Poll: Desktop environments

[clem]

- Gnome 2 and MGSE are discontinued and do not appear in this list. If you run either DE, instead of which desktop you currently use, please indicate which desktop you plan to switching to in the future. We know both Gnome 2 and MGSE are popular but we're interested in measuring the popularity of the desktops which will be around going forward.
- Because the forums polls only allow 10 voting options, Enlightenment, Trinity, RazorQT, ROX, non-listed DEs and the "no-choice" options were put together.
- This poll replaces the previous poll organized using Twiigs (http://www.twiigs.com/poll/Technology/Computers/93216) which results were unfortunately manipulated. If it's your second time voting please accept our apologies, if it's your third/fourth/fifth/hundredth time... well.. don't do it again!

[darknetmatrix]

I used to be a gnome2 user, but with gnome-shell,unity,cinnamon,mate it was a little bit a search for the ideal de for me.
Than i tryed out KDE and i am still using it, for me kde is the best.

[MALsPa]

Typing this from AwesomeWM.

[fragus]

I am using Katya (Mint 11) on my current laptop, while waiting for the next LTS version of Mint.
In the meantime, I am using LMDE with Cinnamon on my old test machine (2005).
I do like it a lot!
Thank you for that.

[Dukat863]

I voted for Gnome Shell (without extensions it's awful, but with them it's a good DE), and LXDE.
I don't like Cinnamon. I also never used Gnome 2/MATE and KDE, because my first distro was Ubuntu 11.04 (10.10 were falling into console, and i had no Linux experience).
After i switched from Mint 12 to Ubuntu 12.04 beta (i broke my mint installation), i could not use Unity (but i used it from 11.04 release to December)

Original comment:

My first Mint version was Mint 12. Before that, i used Ubuntu. I tweaked gnome shell a bit (set default theme, disabled monitor and music player extensions, moved clock to center), and i liked it. I never used Mate/Gnome 2 (mostly due to my first distro was Ubuntu 11.04; 10.10 were falling into console). I used this system for a long time, since the mid of December.

Few weeks ago, i’ve looked at Cinnamon screenshots, and i didn’t liked it. Because Mint 13 use it by default, i decided that i will switch to Debian, or go back to Ubuntu.
Around that period, i found out that i got two 2gb swap partitions. I turned the largest one into ext4 file system, installed Debian (right from Mint), and started experimenting. After i installed X server, i were searching for an DE, that will fit into this small 2gb partition. I’ve stopped at LXDE. It’s good, fast, but not as great as my tweaked gnome shell.

Few days ago, i broke my video drivers (black screen, can’t even switch to tty). I didn’t had Mint disk, because i installed it from Flash. But i had Ubuntu 11.10 disk. I’ve installed it, and i could not use Unity. That’s right, i used it since 11.04 release to the mid of December, and i couldn’t use it again. So i purged Unity, installed gnome shell, temporarily added Mint repository, and installed MGSE.
I could install Debian, but the fonts don’t look good enough, and i didn’t seen so awful Russian fonts before (it’s my native language).

Then i updated to 12.04 beta. MGSE didn’t worked, so gnome shell feel lot worse and unusable (now i understand, why Linus hate it).
I’ve manually installed extensions from gnome extensions site. Now, gnome shell is usable. The bottom bar is different, and Alt-Tab is Gnome 3 style, but i like it this way (because i use Alt+~ too). I’ve also installed «Battery remaining time and percentage» extension, and it’s very useful.

tl;dr: I like gnome shell with MGSE extensions, but i don’t like Cinnamon. I also used LXDE, it’s good, but not as good as gnome shell with extensions.

I voted for Gnome Shell, and LXDE.

[mank_in]

My favorite is MATE, but i am like Cinnamon and LXDE too.

[SpaceExplo]

Even you do great work on Cinnamon I am strong fan of MATE and intend to use in a future as my main (and most probably only) desktop environment for both my personal and work computers.

[fletcher]

I voted for LXDE because it has always worked great for me and I like the way it is set up and works. But I am just installing LMDE with MATE/Cinnamon, so I have not tried those yet. They look great in the previews and screen shots.

[crismblog]

I voted for Cinnamon and LXDE.

[wankel]

I am working with linux since Ubunru 8.04 was released and I finish completely with Windows three years ago.
Despite I have appreciated a lot the very good works developed by Cannonical, I feel not comfortable using Unity or Gnome 3. So, I have moved to Lisa and MATE enviroment. As an Ubuntu based distribution Lisa is very easy for me. I love MATE because it works as my way and not as Unity or Gnome 3 have decided.
It is Linux!!! I am free for choosing!!

