Linux Mint Forums

What is Mint LXDE? What is the difference between the gnome and the lxde editions?
If you install the gnome edition, then install LXDE from the repos, chenge the icon theme in lxde to mint-theme, replace the taskbar with gnome-panel, and change the background... do you get the same with mint LXDE?
Asking cus I dont see any differences between the two. Do the differences go deeper?

The differences are many and varied, starting with memory usage. An LXDE installation is much more frugal with ram than Gnome. Mint Gnome 32 bit typically, on my systems, uses about 220-250 MB of ram just to keep the desktop displayed. LXDE uses about 100 MB or less, depending on the Wallpaper in use and what background daemons you have running.

The standard LXDE panel is also completely different than the Gnome panel. It may look similar on first inspection, but it is configured entirely differently and, in some ways, is less flexible than the Gnome panel. Of course, in other ways, the LXDE panel is superior to Gnome. Try it out and see for yourself.

Gnome uses Nautilus as file manager, LXDE uses PCmanFM. Totally different.

There are many more differences, too many for me to take time to list. Try Mint 11 LXDE for a few days and you will see and understand.

By the way, installing the LXDE desktop on top of Gnome will not give the same result as running a version designed for LXDE as primary desktop environment.

Why wont you get the same result by installing LXDE and choosing LXDE on startup?
I am a casual user.. Used mint 10 lxde for a while on my laptop. But i switched to mint11, installed lxde, switched icons and panel, and it feels like mint 10 lxde. Are you saying that by installing mint 11 lxde ill get better performance than with mint 11(gnome edition) and installing lxde afterthat? why?

You often cannot install Mint Gnome on an older computer (< 512 MB RAM). The CD just will not load, or the installer crashes. Then you need to run LXDE on the CD, to be able to install.

You will get better performance with the LXDE version because it will not have any of the Gnome systems running in the background, taking up memory space and slowing things down. This is normally the case when you compare a desktop laid over another desktop with the same desktop in a stand alone install with nothing else underneath it.

There are certain gnome functions tat cannot be turned off, even when you opt to boot into LXDE. These can slow LXDE and/or interfere with proper function. You do not have this in a pure LXDE installation.

Also, did you install PCmanFM to replace Nautilus ,Exaile to replace Banshee, and all the other more or less LXDE specific programs in place of their Gnome equivalents? The basic desktop and panel are not the only or, to me, the biggest differences between GNome and LXDE.

What this topic boils down to is a question of which desktop is better. This is basically an unanswerable question. I can tell you why I think LXDE is different from Gnome and someone else who uses the OS for a different purpose may tell you something completely different. Even going through the .iso file and listing every different folder and program will not give you a feel for the operational differences.

Download and install the Mint 11 LXDE RC, try it for a few days as your only Linux OS. Get used to using it, and you will see many differences. Not all are positive, but that will vary from user to user - everyone has their own taste. The best way to discover all the differences is to run the two OS side by side and compare.

i used mint lxde 10 for about a month, so i know the advantages/disatvantages that mint lxde has.
Sorry if i wasnt clear, this does not boil down(at least for me) to a lxde vs gnome thread..

The fact is, i installed mint11 when it was still in RC and installed LXDE on top of that to make it a bit more responsive on my old laptop, and was wondering if installing the LXDE edition that just came out would help me, or be a waste of time. Ty for your answers, didnt knew that gnome stuff is loaded even if u boot in lxde.

There are a few differences between installing Mint 11 LXDE RC or installing Mint 11 and then installing the LXDE DE. As already said AlbertP the LXDE version needs less RAM to install, will install faster and will take much less disk space once installed, over 1GB less. You also have a choice of applications that use less RAM without loosing to much features and have less services started at boot. When you update the system the LXDE version will not update all the GNOME stuff you have if you installed Mint 11 so you save time, downloads and more disk space.

I tested Mint 11 LXDE RC against Mint 10 LXDE and I found that the newer version used more RAM but the combination of the 2.6.38 kernel with Firefox 4/5 was faster than the old one. Because I browse a lot and because there are other improvements I moved some computers to Mint 11 LXDE RC but left others at Mint 10 LXDE because is a more solid release and uses less RAM.

If you want a light weight Mint edition, Mint 11 LXDE is a good option, there are others: Mint XFCE, Mint 10 LXDE, Mint 9 LXDE, Mint 9 Fluxbox. Mint Fluxbox (Debian testing based) is in the works, now that should be low on RAM usage!

So, can you install any of the apps (Opera,LibreOffice etc.) on LXDE that you can on LM12?

DaComboMan wrote:So, can you install any of the apps (Opera,LibreOffice etc.) on LXDE that you can on LM12?

Yes, go to the Software Manager and install the programs you want.

To get a good balanced LXDE install you should also pick lightweight programs but you don't have to.

Any Gnome program will run on LXDE without problems. But keep in mind that it may load Gnome components into memory which might not be a good idea when you're short of RAM. However, it's still lighter than when you're running full Gnome.

Thanks guys. The fact that two of you came to help is a sure sign of customer satisfaction.

Should i wait until LXDE is updated to 12 or will it be automatically done?

It's not known when the next Mint LXDE arrives but is expected after the KDE release. Why wait when you can install Mint 11 LXDE today? You also have available Mint 10 LXDE and Mint 9 LXDE LTS.

I would not recommend the update from Mint 11 LXDE to the 12 version, I think reinstall is better.

Mint 9, 10 and 11 LXDE work well and the LXDE edition won't introduce a completely new desktop with version 12 like Gnome did. Just use an existing version and keep it using as long as it works for you and hasn't reached end of life.

Well, i'm with LM12 for now and i've got it tweaked to a satisfactory level.

It's good to know about LXDE in case i ever re-install or someone with an old system needs a less demanding OS.

As i said before, customer satisfaction is always a big plus and your input with regards to LXDE is important to me!