
On this website, you will find tutorials for installing & managing software, lists of the best linux resources, and in depth guides to linux.
Join us on SlackRobert Washbourne - 4 years ago - desktop environments, ubuntu
Linux can be customized to an insane degree. You can change every font style, window color, icon image and menu style quickly and easily, opposed to the relatively locked down styles of Windows and Mac. But the best way to customize Ubuntu is with desktop environments.
GNOME Shell is a popular Ubuntu theme. The reason for this is clear: GNOME has a clean, flat appearance that people love. If you want to learn more about GNOME, check my collection for information about installing themes, installing extensions, customizing the look, and much more.
GNOME Shell is not a lightweight system. It is not bloated and heavy, but is not light either. It has about the same requirements as Unity.
Ubuntu has a flavour called Ubuntu GNOME, which is recommended if you plan on using GNOME exclusively.
GNOME Shell can be installed with the Ubuntu Software Center from their official repository.
It can also be installed from the terminal:
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-gnome-desktop
Once GNOME Shell is installed, make sure to check out my section on GNOME.
Unity (comes installed) was started in 2013 (EDIT: Unity was started in 2010) by Mark Shuttleworth and Canonical, and since then has gone under constant development and improvement. Unity is optimized for touch, and can be used on any device. However, it comes with heavy graphical effects and may be slow on older devices.
If your computer has an older graphics driver than Unity is not recommended, because it has many 3D effects which are not completely necessary.
Unity is is about as heavy as GNOME and KDE. The older Unity 2D has been abandoned, and now Unity uses lots of heavy 3D effects. If you are running virtual linux or using an older system, Unity might be slow.
Unity comes installed with the normal editions of Ubuntu, but if you use a different install, like Kubuntu, it can be installed from the Ubuntu Software Center. Unity uses lots of 3D graphics, so if you are on a slow computer, a different environment is recommended.
It can also be installed from the terminal:
sudo apt install ubuntu-desktop
Once Unity is installed, make sure to check out our section on Unity.
MATE is the official continuation of GNOME 2. It is light enough to run on a Raspberry Pi, and good looking enough that it became quite popular. MATE offers a traditional desktop, while supporting modern features.
Any computer with reasonable hardware. If it works with Raspberry Pi, it will probably work with your computer.
Ubuntu has a flavour called Ubuntu MATE, which is recommended if you plan on using MATE exclusively.
However, if you want it on the side of other desktops, refer to the following page, with multiple different installation methods for different computers to insure a safe install. (How to install Mate desktop environment)
KDE is one of the best known desktops, and is the desktop with the most potential customization. It comes as the default desktop on Kubuntu.
Like GNOME Shell and Unity, KDE is not a lightweight system. It's requirements are similar to Unity, but it has a "low fat mode" for older computers.
Ubuntu has a flavour called Kubuntu, which is recommended if you plan on using KDE exclusively.
However, if you want it on the side of other desktops, it can be installed from Ubuntu Software center.
It can also be installed from the terminal:
sudo apt install kubuntu-desktop
Once KDE is installed, make sure to check out our section on KDE.
Xfce is a lightweight desktop that looks good, loads fast and can be customized easily. It comes as the default desktop on Xubuntu.
Xfce is very fast and light, and can be used on all systems quickly.
Ubuntu has a flavour called Xubuntu, which is recommended if you plan on using Xfce exclusively.
However, if you want it on the side of other desktops, it can be installed from Ubuntu Software center.
It can also be installed from the terminal:
sudo apt install xubuntu-desktop
The reason I included LXDE as an honorable mention is because it is very minimal, and popular on light computers like the Raspberry Pi. It is the current default for the Ubuntu flavour Lubuntu..
LXDE can be run on any reasonable computer.
Ubuntu has a flavour called Lubuntu, which is recommended if you plan on using LXDE exclusively.
However, if you want it on the side of other desktops, it can be installed from Ubuntu Software center.
It can also be installed from the terminal:
sudo apt install lubuntu-desktop
This is part of my Ubuntu collection.
To see other topics in Ubuntu, follow this link.
Do you like these desktop environments? Do you hate them? Drop a line in the comments below with your favorite Ubuntu environment, and I'll include it in my next article.
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