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Linux desktop environment opinions

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DankMaterialShell on distro of choice (I use Bluefin on my desktop, and Zirconium on my laptop).



niri + Quickshell are an awesome combo for newer approaches to the desktop.
 
No workflow, not being creative, KDE Plasma is working out fine for me to game and do daily driver stuff.
 
Honestly I'm a Gnome fan boy, but if you want everything to work KDE is probably the better choice!
I'm curious what extensions you like to use in GNOME

When I use it I add arc menu, dash to panel and desktop icons and it's pretty much as configurable as you want from that point.
 
I'm curious what extensions you like to use in GNOME

When I use it I add arc menu, dash to panel and desktop icons and it's pretty much as configurable as you want from that point.
I'm away from home this weekend but from memory I don't have many. Dash to panel, a Windows snap one, probably a couple of others.
I'll check when I get home.
 
Cinnamon for me. Mint was what I tried back at the beginning of 2022 and haven't seen a reason to change. Went on an old laptop for the kids at first, and now it's on that laptop plus five (maybe more) desktops. Wife and kids both use it with zero issues. In action, it feels like Windows 7 but modernized under the hood.

I don't think I would mind most of them, I switch between Mint and Mac so it's just about using the machine, not worrying too much about the DE. On Mint, I fiddled with the new 'start' menu, add the transparent panels applet, and set a wallpaper, which is pretty much the extent of customizing.

I do think if you're doing Cinnamon, you should probably be trying Mint at the same time, made by the same people and Mint comes with all the QoL little GUI bits as well.

Nowadays, Windows 10 and 11 feel like the weird unknown OS to me.
 
Less than I remembered tbh.
So you like the traditional panel/task bar but dont have a traditional start menu/app menu

I have on occasion used an extension that maps super key to open applications overview instead of activities so it feels a little like the old windows 8 fullscreen start menu
 
So you like the traditional panel/task bar but dont have a traditional start menu/app menu
I really don't like the trad start menu, I like the big full screen Gnome one but I usually just hit the super key and start typing, usually takes about two key presses to get what I want.
Tbh though all my games are through steam and all my most commonly used apps are pinned to the task bar so I can usually get to things from my desktop screen.
 
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