Desktop environments info needed!

[Faileas]

I would of thought this qustion would of been asked before, but 'search' here turned up zero results so...I'm looking for any info to help me decide between XFCE
Gnome
KDE
LXDE
Fluxbox
I've decided to buy DVD or CD of Linux Mint 10, Ultimate Edition 2.9, & PinguyOS 10.04.1.2. My sources are: linuxcd.org, osdisc.com, on-disk.com,etc. DVDs and CDs seem to be available in the above forms, and I'm not sure which to pick. I need some info to compare these, and weed out the dross!

[MikeTbob]

Check this thread for DE Environments.
http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/cof...ui-2011-a.html

[Rob_T]

I am using the KDE, it is really sweet, nice graphics, easy to use, fast.

[elija]

The first thing to consider is your hardware. Especially memory.

I have read a few reviews that state if you have < 2 Gig then Gnome 3 may struggle and having tried it on a 1GB laptop, I have to concur. It wasn't horrendously slow but it used a lot of swap. KDE 4 would probably be the next biggest memory user and according to the Internet* it needs at least 1GB. The others are much lighter and in order of "heaviness" would go XFCE, LXDE and Fluxbox.

I used to recommend Gnome, but now that I have used Gnome 3, I can't do that any more as I wouldn't wish it onto people I hate! Now I would recommend XFCE, followed by LDXE.

To avoid my opinion of Gnome being considered merely a rant, I'll expand a bit. It's not the fact that it looks different that bothers me; it's not even the fact that it works differently, well not entirely. The thing I really dislike is the complete lack of configurability and choice. Dare I say the lack of freedom. I mean you can't even change the theme, let alone anything more practical!

No, I can't recommend a desktop that feels more restrictive than anything Apple has produced and (to paraphrase and a bit harshly) been designed that way because users are too stupid and are confused by choice.

* And when has the Internet ever been wrong?

[oz]

I'm looking for any info to help me decide between XFCE
Gnome
KDE
LXDE
Fluxbox

More info on the various desktop environments and window managers can be found here:

Window Managers for X

In the end, the only good way to decide is to try them on your hardware to see which works best with it and also functions the way you want it to.

[MASONTX]

My choices would be gnome, lxde, xfce, fluxbox, and anything else beside kde. As to purchasing disks, go to distrowatch.com, and you can download distro's for free. Burn the iso to a cd/dvd, and you are good to go.

[Faileas]

The first thing to consider is your hardware. Especially memory.

I have read a few reviews that state if you have < 2 Gig then Gnome 3 may struggle and having tried it on a 1GB laptop, I have to concur. It wasn't horrendously slow but it used a lot of swap. KDE 4 would probably be the next biggest memory user and according to the Internet* it needs at least 1GB. The others are much lighter and in order of "heaviness" would go XFCE, LXDE and Fluxbox.

I used to recommend Gnome, but now that I have used Gnome 3, I can't do that any more as I wouldn't wish it onto people I hate! Now I would recommend XFCE, followed by LDXE.

To avoid my opinion of Gnome being considered merely a rant, I'll expand a bit. It's not the fact that it looks different that bothers me; it's not even the fact that it works differently, well not entirely. The thing I really dislike is the complete lack of configurability and choice. Dare I say the lack of freedom. I mean you can't even change the theme, let alone anything more practical!

No, I can't recommend a desktop that feels more restrictive than anything Apple has produced and (to paraphrase and a bit harshly) been designed that way because users are too stupid and are confused by choice.

* And when has the Internet ever been wrong?

I doubt hardware is a problem with me, as I'm going the 'custum-build shop' route. RAM is currently planned for 8GB, which I hear is "overkill"!

My aim is to find desktop/environment that is easy for newbie to teach himself with only books, and easiest for oldie like me to see!

Since posting this I've been directed by other forums to better info on Gnome & KDE. I definitely do not like what I'm seeing on Gnome3 and KDE4...so I want to avoid these! How do I find out which specific distros/versions are using Gnome 2 and KDE 3? None of my CD/DVD sources list this info, and I do not want to get stuck with OS using Gnome 3 or KDE 4!