Switching from Windows - Week 2 (different linux flavors)
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I decided to upgrade my personal laptop from Windows Vista to Xubuntu 11.04 (latest release as of this post). This post will be about the different choices of Linux. I have tried several. I would not recommend installing different flavors of Linux to find what you like (like I did) but use VirtualBox and create an instance to test drive. I am enjoying Linux and like the feeling of a being able to customize my experience. I have done installation several times of Xubuntu because I think know enough of what I want/don't want in Xubuntu to break stuff. Xubuntu like any Linux distribution is highly configurable to fit the user's needs. Yet these flavors I will mention can be ran out of the box without any customization and are fully feature friendly. My needs were a lightweight os (memory consumption), watching videos/Hulu, podcast downloading/listening/sync-ing to iPhone, and programming. Installing any of the user friendly Linux versions is a similar, simple process. After my first post, I have actually installed several flavors of Ubuntu (Ubuntu, Lubuntu, Xubuntu, and Kubuntu) and Linux Mint's versions of those. Mint is essentially Ubuntu with some tweaks to the ui and default software applications. Here is my layman's view on the different versions of Linux (KDE, LXDE, GDE, and Xfce) to choose from. It basically comes down to your desktop enviroment, window manager, file manager, default application software, and menu system. This Installation Low Memory Systems page has really good information on window and file manager options. Disclaimer - the following observations are my opinions.
KDE
KDE seems more inline with what a person coming from Windows might expect but I found the application naming and panel gaudy. Petty, I know but the menu indicator had the k with a widget (seemed very busy/alien like) and a lot of KDE applications have a K in the name, mostly as an initial letter. I didn't like the desktop feature/transparent folder thing. I didn't explore beyond installing Kubuntu and Mint KDE and then looking around. I did notice Mint KDE installation was around 8 gig and Kubuntu was around 5 gig.
GDE
GDE is also very similiar to what a Windows person might expect also. I find the menu and applications more inline with my liking but dislike the new Unity desktop. I like to see all my applications grouped nicely in a menu. Unity has a search and hides software until you drill into a category and then press see all. You can switch to Classic Ubuntu before logging in to get the older menu system. Ubuntu would be my second choice. Mint seemed too new age with the silver desktop image and I didn't really like the menu system or panel.
Xfce
I like Xfce specifically Xubuntu's look and feel. I looked at Linux Mint LXDE but it wasn't love at first sight so I am sticking with Xubuntu. I like Xubuntu's light weight window manager, panel, and file manager (Thunar). I did dable with PCManFM thinking it would be more responsive but memory consumption was just slightly lower than Thunar so I am sticking with Thunar. XFE file manager delivered on the promise of light, responsive, and windows like but with that comes the lack of some feature.
LXDE
I really liked the idea of LXDE but on my dual monitors their panel (task bar) won't diplay properly on Lubuntu. Other than that I think once that issue is fixed, I'll be switching to Lubuntu. They have been accepted into the Ubuntu family and I think the next release will be even better.
Window Managers
Using the Low Memory Systems page, I was able to test out different window managers. A window manager controls the placement and appearance of windows within a graphical user interface. After reviewing them, I still liked Xfce (Xubuntu's version). This is concludes a quick run through of Linux flavors. Hopefully, my next post will cover the installation process, what I remove, install, and tweak.