. Btw KDE is my favorite "filesystem", too😁 Although it's definitely not lightweight, with some visual settings turned down,or with the compositor turned off altogether, it can run fine on older systems. I've tried using a couple DEs on my main system, but I always landed back on KDE, because I really like its look and customizability.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Idea for next video for new Linux users: In Windows, maintenance can be daily/weekly reboots, clearing profile and system Temp folders, optimize drives, registry cleaner, etc. List out any maintenance tasks needed or recommended for a Linux OS. If none, good time to provide high level overview why it is not needed to show differences between a Windows and Linux OS.
Great Idea I'll make this video later in the week.
Yeah good idea. Just a quick answer before the full video comes out:
You don't really need to do much or any maintenance in Linux. It kinda depends on the distro and mostly on the package manager but from time to time you can clean the cache of the package manager if it eats a lot of space on your system drive. Maybe manually delete config folders, in your home dir, after you uninstall program, if of course you don't plan to reinstall the program in the future and you like keep it's config. And if you have ssd enable TRIM (DO NOT USE 'discard' OPTION!!! run 'fstrim' periodically instead, like once a week (most distros have systemd timer which you just need to enable or is enabled by default)). If you change DEs it's good to remove their config/cache files.
I'm on Arch which needs probably the most maintenance and that's most of the things I do (1 more thing is when program updates and I've changed it's config before if it has new default config it will install it as separate file which I have to merge with my config myself).
Would appreciate some maintenance guidance here.
Currently using bleachbit, and removing yay's cache.
Also an occasional fstrim.
I have plenty of free space, but don't like 'mess'. I still kinda have the windows filesystem mentality (NTFS being the main reason I moved away!)
Little Did he know this really became a one of helpful video on this channel
Can I change android phone to Linux?
Hi Chris. You could start this series with a video with a "why go to Linux?" What are the pros and cons? Will all the software be there? Can I sync my contacts to my phone? Is it convenient? Can I work from at home if my office uses windows? Can I run windows on Linux if I have to? How do I deal with professional software like Autocad or Filemaker if I have a Linux system? Some history (short) could be good.
Maybe you will mention this in a future video, but each desktop environment can also be customized further with widgets or add-ons. This way if a user maybe just doesn't like the default application menu, they can find an alternative. Users are not stuck with the default layout. This is the great thing with the linux desktop environments, you can adjust them to work the way you want to. You aren't stuck with that being dictated by the owner of the operating system.
Longtime Linux user here since 2005. I've tinkered with quite a few of them, and that's one of many reasons I love Linux. To me, less is more (GNOME makes my head hurt and I find KDE too overwhelming), and I prefer Xfce, or LXDE if I'm using something underpowered.
You forgot about Budgie and Trinity DE.
They should also not be forgotten.
Budgie, LXQt, Xfce e Pantheon.
Your incendiary love of KDE makes me want to try it again. The last time I used it, I broke it. I definitely would say it's not the best DE for new Linux users to try. It's better to get familiar with Linux first, maybe distro hop to see if you can find a distro that works best for you, and just work with that for a while. I'd say Cinnamon if you're trying to stay close to what Windows was like, or Gnome if you're trying to explore a little bit and try something that's totally different from Windows. Then start experimenting with different DEs. KDE is by far the most customizable DE, and it's easy to break something if you don't know what you're doing.
@@hwfq34fajw9foiffawdiufhuaiwfhw If you agree that it's easy to break it, then you know why I say it's not the best DE for new Linux users. New Linux users are coming from Windows or MacOS, which both have very limited customizability. You CAN customize Windows (idk about MacOS, I don't use it), but it's a pretty involved process and involves aesthetic things more than practical things. It's also impossible to do things like accidentally remove the task bar entirely, which was one of the mistakes that I made when I was giving Manjaro a try. I know how to fix that mistake now, but at the time I was still brand new to Linux and was curious and learning a lot of new things.
Losing the ability to control my computer via the task bar and not knowing how to fix it was kinda scary. I realized I had fucked up and didn't know what to do about it other than to reinstall the operating system. But since my bad experience was with Manjaro, I decided not to reinstall Manjaro and went with Linux Mint instead. It was more comfortable and didn't give me as many things for my curious mind to tinker with and end up accidentally breaking something because I was getting ahead of myself.
This happend to me about a year and a half, maybe two years ago. I now pretty much exclusively use KDE and run more complicated and customized installations of Linux, but that's only because Linux is something that I'm heavily interested in and is one of my favorite hobbies. So I was determined to continue using Linux and learn how to correct my mistakes and make Linux better for myself. Other new users, however, may not be as determined. If they have an uncomfortable experience with Linux early on, they may just go back to Windows or Mac and never look back. Which is fine. It's their right to do what they want with their computers. But it's bad for Linux and the GNU philosophy of freeing end users from their corporate shackles.
