Is Xfce better than Windows 10?
One of the best things about Linux is the range of choices it offers when it comes to desktop environments. There really is a Linux desktop for everybody out there, no matter what hardware they are using.
One user recently switched to the Xfce desktop and found that it was much better than Windows 10. He shared his thoughts in a thread on the Linux subreddit.
YouNeverWalkAlone started the thread with this post:
I am not a very tech savvy person. My experience in Linux comes from straight up diving into it while knowing nothing about it. I had been using Ubuntu until they switched to Unity which I personally really disliked. So I have been using Windows 10 for a while. Decided to jump ships to Linux again because my university assignments are slightly easier to work with on Unix system.
I am not even kidding switching to Xfce (Xubuntu) from Windows 10 feels like I have had a massive tumour removed from my body. So clean. No shitty gimmicks like Cortana. No ads in the Start Menu. So much faster too. I wish this was the standard.
I feel bad for people who have used Windows 8/10 for an extended period of time that they don't know what not having cancer is like.
His fellow Linux redditors responded with their thoughts:
Slapnut: “Ads in the Start Menu!?! I haven't used windows in like 10 years. Is this what they have come to?”
YouNeverWalkAlone: “You can remove the panels that the ads show in but it is still a pain in the ass. The upgrade to Win10 was free so I am guessing that and collecting users' data is how they make money off it.”
Slapnut: “Yeah. So Xfce is good. Cinnamon is to me a little better. I agree that unity is a bit stupid but I like that it uses Compiz for window management. But, in the end if you can get going with i3 then there is really no going back.”
Jimmayjr: “XFCE has been my favorite floating window manager. Then I tried i3 which is a tiling window manager and have never been happier.”
Cr-cr: “XFCE is the lightest desktop I'll use & I do like it, actually Unity is the only desktop I just can't get used to. KDE has really grown on me lately, used to hate it but since Plasma 5 it seems a lot more polished & cleaner than it used to be and I could be wrong but it seems a lot lighter on resources than it used to be.”
FreshCutBrass: “I moved from Ubuntu MATE to Manjaro XFCE. I liked it, but something I couldn't put my finger on felt off. I then installed Manjaro MATE and it was like putting on my favourite broken-in shoes.”
Smaughthetremendous: “I feel the exact opposite way. I want to like MATE but little things always feel off in comparison to XFCE. Moving panel applets and locking them is much more of a hassle than the XFCE panel. The task manager doesn't allow middle click to close. Different wallpapers per workspace is not possible. All little things that I could get over individually but it's a lot of little paper cuts.”
Bhsuppthrowaway: “Love xfce. Used to use it at work and it's a dream. While I've switched over to macOS for work and home (just too efficient honestly), xfce will always be my go to desktop environment.
Windows 10 on the other hand…Man I hated that…so much in stopped being a PC gamer completely.”
Emperor_Zombie: “I also jumped ship when Ubuntu introduced Unity. I had distro hopped and used Windows for a while till I tried Manjaro Xfce and it is by far the most stable rolling distribution I have ever tried. Windows 10 isn't just bloated but also buggy.”
Nemotodatoda: “Xfce is really amazing. And it's super stable too. On that note, if you really love XFCE you should give MX-16 a shot. Its rock-solid Debian with Xfce.
Deelissh!”
DistroWatch reviews GoboLinux 016
GoboLinux 016 is a unique distribution that offers an alternative file system that “departs from the traditional Unix heritage of Linux systems.” DistroWatch did a full review of GoboLinux 016 and found it to be technically impressive.
Jesse Smith reports for DistroWatch:
When I first got into Linux, I was a bit thrown by the short, cryptic directory names. Over time I grew to appreciate the short, non-descriptive directory names as they cut down on the amount of typing I had to do, but I can understand why people would want longer, clearer names. On the other hand, I think Gobo's insistence on reworking the way programs are organized, really only makes sense for operating systems that do not have any form of package (or ports) management. In my opinion, the user should not need to worry about where their software is stored or how it is organized because the package manager will handle installation and clean-up for them. Gobo appears to be taking the view that new software will likely be installed from source code with (possibly) customized build settings and no form of ports management (as Gentoo and the BSDs use) or package management (as most other Linux distributions use) will be available.
What I'm coming around to is that Gobo appears to be addressing two separate problems: non-descriptive directory names and package organization. The descriptive directory names probably only make sense for Linux newcomers who are having trouble finding their way around while the approach to organizing program files will probably only appeal to users with enough experience to want to perform custom builds of their software rather than using a ports/package manager. I suspect that the intersection of these two groups is probably small.
It probably seems like I'm putting down GoboLinux for its unusual approach. And, admittedly, I do think not many people will benefit from the distribution's design. But, at the same time, I am impressed with how the Gobo team has implemented their unusual design choices. The system really ventures outside of the norm with respect to file system layouts and package organization and the new design works. The developers have managed to adjust the way an entire operating system is organized and do it transparently. From a technical side of things, I find the implementation of GoboLinux impressive. Its design may not appeal to me, but the way the design was put into practise is, in my opinion, cool to see first hand.
From a practical point of view, Gobo's sparse and out of data documentation, relatively few pre-installed packages and unusual approach will probably turn away most potential users. But I do applaud the developers' efforts in making something unusual and interesting. As a proof-of-concept, Gobo is fun to look at and it gives the user a new perspective on the classic Linux file system layout.
Vote for your favorite Linux distro
We are blessed with many different choices when it comes to Linux distributions, and each of us has his or her favorite distro. Now you can vote for your favorite Linux distribution in a poll at FOSS Force.
The FOSS Force staff reports:
It’s time to start the process of choosing the FOSS Force Readers’ Choice Award winner for Best Desktop Linux Distro for 2016. This is the third outing for our annual poll, which began in a March, 2015 contest that was won by Ubuntu, which bested runner-up Linux Mint by only 11 votes. Last year we moved the voting up to January, in a contest which saw Arch Linux as the overall winner, with elementary OS in second place.
Just like last year, this year’s polling will be a two round process. The first round, which began early Friday afternoon when the poll quietly went up on our front page, is a qualifying round. In this round, we’re offering a field of 19 of the top 20 distros on Distrowatch’s famous “Page Hit Ranking” list. Those whose favorite distro isn’t on the list shouldn’t worry — your distro’s not out of the game yet. Below the poll there’s a place to write-in any distro that’s not in the poll to be tallied for possible inclusion in the second and final round of polling to follow.
Our admittedly unscientific poll is basically a fun way to add a little good natured competition between the distros and their users, as the grand prize basically amounts to bragging rights. This isn’t to say we don’t learn something in the process. Last year’s win by Arch, for example, spoke to an incredibly active community around the distro.
It was evident to us almost immediately after the first round of voting began that members of the Arch community were making a considerable effort to get the vote out for their distro — meaning that last year’s win was in some ways a testimony to the distro’s strong community support. The same was true with the second place winner, elementary OS, where the community got actively involved in the voting process.
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