Novice chooses seven points of note for using the Linux desktop

Guide

How can users who have just reached the Linux desktop choose a suitable Linux desktop environment? If you're used to Windows or OS X, then how do you choose between more than 10 major Linux desktops and dozens of secondary ones when you think about choosing a choice?

There is no easy answer to this question, if you are a new user and have not used any Linux desktops before. Most of the articles written around this topic don't help much, as they mainly describe what is best for new users rather than helping new users decide for themselves. If you've ever used Linux,distrowatch's search page, it's more useful, but it's limited for new users.

I would like to suggest another way: to give the opposite design choice, let the user according to their own preferences and work habits to choose. Here are the seven opposites that help new users get started:

7. Classic vs Innovation

The classic desktop has a workspace, one or more panels, and a menu. From mate to Xfce, they account for the vast majority of desktop environments in Linux. They are rarely flashy, but they provide a stable interface that almost everyone who has ever used a computer has seen before. Those who want the desktop to run like most versions of Windows might consider a classic desktop.

By contrast, innovative desktops are not the same as classic designs. For example, GNOME uses the overview screen to launch applications, and unity is a desktop that actually works on mobile devices. Similarly, while you can build a classic desktop in KDE, this design extends the classic desktop with a variety of desktop and easy-to-replace icons.

6. Mobile vs non-mobile

Users who work with a large amount of computing on a phone or tablet can choose a desktop inspired by a mobile device, with a simple workspace and multiple screen changes. For these users, GNOME is a reasonable choice, but unity is a better choice. In many desktops, only unity is designed to fuse the idea of using the same desktop on devices of any format size. It is particularly recommended that those with touch screen displays use unity.

5. Launcher vs Utility

On the one hand, for some users, the desktop is just the Application launcher. They seldom spend time on the desktop, nor do they expect too much. For this type of user, unity and LXDE may be appropriate.

On the other hand, for some users, the desktop is part of the ecosystem, and its setting determines how it operates. These users recommend using GNOME, KDE, Cinammon, and mate.

4. Minimized design vs maximized design

Several Linux desktops are designed to reduce clutter while providing the simplest tools and control layouts. Applications running on such desktops are designed for the most common occasions, but may not be as satisfactory after a problem occurs. GNOME, LXDE, and unity belong to this category, as are all window managers.

The difference is that designers decide to design a desktop that is exhaustive. While these maximized designs may create option anxiety for new users, they have all the features you need. To simplify, they often choose smart defaults or hide advanced features on different tabs. The desktop with this maximized design includes KDE and cinnamon.

3. Menu vs launcher Launcher

Some users prefer to start the application from the menu and keep the workspace interface tidy. Other users prefer to add initiators to the desktop or Panel to launch applications, documents, or URLs, although the workspace becomes cluttered, but can quickly access/get resources.

Which you prefer is a matter of choice. However, if you prefer to use the menu, try gnome or unity.

But if you prefer a desktop launcher, try mate, cinnamon, or XFCE. If you are completely in favor of the desktop launcher, KDE will provide you with the most configuration options, including customizing the functionality of each virtual workspace.

2. Full screen vs multi-task processing

Do you usually process one or two applications at a time, or do you often use multiple applications at work and often switch back and forth between them?

If you answer "yes" to the first question, you may be content with unity. Not that unity cannot multitask, but it opens the application in full screen by default, and when you switch between multiple windows, the top-level menu displayed in the panel can be confusing.

However, if you answer "yes" to the second question, almost any other desktop may suit your requirements.

1. Lightweight vs Full-featured

Until recently, the Linux desktop was a full-featured feature. Both KDE and GNOME provide a place to launch applications, as well as complete ecosystems, including a variety of utilities and applications designed to work in tandem with them.

However, you may prefer to choose your application based on your preferences rather than your desktop environment. Maybe you have a relatively old, slow machine. In both cases, a lightweight desktop such as LXDE, or a window manager such as ICEWM or Openbox, might be more appropriate for your choice.

Choose your own Linux desktop

Sometimes, one of these opposites may be more important than the other opposites, and you want to decide which desktop to use, just answer it. However, the best way to use this series of choices is to consider each choice and then sum up the number of times a desktop environment appears in the message section. Although the results are not always a certain kind of desktop, you can usually narrow the selection to one or two.

To further narrow down the scope, you can consider the specifics of each Linux distribution. For example, Zorin provides a look and feel like Windows, and mate and Cinammon are often recommended for Windows users, as they are also examples of classic desktops like Windows. Similarly, although none of the distributions I know of is comparable to OS X, Unity is inspired by OS X, so people from the Mac camp may find it most familiar.

However, no matter which method you use to choose a Linux desktop, don't worry. Finding a desktop that fits your preferences and workflow will determine how you react to the experience.

Novice chooses seven points of note for using the Linux desktop