Users shouldn't have to be forced to make silly commitments and agree to invasive privacy policies just to use software that, in mose cases, isn't even theirs once they purchase or subscribe. They're simply purchasing a lease that allows them to use someone else's software, forcefully subjugating them to whatever policies and standards the developers decide. There should be a better option available to users who want it, and Linux is that option. Yes, the freedom that Linux provides does come at a cost, but that can be mitigated. However, if Linux scares people away because the very interface that users use to interact with their computers fails or breaks and they don't know how to fix it easily, then Linux immediately loses is status as a better option. Better to have a system that spies on them but they can still use it, than to have a system that they can't use at all because they accidentally broke their KDE desktop.
Thank you for doing this. I HATE Windows 10 and have tried to get into Linux, but I'm a total noob. You're doing God's work sir.
One thing that's realy cool on KDE/Plasma Desktop is you can replace the standard panel with the Latte Dock Panel and you can even make windows go underneath it when maximized
There is another related set of properties for desktops. The more complex functions a desktop provides, the less reliable it will be in practice. There is a reason why XFCE is always rock solid and KDE is always somewhat more buggy. The price for more functionality (complexity) is less reliability.
True. I think MATE has found the perfect balance there.
You can do a crap ton of things with it using Compiz, and it's not gonna crash on you no matter what you do.
you confuse "in practice" for "in theory" And you're only *kind of* correct. More complexity increases the *possibility* of instability not necessarily *actual* instability in the system. Also xfce's relative simplicity does not guarantee it's superior stability. There's too many other factor involved from basic dev-ops to review and code quality, the experience, size and expertise of the development team, how active that team is, how responsive they are to bugs and much more.
@@clausmartini1074 I second your opinion, MATE has found the perfect balance. Though they should work a little on their aesthetics. It would make it seem much better for majority, in my opinion.
how about Windows managers ??? I3 / bspwm or awesome ? i think you need to talk about them so newbie do not install I3 and then Linux is ***** and never see the light
I've been slowly adding keyboard shortcuts to everything so I can get used to how that would be (as best as I can anyway) and switch to one of those.
Agreed, and he also forgot Budgie DE, as it's become my favorite to use with Manjaro, as it's new user friendly, basic looking, but still looks good, is a good balance of features, while still being lightweight, and stable.
@@CommodoreFan64
You can't say he forgot anything. The choices are way too vast. Chris included what he wanted to cover. You think something is missing? What's stopping you from making your own video?
@@Dude_Slick Well excuse me for adding constructive criticism to a video, which is the original function of the UA-cam comments, so creators of UA-cam videos get feedback on their videos of what their viewers like, and don't like. So if you can't handle that, then maybe you should not be on UA-cam.
@@CommodoreFan64 Ah, did I hurt your wittow feewins? Need a safe space or a hug?
Due to my distro-hopping experience I can honestly say that if you search for something light and good-looking MATE is the way to go.
I am using it on my old netbook. I wanted cinnamon but it was too sluggish, Xfce was sluggish a bit, and MATE runs buttery smooth, and it looks bit better than LXDE, especially with installed compiz, emerald, and conky.
for this machine I do not consider gnome or kde.
Also: I noticed that Debian MATE works faster than Ubuntu MATE on this netbook.
(lenovo s10)
LXDE is is evolving into LXQT, .LXDE used a mix if GTK and QT elements. Some of these element are no longer developed or supported. LXQT uses QT for common, current and well supported components. It also makes things more consistent over all the desktop applications QT is a set of components called "tool Kit" or "tool set" They are pre-made building blocks for programmers to handle common functions, like file selection and program configuration. . One problem with installing multiple desktops is the possible mix of tool kits they require. Setting arrangements may vary between desktops and related tool kits.
Over the years I've always gravitated over to XFCE no matter which distro I'm playing with at the time. It just seems to be the perfect mix of features vs. hardware efficiency for my usage. It just seems like it can be as simple or as complex as the user wants it to be. KDE is probably my second favorite because of the options, but it's just too much for me after a while. I don't think I've ever really cared for Gnome. I don't hate it (except for maybe Gnome 3, I really don't like it at all lol) but I just never cared for it and usually switched to something else pretty quickly after trying to use it.
I love the perspective you presented on letting the desktop environment that YOU like, go with you as you try different distributions... so that you know where everything is. Taking your “familiarity” with you.
I think that is the most valuable perspective for new users to understand. It gives a different thought as to what is really most important to users too.
I really like KDE, it's very comfortable to use and KDEConnect is fantastic. And I love the KDE software, like Dolphin, Kate, Kile, and Konsole.
It is a great filesystem.
wobbly windows.. so cool.
you got that to work? I am still confused on how. ps I am using fedora 32 and KDE so that may be the issue. if you know how to make that work I would like to know how and possibly get documentation on that as well.
@@ryaneakin8208 worked no issues for me, manjaro kde.
