Linux desktops you shouldn't overlook

[jamesbandido]

lifted from http://downloads.techrepublic.com.com/abstract.aspx?docid=393450&tag=nl.e072

Enlightenment
I have to confess I put this at the top of the list because it is my favorite Linux desktop. This desktop is all about
being full of eye candy, while at the same time being lightweight and fast. Enlightenment was created by Carston
Haitzler (Raster) in 1996. He created Enlightenment to be a lightweight window manager that didn't lack style. He
succeeded (and then some).
Currently, Enlightenment is enjoying two releases: E16 and DR17. E16 is the current stable release and DR17 is
the development release. The two releases are very different from one another. DR16 takes a far more minimalist
approach to the desktop than DR17 does. Without Panels and Icons, the DR16 desktop is made up of three
mouse menus (one for each button), an Iconbox (where windows are Iconified -- or minimized), a Pager (to switch
between desktops), and the Dragbar (which allows you to have desktops layered on top of one another.)
The DR17 release removes the Iconbox and the Pager and adds Shelves, which are Panels that house
application launchers, pagers, clocks, etc. Even with the creation of a more standard desktop, DR17 retains its
uniqueness as well as its speed. If you're looking to give DR16 a try, you can install it via the standard Linux
installation methods. Your best bet for DR17 is to give the gOS Rocket or the EliveCD distributions a try. And you
should... it's that cool.

AfterStep
This is another of my favorite Linux desktops. Or at least it was back in early days of Linux. This desktop attracted
me because it was one of the first (back around 1998) to use transparency. AfterStep was actually a fork of
FVWM rebuilt to resemble the NeXTSTEP desktop. Like FVWM, AfterStep is light, quick, and can be as
minimalist (or not) as you like. The main features of AfterStep are a mouse menu, Pager, Wharf (a dock-like
applet), and the Winlist (a panel showing active applications). AfterStep is highly configurable via flat text files (so
configuration requires getting to know the layout of configuration files.)
Currently AfterStep is enjoying the 2.2.8 release and is headed up by Sasha Vasko. One of the best aspects of
AfterStep is the ability to granularly configure the look and feel. From timing of auto-raising windows to placement
of titlebars (titlebars can be placed along a horizontal or vertical plane), AfterStep can be configured to a much
higher level than most other window managers. You can install AfterStep your usual way. For example, in
Mandriva, run the command urpmi AfterStep to install.

Fluxbox
Fluxbox is probably one of the lightest of the lightweight window managers for Linux. It's lightening fast and
incredibly stable. Fluxbox shines in bringing new life to old hardware. And Fluxbox is a gift for those who prefer a
minimalist approach to the desktop. Fluxbox is a fork of the Blackbox window manager and was created out of a
need to add more features to Blackbox.
The Fluxbox desktop contains a mouse menu, a toolbar, and the Slit. The Slit is a small dock where self-
contained applets reside. All basic configurations are handled via flat text configuration files. This manual
configuration includes everything from the theme to the menu. To give you an idea of the size of the Fluxbox
window manager, the rpm installation file is 1,196 KB. To put this into perspective, the KDE 4 install base is 644.2
MB.
Installing Fluxbox is simple. You can either search for Fluxbox in your graphical installation application (such as
Synaptic or Yumex) or you can install via command line (for example: urpmi fluxbox in Mandriva.) If you're not into
installing on your own, you can try the Ubuntu-based distribution, dedicated to Fluxbox, aptly named Fluxbuntu.

XFCE
XFCE is quietly gaining ground on the Linux desktop with help from Zonbu, Mythbuntu, Slackware, and Gentoo.
It's another lightweight desktop that has a more traditional desktop approach, with icons, panels, start menus, and
system trays. The XFCE desktop is far less configurable than many of its peers. XFCE was created to be very
modular so you can install as much or as little as you want. XFCE is also separated into applications: XFWM (the
XFCE window manager), Xfmedia (the XFCE media player), Orage (the XFCE calendaring application), and
Thunar (the file management tool). It is interesting to note that Thunar is also now the file manager for
Enlightenment DR17.
Installing XFCE is as simple as running urpmi xfce (in Mandriva) or opening up your graphical installation tool and
searching for XFCE. If installing isn't for you, you can download a number of distributions (Gentoo and Slackware
for example.) The Mythbuntu Media Center distribution also relies on XFCE for a desktop.

[jamesbandido]

Compiz/Compiz Fusion
When you talk Compiz, you're talking full-blown, eye-popping 3D desktop goodness. Compiz/Compiz Fusion (they
are actually two different projects) is the one desktop to install when 1) you have the hardware for it and 2) you
REALLY want to impress your friends and family. Compiz is the original 3D Linux desktop. Compiz Fusion is a
merging of Compiz and the now-defunct Beryl Project. Both of these projects mimic some of the features of
Apple's OS X but take them to new places.
One of the most amazing features of Compiz and Compiz Fusion is the Cube. The Cube takes the flat Linux
pager metaphor (the ability to have multiple desktops) and folds the desktops into a three dimensional cube. With
a click of the middle mouse button the desktop cube zooms out and you can rotate the cube to the cube face you
want to work on. Add to this the ability to make the cube (and everything on the desktop) translucent and you
have a very impressive desktop.
Installing Compiz isn't for the faint of heart. It requires a number of pieces to be put together, a video card that
supports AIGLX, and some patience. But the time and effort are very much rewarded with one of the coolest
desktops to date. If you don't want to take the time to install, you can give the latest Mandriva or the latest
OpenSuSE a go. With the right hardware, you should have a working 3D desktop upon installation.

