Desktop Environments

A variety of desktop environmentsare one of the joys of using Linux, made possible by the nature of Linux as an open source community based operating system. While there are perhaps not as many desktop environments as there are distros, there are still quite a few. This can be confusing for many Mac or Windows users used to only one desktop environment.

So what is a Desktop Environment

Computing was once entirely text (ASCII) based. You would type a command, such as "ls" and you would see a list of files in a directory. Hundreds of commands to learn put computing out of the hands of anyone but experts. Xerox and later Apple developed a GUI, or Graphical User Interface, so of typing "ls" you could click on a folder and see the files it contained. The GUI requires much heavier use of RAM memory and CPU but it saved one from learning commands and opened the doors to new kinds of computing. A GUI is like a visual middleman that operates between you and the console (text based command input).

In come desktop environments. Some Linux users never see a GUI. They are content with CLI, a text based command line interface. Many of the Linux servers never use a GUI. For those who know the commands, the CLI is faster, more direct, less resource hungry. For those who want a GUI, Linux has many to choose from, all with their pros and cons. Some are simple and direct, and others employ a lot of bells and whistles, similar to MacOS.

You have two desktops to choose from: LXQt and Openbox. You can choose either from the login screen that appears after you start your computer. Yuu should try out both and see how they behave for the things you want to do. The DEs are actually close in function. They are both minimalistic, and easy on RAM memory and resources. LXQt is the product of a dedicated Linux community whereas Openbox is more of a mix and match do your own thing environment. We'll explore both. Use both, and eventually you will likely come to prefer one or the other. While there are many other desktop environments (DE) you can install, you probably shouldn't, as in some cases they can get in each other's way. When you are used to these two, then we can discuss what other compatible DEs might profitably be explored.

Keep in mind a DE is like a portal. Applications and such work basically the same. The DE is just the interface through which you reach them.