Maybe Wayland is interesting with something in fedora
LXDE will still be supported for a while, so no worries if you’re using it, but LXQt is its successor and is actively developed.
These desktops are both used in Lubuntu. The long-term support version of Lubuntu, 18.04, uses LXDE, whereas Lubuntu 19.04 and future releases use LXQt.
LXQt isn’t quite as lightweight as LXDE, but it’s more feature-rich while still being very light-weight. They’re both great, especially as alternatives to Xfce, which is slightly heavier.
Motoryzen I haven’t done any side-by-side comparisons, nor have I used Xfce or LXDE recently. I know there are some memory footprint benchmarks floating around on the web, but I haven’t seen any of the recent ones. In my experience, although all were fast, Xfce was heavier and slower than both LXDE and LXQt. But I’m just one anecdotal data point.
I found some recent benchmarks. They’re not the greatest metrics, but it’s clear that in order from lightest to heaviest, it goes LXDE, LXQt, Xfce. But the differences are negligible unless you’re running a very low-spec computer, at which point it might be prudent to run a desktop that’s even more lightweight.
Hope you see this comment, but be nice if you could go through each Desktop Environment / DE and make a video to explain them. You might have that by now. But, be nice to see all of the options of each DE in a separate video. But, again, thanks. You are so encouraging me to move from my life-time skillset and career option. Because I see benefits of Linux now, after 2 of my wife's computers are hosed after Windows updates. 1) 120gb SSD is too small for update so windows updated itself, but paused / stopped, and now system is locked itself up -- doesn't have any more space on drive ... so, I bought a 480gb to now have TO MOVE THE WINDOW FAILING INSTALL to a BIGGER DRIVE where it can continue installing. 2) other one did the last windows update -- because it was on a much older Win10 version update (few updates back, whatever don't remember which version of Win10) and now, many files are corrupted or messed up. It will boot into safe enviornment but WIndows won't run. So, I've got 2 down machines in my house, and I've got to take care of that over Pandemic period. But, I can see how Linux would never have that damned problem occur. So, I get the benefits, Titus, you are breaking through to me now.
How does i3 (i3-gaps) dwm bspwm fit into these. I understand these are window managers not desktop environments. Does KDE, gnome, etc have there own window managers? Could you use kde with i3-gaps so that applications tile?
You can start with a KDE base distro and install I3 on top of that. Next time you log in switch to I3 and now you're running I3 with all the kde applications
You can certainly use xfce, mate and kde with other WMs, but you'll need to change your key mappings
As a recent convert from Windows to Linux, I found Cinnamon desktop the easiest to relate to, and Budgie was also pretty good. Once I gained some experience and knowledge, I started to prefer KDE for its flexibility, and Xfce is also good in that regard, especially if you have a lower powered machine. If you're a convert from Mac, I would probably look at Deepin or Elementary (Pantheon) options first. I find Gnome to be more difficult because I've always been brought up with point and click rather than using keyboard shortcuts... but that's just my use case scenario :) Nice work, Chris... as always :)
As a die-hard Gnome fan/user ... KDE is lightweight and runs great on lower hardware. Better than XFCE now.
You should avoid Enlightenment if you are new, it's very "tweaky" and WILL require some fiddling.
KDE, Cinnamon, XFCE and MATE can be configured via point-and-click (no terminal commands) to look and behave however you want and completely unrecognizable from their respective default installs.
It's *so*weird that Plasma is so lightweight given the level of eye-candy, but it's true. It puts Gnome to shame. (I think this is a HUGE endorsement of Qt, really)
Man! I love your videos so much. Finally I was able to switch to Linux (Manjaro 18, KDE) I only use windows for 1 program! I even gave up premiere pro and after effects, now I can live on Linux completely! Thank you!
In older terms, the desktop environment is the GUI (graphical user interface) - Windows 3.1 was a desktop environment/gui (it was the graphical user interface to the backbone DOS)
I've been using KDE however with the Latte Dock, it's pretty much MacOS. Love how customizable Linux is. Thank you algorithm for letting stumble across this amazing channel and operating system!!
Just as a little abriged history on Linux DEs, KDE was the first big one, followed by gnome. They were the first "suites" of full desktop environments with all the creature comforts modern users expect from their desktop experience.
Both Cinnamon and Mate were created after the gnome team launched "gnome 3" (gnome-shell nowadays). Mate is basically a re-creation of old gnome, while Cinnamon caters more to the UX that windows users are accustomed to.
XFCE and LXDE were "addons" to a base X session (the latter now being deprecated and replaced with LXQt) and Enlightment was a really cool idea in the early 2000s since it was super flexible.
Chris, you should probably check out Budgie, it's not really big right now but it's a great DE if you're into the windows kind of layout. It's based on gnome's stack but instead of the heavy gnome-shell on top, it has a really streamlined and snappy DE.
