XFCE or GNOME--what is the difference?

[este.el.paz]

Folks:

I've been trying to get LMDE installed on my MBP and so far it's not gone too smoothly . . . but, in trying to get that done I've re-downloaded both the GNOME 64 and the XFCE 64 LiveDVD's since the GNOME 64 has not just snapped together. In booting up the XFCE DVD it doesn't look too different from the GNOME version?? I ran a search of terms "XFCE & GNOME" and just saw posts from XFCE users saying they went there to avoid GNOME3 issues and others saying problems getting printer on XFCE. Is there any place to read about the differences? Is there any major difference between them in LMDE as it doesn't seem to be on first look? I've played around with the GNOME session in MintPPC and it seems a bit more "Mac-like" in the layout than LXDE, so I was leaning to GNOME, but then since it didn't just load up I've had time to re-think it and give some thought to XFCE--what would be the major differences between the two DE's??

Thanks,

e.e.p.

[wyrdoak]

Xfce is lightweight and also less resources than Gnome.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison ... vironments

It all really come down to what will run on your system and your personal preferences.

As for my system and the way I like things, I haven't yet found anything that works for me better than Xfce.

The two biggest problems I had after install was WiFi wouldn't connect until I straw booted my router[still haven't figured out why, but the OS wasn't the problem.]
And yes there was a problem connecting my printer until I downloaded the Linux drivers from Canon, then everything set up by its self.

[vrkalak]

That is a very broad question, so let me try to whittle it down a bit. If you're coming to Linux for the first time from Windows or Mac, you're not familiar with the very concept of having different desktops to choose from! The only thing I ever really changed on my Windows desktop was wallpaper and themes. But in Linux, you can choose different window managers and desktop environments.

The two are different things. The window manager controls how the desktop windows are "drawn" by your computer. When we refer to windows in Linux, we don't mean that other operating system by Microsoft, we mean the little boxes that contain the graphics for whatever application you launch. Microsoft did a clever thing by calling their OS "Windows." It sort of suggests that they invented the little things. But in fact, long before there was the Windows operating system, there were windows with borders to separate running applications. Unix and DOS both had windows.

In Linux you can choose between window managers like Icewm, Openbox, Fluxbox, and Xfwm. Openbox is a big favorite because it has a nice "right-click anywhere on the desktop" feature that brings up a whole menu from which you can launch applications, open a terminal, etc. You can even have wallpaper. Many folks with older low-powered machines use only a window manager and no desktop environment at all. Without the extra visual "eye candy" and decorations, computers running only a window manager run very fast! Fluxbox is considered a little less "newbie friendly" than Openbox, but "Mintified," I'm sure that isn't the case with our Fluxbox edition. Google the term "Linux window managers screenshots" to see what can be done with just a bare-bones window manager!

A desktop environment on the other hand includes a window manager but also includes stuff like panels, applets, and applications that are designed to work best in that particular desktop environment. Among desktop environments are KDE, Gnome, Xfce, Enlightenment, and LXDE. Each has it's own special features and applications. The "heavyweight" desktop environments (KDE and Gnome) have all sorts of wonderful features like "plasmoids" and the famous "spinning cube." They're more demanding on resources, but on computers 2 years old or newer, they run plenty fast. Xfce is kinda sorta like "Gnome Lite," if you will. It "feels like" Gnome but offers fewer of the extra fancy features and is designed to work better on modest hardware. LXDE is a very "lightweight" desktop environment - so light in fact that it has been "accused" of being a window manager instead of a full-fledged desktop environment.

Main Gnome site: http://gnome.org
Main Xfce site: http://xfce.org

They also have Support Forums and great Wiki pages

[gavinhc]

I've played around with the GNOME session in MintPPC and it seems a bit more "Mac-like" in the layout than LXDE, so I was leaning to GNOME, but then since it didn't just load up I've had time to re-think it and give some thought to XFCE--what would be the major differences between the two DE's??

I found that xfce and Gnome 2.x, which is the version currently on the LMDE ISOs, have a very similar look to them and function similarly for most purposes. Into the future, Gnome 3 will be added to LMDE, once version 3.2 makes its way into Debian's testing repositories. This is a complete redesign of the Gnome UI to make it, in my opinion, very Mac OS-like.

I have been toying with Gnome 3 on and off since April of this year and when I first saw screenshots from MacOS 10.7, I was instantly reminded of Gnome 3. If you use the most recent Mac OS X, you will likely find yourself at home in Gnome 3. It introduced a dock, which is functionally similar the one from Mac OS X. The application picker is very much like the Launchpad feature introduced in MacOS Lion. And the new Gnome overview mode (also called "Activities") is like exposé or the new "Mission Control" in Lion.

[este.el.paz]

Folks:

Thanks for each of those detailed replies, that gives me some better sense of the differences . . . it looks like someone who posted here has both GNOME & XFCE installed? I do like options and getting some direction about doing both might come in handy down the road . . . if there is a choice I like both answers most of the time--why pick one when two is more better?

In terms of OSX, I'm in 10.6.8, haven't made the jump to Lion, I usually try to do every other OS in Mac historically because they used to be a pricey upgrade . . . . Now, I'm looking at the move toward Linux rather than always falling behind the OSX wave every couple of years and the LMDE rolling upgrade looks more interesting than the same thing all the time. But, it's looking like there's a degree of difficulty in getting a dual boot set up on the Intel Macs that are making it a bit more challenging than getting MintPPC on my iBook . . . "it's technical."

I did see that XFCE has its own Forum after I posted this post, there's a lot to get through when logging in here getting from the Main Forum and into the LMDE forum each time, etc--so, I'll have to spend some time looking at the XFCE forum as well as trying to get the whole install thing going.

e.e.p.

[KBD47]

I'm using both, though Xfce is my primary operating system and Gnome is mostly a backup. Both are lightweight since they are built on Debian rather than Ubuntu. Actually both feel lighter to me than Xubuntu and both run cooler for my on my netbook that Xubuntu does with the Jupiter app. For me the big difference is the coming of Gnome 3. I just can't bring myself to like it, even though the extensions from Mint can make it more usable. Xfce is not likely to change much in the near future, and it is a solid desktop. Gnome 2 is slightly more polished and a bit more configurable, but don't get used to that as Gnome 3 is nothing of the sort. So if I was only choosing one, it would be Xfce. But it's always best with any distro to burn them to a disc or usb stick and see what you think from test driving them.
I'm impressed with Mint Debian, period. Now if updates break them to pieces tomorrow I might change my mind, but so far very impressed.
KBD47

[este.el.paz]

KBD47:

Thanks for the added comments, much appreciated . . . I will try to spend a bit more time with the LiveDVD's . . . but that was one of the reasons for my post, I have both GNOME LMDE & XFCE LMDE burned to DVD and upon first look the difference is not discernible . . . hence my post. I'll have to dig deeper to see . . . and it seems like if it's GNOME 2 right now that edition will not be showing me what GNOME3 will be like . . . . It's not like I have loads of spare time to spend on an operating system, but, I'm trying to get moving into Linux now so that a few years down the road I'll know a bit more about the care and feeding of the Deb/Linux system . . . . It's looking like the LMDE is a good base to study . . . and then keeping it focused on that general distro . . . try to get a good system that is light, flexible that won't require paid upgrades for apps every couple of years, etc.

e.e.p.