[cwwgateway]

I use and love Cinnamon on LMDE. I also use LMDE XFCE on my old Gateway Desktop, and it's really good. I also like gnome shell with lots of extensions and Unity, although I don't use them, so I didn't vote for them.

[Bruce R]

As Posted in the earlier vote, although continuing to use Mint9 Isadora, I have found that LMDE's MATE is better than Cinnamon for me, providing bottom Panel Added mini-apps, particularly the always displayed Workspace Switcher that allows me to run 'before and after' instances of Writer or FireFox that I can therefore quickly flip between.
Meanwhile, recent Ubuntu Precise releases all seem to have botched 'plugins' installation and are bug-ridden which seems to be contributing to their planned multiple release strategy, which could therefore make Mint Maya 'mission impossible' but the very best of luck to the brilliant Mint team !

[Imhoteps]

Isadora Flux on ma Atom-ised netbook.

[Lugh]

Instead of moving to Gnome 3, Cinnamon, or MATE with the UP4, I chose to move up to KDE. It's stable, very functional, and adds some very nice features and apps. I'm very glad I did and will stay with LMDE KDE on my desktop. On my wife's older laptop we have LMDE Xcfe that is also at UP4. That works fine for a laptop that is pretty much just using Google Chrome.

[bimsebasse]

Glad to see Gnome Shell isn't completely without friends round these parts

Will probably "dual session" Cinnamon and Gnome Shell in Mint 13.

[exit885]

I am waiting on Mint 13 /Cinnamon, but for now I am using LMDE with Cinnamon, its super and fast, really fast.

[romrayla]

I voted for KDE. I played with all editions of Linux Mint 12, and even used Cinnamon and installed some themes... but for some reason KDE just suits me. Hopefully, KDE continues to be developed as one of the DE offerings of Linux Mint 12... I'm starting to really love it.

[blue_bullet]

I used to be a gnome2 user, but with gnome-shell,unity,cinnamon,mate it was a little bit a search for the ideal de for me.
Than i tryed out KDE and i am still using it, for me kde is the best.

This my story as well. I came from Ubuntu 11.04 to LM 11. Had troubles installing LM 11 on new machines so I stuck with LM 12 starting using Cinnamon then found KDE 4.8.2. Dolphin gives me all the "hooks" and more that they took away in gnome. Lesson to devs==>don't dumb things down. I have successfully modified my Regina Rexx scripts to use zenity (Cinnamon) or kdialog (KDE) so they work in either DE.

[Scott65]

The last time I tried Linux was about 10 years ago with Red Hat, Slackware and Turbo Linux and I found them unusable-- I didn't have the time or will power to learn a new OS from scratch, so I SUFFERED through Windows 95, NT, 2000, et. al. ad nauseum until finally I heard about Ubuntu & Mint in an unrelated forum, and thought I'd give Linux another try-- 10 years later. I tried Ubuntu and Kubuntu but didn't settle on an actual dual-boot unti Mint. I've been running it on my Dell Laptop for only a few months, and now I dread the thought of booting up Win7, and only do it with disdain when I have no other choice.

One of the appeals for me is that Mint with Gnome 3, (which is dispised by so many I see now), is NOT a Windows wannabe; where it seems like both MATE and cinnamon are trying to go back to Gnome 2, or become Windows clones. When I first tried Linux a decade ago, I used KDE, but I prefer the new Gnome now, for the reason I stated. If Mint is going to be an alternative to Windows 8, then IMHO Mint's desktop should be a true alternative, not just a "Windows wannabe."

Of course it will be easier for Windows users, most of whom are clueless about how to even partition a HD or what that means, to make the transition, but I just think Linux should be as different from Windows as possible.

Then again, maybe that's just my long, sordid, 25 year LOATHING of everything Bill Gates and Microsoft talking.

But if Mint abondons Gnome and goes forward with some "WinWannabe" desktop, I'll have to consider switching to Fedora, OpenSuse or Ubuntu.

Just tossing in my two-cents for what it's worth.

[zerozero]

as i said in the blog:
1- kde (always was)
2- gnome-shell: i dived in it over a year ago and immediately felt comfortable with it
3- cinnamon: it's a different way of doing a gtk3 shell (better sometimes, not so at times) but what it's amazing is the development rhythm.