PS: almost if not all of the DEs mentioned can be customized. You can have a KDE based desktop that looks and feels like OSX with a top bar and a bottom panel, or a gnome shell with a start menu and a bottom panel just like windows. Welcome to linux, you can have it _your_ way!
Switched to Linux a year ago. Linux Mint & XFCE for me and never looked back.
Linux Mint's pretty good, reminiscent of Peppermint OS, but I'd hardly recommend if you're running with a large hard drive size and anything over 4gb RAM. In those 2 instances it just becomes kind of a dry, non-hardware-pushing experience unfortunately.
You forgot Budgie, as it's my favorite so far despite some of its flaws, because it's a good balance of looking good, and being lightweight, it's also a good fit with Manjaro.
Decided to change up tracks here on my end and give myself a 30 day challenge. Backed up my documents/pictures/etc. and wiped my Debian based Cinnamon DE. I am now going Manjaro KDE full-time for 30 days... wish me luck lol
The default dark theme of last gnome is amazing. Lately I just want everything working out of the box. My ricing I3wm days are gone I'm afraid..
I'm around this stage.
KDE is a file system ahahhaha, we know what you meant but I thought that's funny
Haha... damn it.
Excellent video. Choosing a desktop environment can be a daunting choice for a new Linux user, but this video clarifies much of the initial confusion. Fantastic content, as always, Chris. 👍 👍
Thanks Mitchel!
I use XFCE. I tried Gnome, KDE, but I like XFCE the best.
I use to run XFCE, but got tired of having to deal with composting issues with AMD hardware every time I setup a system, so now I use Manjaro with Budgie DE, and no issues on that end.
@@CommodoreFan64 yeah, that's a problem, so I use XFCE with Compton
@@randint I've tried Compton, but that did not always work for me sadly.
@@CommodoreFan64 Well, ok. Compton has always worked for me.
KDE is the best, you are a man of taste. Although I add the Latte Dock to it and make it somewhat Mac-like with the start menu on the top and tons of extensions in the now-empty sidebar. KDE can be made in to anything it is the most customizable.
That was perfect I am sooooooo excited for the rest of this Linux basics series 😁😁
Maybe for Beginners the website from distrochooser would be helpful to try out new things
Thanks, if you ever re-do this video I'd love to see longer screenshots of the desktops because if you're a new user, you've not seen any them.
The interesting thing is also how dynamic Linux can get. If you don't like it - Fork it!
MATE and Cinnamon are two pretty popular enviroments and they only happened because of Gnome 3. Many people weren't very happy with that change. So the Folks over at Linux Mint forked Gnome 3 to make it a bit more traditional - cinnamon. And some other Folks just continued with the Gnome 2.x base and worked from there to pretty much maintain it, keep it up to date and pack some feautres in, without really changing the look and feel.
I have a lenovo yoga laptop I am going to convert to linux, from your experience what DE would be best for the touch screen function?
The Dell XPS 15 comes in a touch screen also. I've often wondered, as you are doing, what distro would be good for a touch screen (working out of the box).
I think Gnome is the most touch friendly
As someone that came from macOS, the Gnome desktop is my favorite in Linux
The default layout o KDE Plasma is just ike Windows to me: confusing
*** ON MULTI-DE systems *** it's ez enough. I *highly* recommend sddm display manager. When you install additional DE's they'll appear in the log-in screen as a pull-down or other menu (depending on the theme) automatically, there's really nothing else to do. When you log in, you select the DE , enter your password, and off you go. You can switch between them by logging out of one session and lgging in to a different one in a different DE. EZPZ.
Plasma > Gnome (IMO) Gnome is a beast with resource use, the devs have a giant bug up their butt about custom theming and the Gnome extension system is as silly and broken as it was when Apple did it pre-OSX. (remember the puzzle pieces?)
Plasma is highly customize-able. So you can go Mac-like or Windows-like or even Gnome-like or even Hanna Montana-like (google it) and they designed it that way. The KDE suite of software is AMAZING. Kden Live among them. Plasma is less resource hungry than Gnome by far.
Deepin is from China - meaning it complies with Party requirements. You may or may not find that trustworthy.
LXDE is so good for what it is, rescuing and extending the life of old hardware. It's a good thing. There is also LXQt.. because Qt. "
ElementaryOS's Pantheon is *gorgeous* and will appeal to new Linux users coming from the Apple ecosystem
Cinnamon/Mint are kinda falling out of relevance. New users should consider Elementary instead.
I have no experience with xfce, unfortunately.
The first desktop environment for me was KDE 3.*, but then KDE started to change in a way I did not want, and I tried XFCE and LXDE. Use has convinced me XFCE is the best approximation to what I need. I also tried window managers and like some of them, but they are too primitive and require a lot of manual settings before they can be used easily. One thing that prevented me from using window managers, is their screen resolution which resulted in very small font rendering. On my computers I always use bigger than average font rendering.
