Which Linux Operating System to choose????

When you have a Windows computer, you have the various visual desktops, but each desktop is defined by the operating system running the machine. So even if skinned or themed, an XP desktop is found with XP, a Vista desktop with Vista, W7 with W7, etc. etc.

This isn't always the case with Linux Operating Systems. As you may know, I have been a user of Linux, trying and tinkering since the early 2000's and over the last year and a half, maybe two years, I have been teaching myself to use Linux as an alternate Operating System to Windows.

These days, Linux Operating Systems have come on in leaps and bounds, beautifully displayed, and are generally, out-of-the-box ready, with proprietary and free open source software built in, and in most cases can be run fully when installed. They are self updating and can be customised a great deal to suit your personal taste or configuration. There are different types of desktop, and most are available in various O.S.'s. The Desktop of the Linux operating system can determine how much of the machines resources are needed to successfully run the desktop environment. So when choosing a Linux distribution, choose the right one for your equipment. Something with lots of fancy graphical effects will need a powerful machine with a lot of processing power.

Linux Mint is a good example. When you download a version of Mint, you are offered a few different flavours to choose from. Firstly, Mint is based on both Ubuntu and Debian. While Linux Mint (Ubuntu) can be used by beginners and seasoned Linux users, Linux Mint LMDE 2 (Linux Mint Debian Edition) is more for the advanced user. When choosing your Linux Mint you can choose from Cinnamon, MATE, KDE and Xfce. This is where new users have problems, which one do I choose? All that is going on here is that these are Linux Mint versions which carry different types of desktop environments already built in. Cinnamon is relatively new, has a lot of visual effects and would suit a desktop pc, where as Xfce is much lighter and would suit an older or lower spec. machine or laptop.

I have used different versions of Linux, and different flavours on different types of machines, but I have still found it a bit of trial and error. So what I really want to do here is, sort of, un-muddy the water a little, and break down these different desktops for an easier understanding. I am not going to get into installing multiple desktops here, I have never actually installed a desktop environment in Linux, I have simply chosen different Linux operating systems, installed them, tried them and moved on.

So, when choosing a Linux operating system for your machine, you need to choose a suitable version and type. I found on Ebay a Samsung Netbook X120. I fixed and upgraded it and now it has a dual core processor carrying 4gb memory and a 500gb HDD. With W7, it was OK, but I wanted a Linux OS on it, knowing it would run faster and would look so much better. I tried Ubuntu, but it was heavy and sluggish, then I tried Ubuntu MATE, which I thought was fabulous, but a little sluggish when online. I have tried Elementary OS, which is beautiful and very smooth, but had wifi issues. Others have been Lubuntu, Xubuntu and Fedora, most I didn't like the look or feel of. At the time of writing this, I am currently running Zorin 9 (LTS) Which I love using and at the moment, is running great.

Ok, so lets break things down.

UNITY

So if you want to install Ubuntu onto your chosen machine, this is a very good operating system to start with. There are a lot of websites and Youtube channels that you can refer to for help if you need it. A very popular operating system, which comes with it's own default desktop environment called Unity. Unity, although not an actual desktop but a graphical shell of GNOME, has built in features that make using the software very easy, such as the Dash search engine, which will search both your machine and online. Unity is simple to use but heavy on resources, and would suit a desktop computer or a modern, fast laptop.

CINNAMON

Cinnamon desktop environment was originally developed for Linux Mint. Based on the GNOME 3 desktop, it was designed to offer a more traditional desktop look but deliver a modern feel, with a slick menu and excellent transitional graphical effects, and has a very clean and professional experience. Because of this, it is very resource heavy and would be recommended for Desktops and more modern laptops.

GNOME

I have already mentioned GNOME, It was once one of the most popular desktop environments, rivalled only by KDE at the time, it has quite a history. Designed to be simple, it was very popular, and was originally the default desktop for Ubuntu. It has gained a reputation with seasoned Linux users as being one of the better desktops, but in recent updated versions, bugs and issues have arisen. Although these issues are usually dealt with rather quickly, it has caused users to migrate to other desktop environments. Depending on which version of GNOME is installed in your chosen OS, it can be lighter on resources that cinnamon and unity, but trial and error would show whether this would be right for your machine

KDE

It's easy to say that KDE would be the alternative if you didn't want a GNOME desktop environment, but KDE has come a long way. KDE is now KDE Plasma, comprising of desktop environments for three different levels of equipment. The first being plasma desktop for PC's and laptops, Plasma netbook for netbooks and low end machines and plasma active for tablets and mobile devices. If you choose a Linux system for your particular machine, check out which KDE desktop is integrated and whether you can swap it out if needed, but standard plasma desktop looks to be the same as GNOME on resources.

MATE

MATE (pronounced Martay as the E is hyphenated) is an evolution of the GNOME 2 basic code. It is a fabulous desktop, delivering the look and feel of a large resource heavy desktop environment, but is actually very resource efficient, making it an excellent choice on a large range of equipment. Ubuntu have produced Ubuntu MATE, and it is very nice indeed. Looks lovely, works very well and didn't have any real problems until I tried it on my netbook, where it was a little sluggish online but I would happily return to UbuntuMATE with a more efficient web browser. This obviously is a very fast operating system for more powerful desktops and laptops.

LXDE

LXDE stands for Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment, and is obviously lightweight, designed for low end and older machines, to be less demanding on cpu and memory resources, with a fast performance desktop workspace. Ideal for netbooks, I've currently got this running on an old dell optiplex desktop, and it runs fine.

Xfce

Xfce has been around for a very long time, and is possibly the lightest desktop of them all. It has no graphical effects and is very simple, whilst looking pretty modern and slick, ideal for older machines without 3d graphics or hd graphics. It is ideal for older laptops and netbooks. Most Linux distributions have an Xfce version for download.

There are many others that you can research yourself, such as Enlightenment, which is the default in Bodhi Linux, or Pantheon, which is the default for the stunning Elementary OS, and then there is Budgie, a relatively new desktop, the default of Solus Linux (not tried this one yet, but it looks good)

So, to sum up, Linux Mint Cinnamon would be better on a Desktop and Linux Mint Xfce would be better on a Netbook or Older notebook. Ubuntu runs better on Desktops and UbuntuMATE runs well on most machines, as is the case with Xubuntu (Xfce) and Lubutu (LXDE), but try different operating systems on different machines, you might be surprised. I recently install the latest Peppermint OS (6) and when it installed, it worked really well and looked good, but each time I opened the start menu, It looked like it hadn't changed from earlier versions and looked a bit dated. It bothered me enough to uninstall and try a different linux. 

 

Also, don't forget that with the majority of Linux companies, the install CD is usually a live CD, meaning that you can run from the CD without installing. I just prefer to install the disk myself, to find out if installation is difficult or easy.