We return to talk about a topic that many like and others hate: the graphical environments that are available for Linux. Here we are not going to go into whether it is good for the options or bad for the "fragmentation", but on the different desktops and which is the best. It is clear that this is somewhat subjective, so we are going to do a survey to find out what the community, or more specifically LxA readers, thinks about what is the best graphical environment.
Desks there are many and there are more and more, being one of the last to enter the scene cute fish (CDE) which was announced about a month ago. Being a young desktop / environment, that will be one that we will not include in the survey, and I think it would also be a good idea not to include others like UKUI as it is something for the Chinese public. For those who prefer desktops like this, comments and the "other" option will always be available.
In search of the best graphic environment according to the community
GNOME
GNOME is one of the most used desktops in Linux. One of the reasons is that it is available as an official flavor in many projects, such as Ubuntu and Fedora, where it is the main flavor, or Manjaro. Starting with GNOME 3, everything started to be more intuitive and easy to use, so it can be a good option for less expert users. The applications in the project are also very easy to use, and that can be bad for the most demanding users, not because they are easy, but because they are simple and without many options. In the video above you can see how the GNOME 40 gestures work in Manjaro (Unstable when the video was made).
KDE / Plasma
KDE / Plasma is one of the desktops of choice for demanding users. It has a more Windows-like interface, with the bottom panel, the system tray on the right, and the applications menu on the left, but stands out for how productive it is and the options and features it offers. In addition, in the move to Plasma 5 many bugs were corrected for which many of us fled from the KDE environment and it is so light that even systems like Ubuntu Studio have switched to it. In the video is Plasma 5.16, but you can take a look at the surroundings.
MATE
MATE was born by and for users who were unhappy with GNOME 3 or UnitySince Ubuntu changed about ten years ago to the environment that, they said, would be used on both desktop and mobile computers. It is nothing more than the GNOME 2 that Ubuntu used in its beginnings, but updated to work with new technologies, new options and applications. It is lighter than GNOME 3+, but its image looks like it was from the past decade. Still, it has many fans for how well it moves and how customizable it is.
XFCE
XFCE is the default edition of Manjaro, and if it is, it is because they believe it offers a lightweight and customizable experience. Their image is not as attractive as GNOME, for example, but that's because they focus more on making it work well than getting it through the eyes. It is used by many who are looking for a lightweight operating system, although many complain that over time it is becoming somewhat heavier.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is another of the desktops that was born and gained strength after the move from Ubuntu to Unity. It is developed by the project Linux Mint, and it has a lower panel and Windows-like application menu similar to KDE's, but in this case it looks more like Microsoft's system because by default it has icons on the desktop like the one for the personal folder.
Budgie
Budgie use some GNOME components like GTK, but it has a slightly more careful design and some highlights such as the lateral control center from where we see the Widgets and notifications, among other things. When it arrived it was like a breath of fresh air, and even today it is still an option for those who want something more beautiful. Also, it seems a bit lighter than GNOME.
LXQt / LXDE
If you are looking for a light graphical environment, between them must be LXQt or LXDE. They are developed by the same team and they do so with the aim of offering a lightweight experience that consumes few resources. In fact, there are not few who say that they have resurrected a team with an environment like these, but it is not as customizable as XFCE and much less as others like Plasma.
Deepin (DDE)
Deepin Desktop Environment or DDE is one of the desktops that the community is liking the most today, at least its image. It is developed by the team behind Deepin Linux, and it has a very "maquera" image, with menus with transparency and a very nice design. The desktop would be completed by many of its applications, such as one of screenshots that is installed by default and works very well. Those of us who have tried it have noticed that it feels a bit heavy, but we will have to see how it works in the future.
i3 / Sway
Some define it as "the hacker system", although in reality we are talking about two window managers. The desktop itself, or as we know it, does not exist; When we open an application, it appears full screen, and each program we open will cause the screen to split once more. You can switch between the equivalent of virtual desktops with keyboard shortcuts. In fact, we could use the whole system without a mouse, for which we have to learn. i3 is currently the best supported version and works in X11, while Sway is the evolution that does it in Wayland. Both are light because they do not have a graphical environment to use.
Pantheon
Pantheon is the graphical environment that elementary OS uses, one that relies heavily on the Apple interface. It has its own way of doing things, so it can be difficult to do some tasks if we are used to another graphical environment, but many users like it. It is lighter than other desktops, so much so that I was doing fine on a 10.1 ″ netbook, but about 10 years ago now.
Unity
Personally, if I add Unity to this list it is because the community seems to like it more than I thought. It began its Canonical development and it was reason for many of us to look for alternatives, but today it is coming back to life from the hand of Ubuntu Unity Remix. It has an image similar to GNOME used by current Ubuntu, but with different icons and application box, among other things. I have to confess that I have not tried it recently, but I think it is heavier than average and it takes a non-discreet team to move it with guarantees, although I know that at least in the unofficial Ubuntu flavor they are working to make it move with greater ease.
Enlightenment
Enlightenment it is not like other desks. It is another advantage manager like i3 or Sway, but in which they can be resized and it has a dock. You can also do just about anything with the keyboard and it's also very light, which is why it's a interesting option for discreet teams.
What is your preferred graphic environment? (Survey closed)
To avoid "trolling" in the form of dozens of votes by the same user, it is likely that you will need to identify yourself with a Google account to be able to answer the survey.
Although there are many options that I like, it is clear to me, and anyone who has read me a little around here will know what I voted for, but let's see what our readers think. The diffusion is appreciated. What is the best graphic environment for you?