IceWM
The developers of IceWM are proud of the fact that this lightweight window manager shares absolutely no code
with any other window manager (written completely in C++). IceWM can be made compliant with GNOME and
can use Imlib for graphics support. IceWM is a fairly straightforward window manager with few frills. The desktop
is a panel, a start menu, a system tray, and a pager, and that's it. IceWM is as configurable as any standard
window manager but doesn't boast the eye candy that Enlightenment or AfterStep does. But unlike Enlightenment
DR16, IceWM does have a graphical control center for configurations. IceWM is easily installed via the command
like (for example yum install icewm in Fedora).

Windowmaker
Another NeXT-based window manager, Windowmaker took what NeXT did right and did not add FVWM on top.
Windowmaker is yet another lightweight, super-fast, highly stable Linux window manager. It takes a minimalist
approach but does support most image formats, and it has sliding application menus that can be torn off and
pinned. (You can break off a submenu and anchor it to the desktop, leaving it open until you manually close it.) All
configuration changes happen in real time. Windowmaker does have a dock where applications can be launched,
but it's not the shadowed, animated dock found in OS X.
Windowmaker can be installed via command line, as in urpmi windowmaker in Mandriva, or it can be found in the
package administration tools, such as Synaptic.

[jamesbandido]

Metacity
For one brief period, Metacity was the window manager used in the GNOME desktop. Eventually, Metacity broke
out on its own. Created by Havoc Pennington (of Red Hat), Metacity uses the GTK+2 toolkit. Pennington has
described Metacity as "intentionally boring" even without a logo. Metacity does not include numerous features.
Instead, it glaringly boasts "good defaults." One would describe Metacity as a typical old school UNIX-like window
manager. In fact, it's clean to the point of being almost sterile. But that doesn't mean it is without merit. Metacity is
lightweight and fast. It is also very much a *NIX window manager, in that it can be installed in nearly all *NIX
operating systems. Many distributions (such as Mandriva) install Metacity by default. If Metacity is not installed by
default, it can be installed by command (such as yum install metacity) or it can be found in the package
administration tool.

FVWM
FVWM was, at one time, the dominant window manager for the Linux operating system. In fact, my first exposure
to Linux was the FVWM window manager, and I distinctly remember how like Windows 98 it was -- though not as
"clean." FVWM has an interesting history. Robert Nation was the creator back in 1993. He was tired of the
limitations of one of the only UNIX window managers, TWM, during his work with the DoD. Nation had already
created the rxvt terminal emulator and decided to bundle FVWM with a release of rxvt. He handed FVWM over to
another developer a year after its release. The current version of FVWM is 2.4.20, but interestingly enough,
Nation's last release, 1.24r, will still compile and run on modern Linux distributions. FVWM has a number of
derivatives, including AfterStep, Enlightenment, and Windowmaker. To install FVWM, just run apt-get install fvwm
and accept the dependencies.

CDE
CDE isn't really a Linux desktop, but it deserves mention because it heavily influenced so many Linux desktops.
CDE (Common Desktop Environment) was created by a collaboration between Sunsoft, HP, IBM, and USL (a
collaboration called The Open Group) in 1993. This new desktop was based on HP Visual User Environment and
was derived from the Motif Window Manager. For a long period, CDE was the standard UNIX desktop
environment. But in 2001, it was briefly phased out in favor of GNOME (until GNOME's instability caused the
return of CDE).
CDE is a fairly standard desktop consisting of a panel and start menu. Its biggest downfall is its antiquated UNIX-
like look, lack of anti-alias font support, and confusing configuration. CDE is primarily a Solaris desktop but will
install on AIX and HP-UX.

[trilarian]

/cheer for Enlightenment~

(Running DR17 on my desktop, and E16 on my ancient boxes that just fold)

EDIT => You don't have to switch distros for DR17 - there is a repository for the Debian fans. :)

deb http://debian.alphagemini.org/ unstable main

[psych-major]

For trying out xfce, don't forget xubuntu (http://www.xubuntu.org/)


Also, KDE4 is worth a look, it's fast, very nice to look at, and will be a serious contender when it is fully baked.

[Cadillac84]

Thank you for this! I have always used command prompt up to now because I've been using older computers with very limited graphic capability. Now that I plan to use a newer computer, I was wondering which desktops were available and what I'd like. This thread will be a great reference as I venture into this new realm.

Very nice job! Thanks again. :cool: