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Bill_MI
Bill In Michigan
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join:2001-01-03
Royal Oak, MI
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1 recommendation

Bill_MI

MVM

Why NOT XFCE?

Just curious why XFCE hasn't caught on? Or... has it quietly in the recent years of Gnome revamps and forks? All indications are, it has a dedicated following but remains way down in percentage (thought I saw 4% somewhere?).

What's funny is I run into comments from "It's a little too lightweight" to "It's bloating too much!"

I find it pleasing and comfortable for the most part. But I haven't given it weeks of use but about to do exactly that, now.

Being the lazy LTS type, I'll probably be running Xubuntu 12.04. Linux Mint Debian Edition dropped XFCE off the actively supported list due to lack of use when allocating resources.

What specifically do or don't YOU like about XFCE? This curious one wants to know.

Ryan
Premium Member
join:2001-03-03
Boston, MA

Ryan

Premium Member

Personally I think it is ugly as hell and it reminds me too much of the 90's. It's a very lightweight desktop environment for sure, but at least in my case none of my pc's need something that light.
pablo
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join:2003-06-23

pablo to Bill_MI

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to Bill_MI
said by Bill_MI:

What specifically do or don't YOU like about XFCE? This curious one wants to know.

Hi,

For me, and I suppose for many, it's not simply the Window Environment. It's the applications and how well they run.

I use KDE and I like the tight integration of the KDE applications.

When I test drove XFCE, I still needed some of my KDE applications and they didn't play nicely with XFCE. Or perhaps XFCE didn't play nicely with them. I don't care who is to blame. I use Linux to get work done. If the WE is impeding my work, I have to move on.

Cheers,
-pablo

nwrickert
Mod
join:2004-09-04
Geneva, IL

nwrickert to Bill_MI

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I like XFCE. It's just that I like KDE even more.

Given a choice between XFCE and Gnome, I would go with XFCE. But, given that KDE is also available, I go with that.

XFCE does startup more quickly than KDE. However, once it is up and running, KDE seems pretty efficient, so XFCE offers no advantages other than the startup time.

timcuth
Braves Fan
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join:2000-09-18
Pelham, AL

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I hear from a lot of people who are using XFCE. I can't remember why I didn't stay with it, but I have been perfectly happy with LXDE for some time.

Tim

dennismurphy
Put me on hold? I'll put YOU on hold
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join:2002-11-19
Parsippany, NJ

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Wither Window Maker?

No_Strings

join:2001-11-22
The OC

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It's been my DE for many years. It has everything I need and more from a UI perspective. It's easy to get to things, it's fast. I load KDE and GNOME for some of their applications, but everything is launched through XFCE.

My only gripe is with third party widgets. After upgrading to 4.10 with Slackware 14, a couple no longer work. Tried to recompile and hit some errors I've yet to sort out.

If I were forced to use KDE or GNOME on a daily basis, I'd probably buy a copy of Win 7.
praetoralpha
join:2005-08-06
Pittsburgh, PA

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XFCE supporter here. Not bloated and not lightweight, imo. Moving icons around/on/off the desktop is a bitch though.

Derwood2
Wherever you go, there you are
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join:2003-01-21
Dayton, OH

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I prefer blackbox for fluxbox myself.

Bill_MI
Bill In Michigan
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join:2001-01-03
Royal Oak, MI
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1 edit

Bill_MI to dennismurphy

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said by dennismurphy:

Wither Window Maker?

Wazzat?

Even Google didn't help much - except for a 2006 prediction: »ptribble.blogspot.com/20 ··· top.html Looks like something that could be written today.
Bill_MI

Bill_MI

MVM

Hey thanks for all the input! We have a real spectrum of opinions.

I'll be watching for anything specific (like desktop icons stuck in a grid, praetoralpha?) so get as specific as you like.

I'll be running Compiz for at least 1 productivity feature I've really taken to: "Enhanced Zoom Desktop". For the trifocal gang.
Kearnstd
Space Elf
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join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

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I prefer XFCE mainly because the machine I run it on usually is never in the GUI.