One particulat thing that I hate on XFCE, is touchpad settings do not permit changing mouse speeds beyond a ridiculously slow maximum. Another issue is mouse pointers cannot be selected to be large and clearly visible.
Great overview Chris, I wish this video was around when I first started looking into Linux and making sense of it. I think you should of mentioned the Budgie desktop. New users from Windows would find it really familiar and its a great desktop environment.
When is the "I switched Distros on my Prod Machine"-vid coming though? I'm excited if its SUSE or Manjaro
@Donald Mickunas He talked about switching ro green which would point away from Gentoo
@Donald Mickunas Whatever it may be I am hyped 😊
You did a great job covering the most common Desktop Environments. You should cover some window managers (like OpenBox or i3) and how to build your own Desktop Environment if someone wishes to go that route, I know that is for more advanced users but some people wanting to branch out to Arch or Gentoo may want to go that route..
11:06 Shouldn't it be Display RenderER like with murder and murderer?
Just an ESL guy wondering
11:02 Anyone know what '' Display Render '' means from the right hand side list???
I was always distro hopping and landing on kde because it is customisable but since deepin, i don't feel the need for hopping. Was using the deepin os accidently erased it instead of a hdd that I wanted to give to a friend. Then had some issue with the reinstall after update, it put me in beta for some reason, tried manjaro deepin and I think this is almost perfect. The only thing bothering me is the start menu which is inconsistent, softwares keep changing categories and that I can't put the start menu small version to show categories by default.
I use KDE, and the first thing I do is delete the bottom bar, add a top bar and dock to make it have the MacOS layout, but I get all the customizability of KDE.
Yup. And I went so far as to make a Plasma theme that took the best of what I loved about Apple's look and feel and made a dark-version. (Apple didn't have one yet)
@@GradyBroyles I don't like Apple's look and feel, just prefer a top bar instead of a bottom bar and a dock instead of a task bar :)
Getting a laptop tomorrow, and the plan is to install linux on it. I have a feeling it's gonna be running Titus Tech UA-cam 24/7. Regarding this video, I think I'll go KDE or Gnome for desktop environment, and sprinkle some of that Conky on it, you talked about some episodes back. Thx for all the great content, sir.
You don't need/want konky with Plasma. That's what widgets are. They're made with QML and make Konky look like a toy and anyway Lua sux compared to QML
@@GradyBroyles I'll give that a look instead then. Thanks a lot.
KDE is a great choice. It's got some great default apps such as KDE Connect which is an app that allows you to use your phone as a remote control for music and videos, you can use it as a wireless mouse and to transfer files, and Kdenlive which is a very good video editor. Only downside about kdenlive is it's a bit demanding. You'll kinda need a powerful computer to get the best experience out of it. But I guess that goes for KDE in general.
@@clausmartini1074 I'll give it a shot. If KDE is too taxing on the system, I'll do something else 😉
KDE is defiantly one of the heaviest in terms of RAM usage.
Just download a few different flavors (like your top 3 or something), put them on some USB sticks and test them.
The beauty about Linux is you can test the distribution from the USB stick without installing it. That way you can test the performance and everything before you actually install it.
So just do that. Run some programs and do some things.
Chris, you are my go to guy for Linux. I will be switching to Linux when I get my new laptop around the first of the year. I'm not going to play around using external hard drives. I'm going to make the switch and commit to learning Linux. I've toyed with the idea for 10 years now but couldn't overcome the fear of losing the familiarity factor. I hate MS and Windows and want to get as far away from them as I can and since I'm running Windows 7 now is the perfect time to switch. I subscribed to your channel about a month ago and I really appreciate everything you have taught me. Thanks
Thanks Chris if i hadn't come across your Chanel i would still be on win 10,now have pop os on my main machine and linux mint on my laptop,
have even converted my friend from win10 to linux mint.
Always informative learnt a great deal from you.
thank you.
The great thing about Linux, everybody can use whatever software he wants, nobody in a big company tells you which software you get on your system. But use either Arch or Debian base (including popOS) and use KDE. :)
(or Gentoo but that is not for beginners)
I want Chris to do a live stream where we all get drunk and install Gentoo
@@GradyBroyles We should all compile our own BLFS Linux from sources. Preferably the development version of BLFS so we would have more fun with possibly having some bugs that we then get to fix :)
How do you know what Desktop Environment a particular distribution uses and is there a list of what Desktop Environment each distribution uses? If you don't know what Desktop Environment you have how can you find out?
Typically they are referred to as "spins" or "flavours". The description will tell you what the default desktop is, but you can install any of the other desktop environments on that same installation if you decide to do so later on.
