Coming from Windows, Ubuntu, Mint. Which DE to get?

I’m a Windows user since 2007 and Ubuntu-Linux Mint user for about a month so I’m a newcomer here. I have just downloaded the 4.7 GB DVD and wrote it onto my 8 GB USB with Rosa Image Writer as openSUSE Image Writer didn’t recognize my SanDisk Cruzer Blade 8 GB and have tried out Fedora for a few minutes. Should I use KDE or Gnome. I’ve watched some videos and the start menu kinda looks like Windows XP and looks very old but maybe it’s more functional? Or should I use Gnome which looks pretty cool.

  1. I have no idea if that “imagewriter” does things correct. But if you still have that Ubuntu, just use dd (to the device, not a partition).
  2. Linux is about choice. And you can choose between several Desktop Environments. But it is you that has to make the choice, not we. BTW, you can of course install both Gnome and KDE (and a few more), either at the primary installation or later and then use each of them at will at every login. So test and use what you ike best.

A lot depends on what you want to do; KDE comes with many choices and may be overwhelming. On the other hand, the KDE email client imports Outlook files without any problem. It puts them in a separate folder hierarchy so that you can carry on using them as before but be clear which emails you have received within Linux. You can, as with so much of Linux, adjust this arrangement to suit your needs.

If you aren’t too interested in tinkering with your desktop both Gnome and Xfce will provide you with pretty well whatever you want to do.

Choosing a desktop does not affect your choice of applications. For example, when the KDE email client was going through a bad patch, I switched to Evolution and found that in some areas it does a better job. The main gotcha I found with Evolution was that you have to backup from within Evolution unlike with KDE where simply backing up everything backed up the emails at the same time.

On 2015-09-16 18:46, Afrosar wrote:
>
> I’m a Windows user since 2007 and Ubuntu-Linux Mint user for about a
> month so I’m a newcomer here. I have just downloaded the 4.7 GB DVD and
> wrote it onto my 8 GB USB with Rosa Image Writer as openSUSE Image
> Writer didn’t recognize my SanDisk Cruzer Blade 8 GB and have tried out
> Fedora for a few minutes.

I’m not familiar with that Rosa Image Writer, but if it modifies the
image in any way, it will fail. openSUSE images have to be written to
the raw stick without modification.

If you are doing that in Linux, just use dd or cp. I think there are
instructions and examples at the openSUSE wiki.

> Should I use KDE or Gnome. I’ve watched some
> videos and the start menu kinda looks like Windows XP and looks very old
> but maybe it’s more functional? Or should I use Gnome which looks pretty
> cool.

Nobody can tell you what to use :slight_smile:

It is a matter of personal choice. I use XFCE, which is pretty simple,
but sometimes I use KDE or Gnome. Even others. You can install them all.
It is only problematic to run two desktops under the same user.


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” at Telcontar)

Choosing your Desktop (My opinion)
Depends on what you like about what you’ve already used.

MATE is a Desktop option on openSUSE Tumbleweed but not on any other openSUSE version, but today I find the best features of MATE are better implemented in YAST.

If you like the idea of using GUI tools in a centralized location, you’ll find that YAST does everything you used to find in Windows Control Panel and much, much more.

Ubuntu and Mint have generally used aptitude to manage deb packages. openSUSE uses rpms instead of debs and although supports YUM instead implements YAST for its GUI software management tool and zypper for package management. You’ll find that both zypper and YAST are both far more intuitive and easy to use than aptitude and you only need one or the other and not more than one tool to do everything unlike aptitude (apt-cache and apt-get).

If you like the Windows look and feel, KDE will generally deliver that and with ample automated and enhanced device setup and configuration. If you like KDE’s look and feel but could do with a lot less overhead, openSUSE provides a modified LXDE with a similar look and feel (but much lighter).

You can choose to install Gnome instead, also with ample enhanced pieces. If you prefer a lighter Desktop with a similar look and feel, like KDE/LXDE openSUSE gives you XFCE with a Gnome-like look and feel, only much lighter.

Yes, most Desktops retain an “XP feel” because that’s probably the most popular type of Desktop. Microsoft has stubbornly made numerous changes few people can agree with in every Desktop since XP, so why copy after bad (or pursue the objectives of a Unity Desktop when no one really feels that’s progress)?

Note also that unlike Ubuntu which distributes its Desktops from entirely different repositories, openSUSE delivers <all> available Desktops for an openSUSE version from the same OSS repository. This has the following consequences…

  • If you have the disk space, you can install as many Desktops as you wish (you can install them all). Then, you only need to disable auto-login (in YAST you can do this easily in the /etc/sysconfig applet) so in any Desktop login page you can select the current or switch to a different installed Desktop.
  • If you have a Desktop installed but might want to install and use a single app from another Desktop, you can do so seamlessly.

All IMO,
TSU