Desktop Environments & Window Managers

One of Linux's greatest strengths: you choose how your desktop looks and works.

Desktop Environments vs Window Managers

A Desktop Environment (DE) is a complete package: window manager, file manager, panel, settings app, default applications, and a consistent look and feel. A Window Manager (WM) only handles window placement and decoration - you assemble everything else yourself.

Desktop Environments

GNOME

The default DE for Ubuntu, Fedora, and many others. Modern, clean, and opinionated. Uses a workflow centered around Activities overview and workspaces.

• RAM usage: ~800MB-1.2GB
• Display server: Wayland (default), X11 (fallback)
• Default distros: Ubuntu, Fedora Workstation, Debian
• Customization: GNOME Extensions + Tweaks tool
• Strengths: Polished, great touchpad gestures, strong Wayland support
• Weaknesses: Limited built-in customization, heavier on resources

KDE Plasma

The most customizable traditional desktop. If you like tweaking every detail of your desktop, Plasma is for you.

• RAM usage: ~500MB-800MB
• Display server: Wayland and X11
• Default distros: KDE Neon, Kubuntu, openSUSE, Manjaro KDE
• Strengths: Insanely customizable, lighter than GNOME, familiar Windows-like layout
• Weaknesses: Can feel overwhelming with options

XFCE

Lightweight and traditional. Rock-solid stability with a familiar desktop metaphor. Great for older hardware.

• RAM usage: ~350MB-500MB
• Display server: X11
• Default distros: Xubuntu, Manjaro XFCE, MX Linux
• Strengths: Light, stable, fast, no-nonsense
• Weaknesses: Slower development cycle, X11 only

Cinnamon

Developed by Linux Mint. Traditional desktop layout that feels immediately familiar to Windows users.

• RAM usage: ~500MB-700MB
• Display server: X11 (Wayland in progress)
• Default distros: Linux Mint
• Strengths: Familiar, polished, great for beginners
• Weaknesses: Mostly X11, smaller extension ecosystem than GNOME/KDE

LXQt / LXDE

Ultra-lightweight desktops for the most resource-constrained systems.

• RAM usage: ~200MB-350MB
• Default distros: Lubuntu (LXQt)
• Best for: Very old hardware, Raspberry Pi, minimal VMs

MATE

A continuation of GNOME 2. Traditional two-panel layout, lightweight, and highly customizable.

• RAM usage: ~400MB-600MB
• Default distros: Ubuntu MATE, Parrot OS
• Strengths: Classic GNOME 2 feel, lightweight, well-documented

Tiling Window Managers

Tiling WMs automatically arrange windows to fill the screen without overlap. They're keyboard-driven and extremely efficient once you learn the keybindings.

i3

The most popular tiling WM. Simple, well-documented, and easy to configure.

• Display server: X11
• Config: ~/.config/i3/config (plain text)
• Status bar: i3status, i3blocks, or polybar
• Launcher: dmenu or rofi

# Install on Arch
sudo pacman -S i3-wm i3status dmenu alacritty

# Install on Ubuntu
sudo apt install i3 dmenu

Sway

i3-compatible tiling WM but for Wayland. Nearly identical config syntax. Drop-in replacement if you want Wayland.

• Display server: Wayland
• Config: ~/.config/sway/config
• Status bar: waybar
• Launcher: wofi or fuzzel

Hyprland

A dynamic tiling Wayland compositor with smooth animations, rounded corners, and a modern feel. The current favorite among Linux ricers.

• Display server: Wayland
• Config: ~/.config/hypr/hyprland.conf
• Strengths: Beautiful animations, active development, highly configurable
• Weaknesses: NVIDIA support can be tricky, newer and less battle-tested

# Install on Arch
sudo pacman -S hyprland waybar wofi alacritty

dwm

Suckless project's window manager. Configured by editing C source code and recompiling. Extremely minimal (~2000 lines of code).

• Display server: X11
• Config: Edit config.h and recompile
• Best for: Minimalists who want to understand every line of their WM

Choosing the Right One