They'll tell you on the website. For instance, If you go to Linux Mint's website, you can see that it comes with Cinnamon, MATE and XFCE. Ubuntu on the other hand, named most of their distro by what desktop environment it uses. For instance, their Kubuntu spin uses KDE, Xubuntu uses XFCE, Lubuntu uses LXDE. And then there's Ubuntu MATE which uses MATE, Ubuntu Budgie which uses Budgie and regular Ubuntu which uses Gnome. There's also Ubuntu Studio for music creators. This one uses XFCE. So that one is not self-explanatory. There are many desktop environments. So before you decide which one to go with, search them up on youtube or look at some images on the distro's website.
When MATE was still Gnome 2.x, we often called a Windows/Mac hybrid
It was, I believe the first DE I ever used/saw - my Maths teacher had it on Gentoo and it came with Ubuntu of course and I fell in love with it and chose distros that came with it (I wasn't too clued up on installing/changing DEs at this time). I did use KDE on OpenSuse and PCLinuxOS for a bit, but then I found OpenSolaris and focused on that rather than Linux for a bit, till I just ended up using mostly macOS and Windows. Currently still with those two on my gaming PC (macOS via Hackintosh methods), and Trinity DE version of Q4OS on this old MSI Wind U100 netbook I acquired with the hope of installing Mac OS X Leopard or Snow Leopard which I eventually gave up banging my head on the wall with and settled for Q4OS after a brief period of Chromium (CloudReady).
I kinda have a bit of Nostalgia with MATE, since it's based on Gnome 2.x and pretty much continued the look and feel, after Gnome 3 came around. The first time I used Linux, it was Ubuntu 8.10 if I remember correctly - or something like that in that time period. Later I became that absolute KDE lover, which propably will be my favorite forever. But I don't know, sometimes I just like using MATE, propaly because of that Nostalgia factor; because other then that KDE gives me anything I could ask for.
LOL, the Desktop Environment. The one thing that probably separates Linux users more than package managers and the love/hate relationship with SystemD.
I loved KDE from 1 to 3, hated KDE 4.x and now back on it in KDE 5. When KDE 4 came out, I switched to Gnome 2.x and when Gnome 3 came out, I went to Cinnamon. After Gnome 2.x got forked and became MATE, and that project gained some traction, I switched to that for a while. Somewhere in between I've run XFCE, Enlightment, LXDE, and built my own environment on Window Managers like Fluxbox, Blackbox, and Window Maker. I've also played around in the extremely basic TWM just to know what that was about and worked with servers running CDE at previous work places.
I have Gnome 3 running on my laptop for now, but I probably won't stick with it. Even after all the bug fixes and updates, I just can't stand it. It drives me nuts. I just cannot approve of the direction Gnome has gone with their DE. It makes no sense to me at all, but that's just me. I know I've built odd environments from the ground up on Fluxbox and all they've done is get other people completely lost.
My advice to new Linux users: Look at screenshots and maybe even a video of them in action so you can see how they are used and pick one based on that. Don't be afraid to branch out a bit too. I'm willing to bet you're looking leave Microsoft/Apple for more than the the very reasonable reason that you hate them. Try out a few DEs and see which one fills the gaps left open by Microsoft/Apple and consider going with that one instead.
My advice for running a GUI on a server: Don't. Just don't. You're going to running everything on the command line anyway so it's not worth it. Linux users/appliances usually use Web based interfaces for a GUI anyway and in my experience there's very little reason to run a GUI on a Linux server. If you need copy/paste, make sure you're using a good terminal emulation that supports it well. If for what ever reason you absolutely MUST run a GUI on a Linux server, then I've had the best results with LXDE, but if time allows it, I'd prefer to take a Window Manager like Fluxbox and build my own DE on that to keep it as minimalist as possible.
When it comes to installing multiple operating system you can install them right beside whichever and it gives you the boot option when you restart and it'll give you the boot option to start into either one of them it's very simple it's very easy to do.
I've been a long time KDE fan, started on v2.3 -> v3.0 -> 3.5, went through the pain of 4.0, and now quite comfortable with Plasma 5
Awesome video Chris very well explained, I started with mate about nine months ago and have enjoyed it very much. But recently I've swapped over to xfce 14.4 it is gorgeous.
If you port cinnamon to any other distro, it doesn't come with all features eg usb writer, usb formatter. On Fedora, it didn't have software centre all together! I had to install gnome software centre & then all things to do.
This is a great video for the new users.
I click like then i watch ... is that right ?
Perfect! 😀
lol I do the same xD
I'm a windows 10 user that wants to use Kali for pen testing but have. Never used Linux. Should I use a beginner distro before going to Kali in order to understand Linux commands? Or should I just go straight to Kali? Also I will be running a dual boot win 10 and Linux system with no Vm running.
Does everything need to be compared to Windows? I find Gnome quite functional, even if it is different from Windows Explorer.
I think the reason that comes up a lot when talking about Linux is so that people thinking about trying it have a familiar frame of reference. Most people, as you know, end up usually pretty far from that aesthetic once they learn what they can do with Linux.
it's not just windows comparison.