Actually considering that now I discovered I can SSH into said box with my MacBook Pro, I do not even have a monitor hooked up to it. I just set SSH to start at boot and when I need to fire up the luxrender server to boost my computing power I can do it via a term window on the Mac. (For some dumb reason MS does not have SSH built in. Sure I can use Putty, But the laptop has SSH built in.)

chrisretusn
Retired
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join:2007-08-13
Philippines

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When I first encountered Xfce, I was reminded of CDE, a desktop I used under HP-UX. Tried Xfce a few times, had a few major issues with Xfce. I've been using KDE for a while now. Those issues have been fixed in the latest version of Xfce, but I am not about to change. I like KDE and don't feel like learning another.

armitage
join:2004-01-04
philippines

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I never really got into XFCE myself. Tried it for a few days before I settled on fluxbox. But this was years ago.

After that, I wound up on KDE... then KDE 4 came around... haven't tried another since...

timcuth
Braves Fan
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join:2000-09-18
Pelham, AL

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to Derwood2
said by Derwood2:

I prefer blackbox for fluxbox myself.

Openbox for me.

Tim

dennismurphy
Put me on hold? I'll put YOU on hold
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join:2002-11-19
Parsippany, NJ

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said by Bill_MI:

said by dennismurphy:

Wither Window Maker?

Wazzat?

Even Google didn't help much - except for a 2006 prediction: »ptribble.blogspot.com/20 ··· top.html Looks like something that could be written today.

www.windowmaker.org

Whenever I use Linux on a desktop (which is very rare these days), I still find myself reaching for Window Maker.

Guess I'm living in the past ... Sticking with what works.

Maxo
Your tax dollars at work.
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join:2002-11-04
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I tried it on my workstation and gave up when I discovered how hard, and hackish, it is to use multi-monitor with XFCE.
On top of that the need to navigate menu-hell to access anything. I like just hitting the key and typing in what I want.
That it is ugly as sin isn't a big deal to me.
I gave my brother and his wife a laptop with XFCE on it and they are now convinced Linux sucks.
A food coop I volunteer at has XFCE on the register. The people like that it is faster than when it had Unity on it (it's an old machine) but find the interface very difficult to use.
ds7
join:2012-11-07
Montpelier, VT

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About 1.5 years on XFCE now. It helped me get off Windows and onto Linux fulltime on my main PC.

I found KDE too slow, complex and intrusive. I like the minimalism of the window managers but needed GUI utilities to avoid having to research how to do all the same things without them. Gnome was barely OK in 2-series, then went in exactly the opposite direction of what I like in a GUI.

My values in a GUI: speed, simplicity, keyboard support, text labels, a logical menu, utilities to configure the system, quick access to applications.

Xfce isn't perfect - Thunar's hijacking keystrokes with a forced search box is incredibly obnoxious. But most of the integration of the GUI with applications, little "convenience" features are mercifully able to be turned off.
ds7

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said by Maxo:

I tried it on my workstation and gave up when I discovered how hard, and hackish, it is to use multi-monitor with XFCE.

grandr did it for me with nouveau, or nvidia-settings package with the nvidia driver.
said by Maxo:

On top of that the need to navigate menu-hell to access anything. I like just hitting the key and typing in what I want.

I set keybindings for most-used applications - menu + t for texteditor, menu + k for terminal, etcetera. Much faster than searching.

GILXA1226
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I installed Enlightenment 17 on my laptop when it released. Still need to figure a few things out, but for the most part, it has become my new favorite WM/DM.

Maxo
Your tax dollars at work.
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join:2002-11-04
Tallahassee, FL

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It's an Intel card. I wrote a shell script that would do multi-monitor and had it run at login, but it looked horrible as I watched it go from single to double on log in, and I felt that such a hack was stupid to have to rely on.

The need to set keybindings for common apps is also less useful than having everything; applications, files, etc. available in about three or four keystrokes.
pablo
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join:2003-06-23

pablo

MVM

said by Maxo:

The need to set keybindings for common apps is also less useful than having everything; applications, files, etc. available in about three or four keystrokes.

I love using key bindings for my GUI applications. KDE provides a nice framework. Over the years, I've tweaked some of my settings so they're all the same. Like "g" in gwenview (re)"gets" the image. Similar, "g" in Thunderbird (not a KDE app) (re)"gets" email ... etc.

Cheers,
-pablo
HoboJ
join:2008-03-27
Cornwall, ON

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I have never found a reason to try XFCE. It offers nothing that a half dozen other DE's don't already offer afaik. Though if it does offer something truely unique and interesting I wouldn't mind knowing about it...

Bill_MI
Bill In Michigan
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Bill_MI to ds7

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to ds7
said by ds7:

My values in a GUI: speed, simplicity, keyboard support, text labels, a logical menu, utilities to configure the system, quick access to applications.

I sense we're very similar with custom keyboard shortcuts for the things we do all the time. Looks like pablo is in our little group on KDE.

I'm sure you've also seen this feature get hammered in recent years. Unity actually kept it alive but it's so different than my scheme.

Heck, custom keyboard shortcuts is TOTALLY BROKEN in the recent Mint 14 Cinnamon release and last I checked the bug was still unassigned. And I HATE hacking to get what I want as much as the next guy.

Hall
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join:2000-04-28
Germantown, OH

Hall to GILXA1226

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to GILXA1226
said by GILXA1226:

I installed Enlightenment 17...

I am in shock that E is still around and in active development. It was my favorite interface ... 10+ years ago !! It was at 16.5 then !!

Ultimately, all of these interface options really don't help *nix in the end. They'll never get a decent userbase with so many "options". I know, I know, options are a good thing. I remember running Gnome and loved the consistency, but then there was an app or two that were built under KDE - throw out that consistency ! Same when I tried KDE and had some Gnome apps.

Selenia
Gentoo Convert
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join:2006-09-22
Fort Smith, AR

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It is an excellent lightweight desktop with a few caveats to scare some away. I personally use it to recycle some old Pentium 3s for some kids I babysit. I go headless on the other recycled machines for router/squid/various servers. Xfce requires knowing how to tune config files to truly customize it any way one would want. Also, one must be choosy that apps don't rely on Gnome libs or such or you'll be running almost as bloated, without the integration Gnome/KDE offer. I personally love KDE and run it on my newer machines, for which it presents no challenge to the machine. Still runs lighter than Windows and much prettier, not to mention way faster. I think xfce has caught on with the old machine recycling crowd, but for those who can run the modern desktops, can't beat them for integration and neatness. However these people represent a vast minority of desktop users, which is why xfce only has a few % of users. E16/17 is also an excellent alternative for this crowd. However, I cannot stand LXDE. I don't know how anyone can. However, it has also caught on a bit with that crowd.

JohnInSJ
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join:2003-09-22
Aptos, CA

1 recommendation

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said by Bill_MI:

Just curious why XFCE hasn't caught on?

I used it on some very underpowered hardware years ago. It made the system usable, which was a plus. It's been at least 10 years since then - modern CPUs/GPUs and many GB of ram make XFCE's tradeoffs of functionality for performance unnecessary for me.

timcuth
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timcuth

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said by JohnInSJ See Profile
I used it on some very underpowered hardware years ago. It made the system usable, which was a plus. It's been at least 10 years since then - modern CPUs/GPUs and many GB of ram make XFCE's tradeoffs of functionality for performance unnecessary for me.


How much are you talking about? I have a high powered CPU, modern HD graphics card, and 8 GB of fast RAM. Running the full blown Gnome 3 DE still seemed sluggish, so I went back to LXDE/Openbox. Everything is lickety-split, now.

Tim
Bink
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join:2006-05-14
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I used to use Xfce and was pleased with it. It is far lighter than the KDE and GNOME behemoths while still providing a nice GUI. That said, I have mostly given up on prettied GUIs nowadays. I mostly use cwm now and find it just keeps the whole DE out of the way and allows me to quickly and efficiently navigate through my programs/work.

ground
join:2008-01-16
Toronto, ON

1 recommendation

ground to Bill_MI

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XFCE is a good DE, but I find it too heavy, in fact it's very similar to Gnome 2.x in terms of h/w requirements. When Gnome 3.x came out XFCE got more attention from conservative Gnome users who didn't want to upgrade. I personally switched to LXDE.