Like he said, Deepin DE is very Mac OSXish.
Woah I love your Xfce desktop customization! Can you tell me where to find these? Or the name of it?
KDE is an amazing DE, but what is even better is the KDE ecosystem with KDE apps.
where can i get that alien head start button? Thats cool.
What desktop envuronments work well with Arch Linux? I really want to try deepin, Gnome, KDE, , xfce. Will it make my system buggy if I install too many desktop environments?
You did a great job in this video, Chris!
Nicely done.
No love for Budgie? I started using Solus4 and I haven't looked back since.
I've tried Solus, and really want to like it, because of Budgie DE, but when I tried it, a lot of my AMD hardware just did not like it, and some of my older AMD 64 bit AM2 era systems would not boot on it period, but I use Budgie DE daily on all my machines running Manjaro, and outside of a few things like not being able to put icons on desktop, and not being able to move icons around on the right side of my taskbar which are both very minor for me it's been fantastic, as it's very stable, and lightweight, and I don't have worry about compositing issues on AMD hardware as use to do with XFCE, and MATE.
@@CommodoreFan64 yeah I had a couple of small issues, like software that just isn't available for it (looking at you Google Remote Desktop) but the positives surpass the negatives by a long margin.
Me: Chris your thumbnails can't be better!
Chris: Hold my thumbnails!!!!
Thank you for this video.
I have a question, how a desktop environment differs from a theme? Or are the same?
Thanks
I have observed, that most windows users new to linux complain less when using KDE vs Gnome.... Back when I used a full DE, I really enjoyed KDE.... but now... I prefer Awesome WM with my personalized lua project folder... lol... I did adapt KDE's alt+space search... using rofi to display a search progs in the similar way.... center top screen... within Awesome ;-)
It's worth mentioning that there are a variety desktop enhancements or themes including ones which look like Windows, from XP to version 10, largely from individuals. Just search for "Linux Themes".
i love the gnome ui
old and new
edit: and the new tablet mode or touch friendly ui concepts
Chris, my 5 year old computer with 16gb memory takes 10 minutes to get to the desktop after it stops doing its heavy IO activity. Please talj about how to get a Windows ish DE that doesn't take centuries to load.
On xfce, can one do cube animation, download themed, and right click to modify icons on the desktop?
Is kde plasma work fine for python programming
Am askin it bcz it show (programming language - c++, C ) makin language
Remember! The main difference in Linux distros are the Desktop Environments and package managers. The rest are the core components are always included in every distro.
I know the veterans will say: Why didn't you say GNU/Linux like you usually did? Sometimes I'm lazy. However this time I'm helping the new users to get them started. Cut them some slack you veterans. I'm also young, I used to be like them.
GNOME is probably the most eye-candy one, but it also devours your resources. I think the ideal one is xfce4.
Used to run KDE until version 5 came along and I found it to be too blingy so switched to MATE which I have been using for a few years now. Maybe I will take another look at KDE at some point in the future
Same. Mate is great.
Do you use debian with kde?
You're such a clever man. I have a question: Tell me, why are some plugins missing in KDE programs (Kate Snippets for example) when using KDE as a desktop under Mint and POP-OS?
we need to be able to see the back of your head, That's what DistroTube does *nods*
Careful what you wish for ;)
@@ChrisTitusTech May I suggest that we see you at the beginning and end of video, dedicating bulk of time to screen where your demo topics are occuring:, a hybrid of Distro Tube and Switched to Linux. dig?
OMG Chris....... I honestly just wrote a long post about this on your subreddit... Guess I will just watch this instead. I searched your entire channel last night and now this - SCARY
By the way, I dont care which DE you use, or how ever you pronounce their names.
Just wanted to say that in official videos from GNOME, they do indeed pronounce it Gh-nome.
I just use i3wm, without a compositor. I hope other people use what makes them productive or comfortable.
What's important about DE/WM to me is that it has to be:
1. Stable
Rock solid. It works exactly the same thing in 100 years time as it did yesterday. I'm not hipster!
2. Good documentation
3. Lightweight
I used to use LXDE but apparently lightweight is not the primary focus. I got impression it's gonna follow XFCE: ua-cam.com/video/0cz75cMYHRM/v-deo.html
4. Win95-esque stacking window manager
I don't use tiling window manager. I use dvtm as terminal multiplexer and having two tiling window managements is a bit overkill. About Win95 look and feel it's just a matter of taste.
I like KDE, I've set it up enough that I can dial it in just the way I want it without much fuss or muss. Xfce and Mate aren't bad but KDE is my sweet spot. Also don't forget LXQt.
Woww 9:00 I want it! Where can I find it?
Could you please make a video about installing diferent desktop env ? Also how to fix some problems when installing linux on dual graphics card laptops. Even when i installed it on mine it took for ever to shut down and reboot and still could not find the problem. And with installing majaro gnome on laptops .. keep getting blackscreen after I log into it.
A lot of times you have to disable your integrated graphics. Usually Debian/Ubuntu based Distros will do this automatically and choose you dedicated GPU by default. But the Distro I would choose for this is POP OS, you have a choice between AMD and NVIDIA drivers (this can be useful if you dedicated is NVIDIA because they use a proprietary driver), and if you choose the right image it installs the correct drivers for your graphics card. Hope this helps.
I have already written somewere in CTT Video comments, that standard computer user do not want to spend years of his time to learn many things of Linux OS. He/ she just wants to use his computer as a tool to do something else, something that he/ she likes more than the computer itself.
I really like the MATE DE as my go to
Do Distros work better with their own Desktop? EG: Mint with Cinnamon? What issues are there moving another Desktop over a Distro? Also, I know that when I went from using Mac to having to use Windows, it took a while to learn where stuff was. Surely it's putting people off Linux having so many choices just in the *look* and *feel* of the desktop, which is what most non-techies probably think is the very OS itself. How to choose? And if the business world wanted to chuck Windows 10 and move into Linux, what would they choose? What would the standards be? Basically, should Linux combine resources and get behind a few core Distros & have a "Lite", "Regular" and "Maximum" Desktop for each? Maybe it's my army background, maybe it's my insecurity with too much choice. But I'd love there to be more standards and 'security in numbers' if that makes sense. :-)
Eclipse Now Yes, certain Distros are preconfigured to work best with a particular DE, but configuration is configurable ;p. Switching to a distro and wanting to keep your DE (ie wanting Cinnamon on Debian last year) will simply mean that worst-case nothing is set up to work out of the box and you have to manually configure everything.
As for the business world, having both a bookkeeping firm and a retail store myself, I use Debian LXQt. RHEL would be a better choice for large firms, but only for the tech support. The best thing about Linux in general, though, is the ability to SSH into the server (no DE, strictly command line) and run the same (server-side) program on any Distro with any DE. Call me old fashioned, but IMO any distro other than Debian & Redhat is for at-home use, business clients need the documentation & peace of mind that you only get with 40ish years of stability.
@@jadosrd8950 Cheers Jado! Not that I'm at the level of recommending a business do anything like this, but I need goals for 5 years out...
BTW, I'm a Tiny Core user, using JWM. Window Managers are the best.
THERE IT IS! Your explanation of lxde and comparison to KDE is exactly why distros matter! Of course I'll customize it, but how happy will I already be with it out-of-the-box?
I know you moved on from the argument, but it probably doesn't help that this mantra's still in the back of your mind. At least I assume it is, idk, how long has it been?
KDE for life, maybe LXQT sometimes
Hi Chris. Can you provide a link for a decent and accurate glossary for linux newbies ? You guys have your own lingo..eg "flat packs". BTW... your Shoji screen for back lighting looks much better in the soft blue than the harsh neon raspberry you had before. Thanks for all your help.
@Chris Titua Techh For forgot Budgie mate that and Pantheon are both gaining a lot of traction as well. Been rolling Gnome myself.
Pantheon is fantastic for new Linux people. ElementaryOS > Mint any day
Why dont they make more TTY UI 'desktops' ?
Would tmux be considered a text desktop?
@@bigpod saywot??
Are you telling me people dont type commands in srolling text UI???
finally this was brought up.. as a windows user/amiga os4 i only want mate desktop environment .. and could you guys share sites to distros that have mate as main environment. i want to make a jump.. but, ubuntu mate isnt really talking to me.. i want more mate..kind of lol
p.s does every distro's support mate? last time i tested 4-5 years or so..it didn't work well with the few i tested.. so long time.. correct me if im wrong
Gnome is my favorite. I almost hated it because it has a similar look to Ubuntu's Unity. I stopped using Ubuntu when they switched to Unity. Gnome, on the other hand, isn't that hard to get used to. My only complaint is how Steam acts on it. In windows, if you close out Steam, it minimizes to task bar. In Gnome, it disappears like it's closed. However, it's still running in the background and you have to go Gnome's version of Task Manager and End/Kill the program there (or you can do it in command line). In other linux desktops, Steam acts just like it does in Windows and you can just click on it in the task bar and close it out there.
i have i3 on my main machine. playing around with FVWM on a machine im setting up for music production (going to be messing things like different kernel and other stuff that i can screw up). i3 is especially good for small laptop screens, i mostly use one desktop per app, no need to minimise anything or drag windows around.
You should have chosen a different screenshot for Deepin. It looks WAY better with visual effects turned on. Other than that, this is a really helpful video for anyone new to Linux.
Btw KDE is my favorite "filesystem", too😁
Although it's definitely not lightweight, with some visual settings turned down,or with the compositor turned off altogether, it can run fine on older systems.
I've tried using a couple DEs on my main system, but I always landed back on KDE, because I really like its look and customizability.