Is that really a thing? I don’t usually get into discussions about DEs that often, and pretty much never irl. So I haven’t seen any general vibe at all.
Like, my impression of kde vs gnome is that they’re both very geared towards a more general user that’s going to be doing basic things, but with the ability to go more advanced as needed. I kinda assumed they were both going to draw people that are “basic” like the images in the meme for gnome, with cinnamon users also being in that range, where something like xfce would be for folks that want a bit more modularity and “hackiness”.
I’m not being a smartass, I just don’t really know if there’s more to the meme than just a bit of fun or not.
I’ve come to the conclusion that even gnome has too many features for me. It would be fine if they were all perfect, but it’s software, so…
Off the top of my head:
Language doesn’t switch fast enough when I use ibus to type Chinese. The fact that I need to concern myself with my input method because choosing Chinese actually only types in Latin characters by default is lol
Can’t use the file manager to mess with files or folders owned by root. Text editor similarly sucks, I actually sudo gedit because it just works. It is a Gnome issue because vscodium just asks me to put in my password to save the file.
When I alt tab or super key out of a wine game, going back into it will have the alt key pressed down (not sure which key combination, but it’s an issue)
I use KDE plasma because I’m new to Linux but also want something minimal system-wise. I love the programs and the interface. Maybe my opinion would be different if I spent more time with other DE’s or used it as my daily driver, but I’m sold on it now.
GNOME is definitely more user-friendly for someone who is moving over from Windows/Mac. I wouldn’t recommend KDE to someone who is just going to stick to using one-click apps.
The lack of even the most basic customisation of Gnome ia mind-blowing to me. Why do i need to install a gnome shell extension for even the most basic functionality that even MacOs has!?
Needing a GPU might be hyperbole, but no, it’ll still be slow on older hardware. It looks lightweight on neofetch since, at rest, the RAM will appear as low as XFCE’s, but it’s not nearly as snappy.
Actually I tried out KDE Plasma on my grandmother’s budget laptop from about the same time. It was a little too slow with default settings, but once I killed the animations (can be done in Settings app) it ran pretty well. It ran a whole hell of a lot better than the Windows it came with.
I also tested KDE vs XFCE in my old gaming computer, and I actually managed to get slightly less RAM usage in KDE than XFCE, so long as no plugins were used.
Both systems were tested with Debian 12. On the gaming PC, I actually used the XFCE iso, so it was installed first.
So depending on how your distro ships the default KDE Plasma settings or how you set it up, it actually can be a lightweight option compared with XFCE.
It’s all relative. Ubuntu desktop is minimal compared to Windows, and I’ve found KDE to run much better than default Ubuntu. It’s lightweight for how much it offers.
In my experience, it strongly depends. In my team at work, the biggest Linux nerd is on GNOME, basically because he doesn’t care where his TMUX session runs.
And I’m the guy with the most elaborate desktop workflow (tiling and 40+ virtual desktops among other aspects) and I wouldn’t want to use anything but KDE, because nothing else has as many features + customizability to support me in that workflow.
But yeah, both of us started out on such mainstream desktops, then spent multiple years checking out all other desktops and eventually found different paths back to the mainstream.
The philosophies of the two DEs are diametrically opposed. For example KDE will let you customize everything, they’d even let you customize their mothers of they could, while GNOME won’t let you customize anything, at least not without extensions that break every time GNOME updates.
KDE devs are also a lot less opinionated than GNOME devs. If they could, GNOME devs would question the use case of your clothes, conclude they’re useless and then strip you naked. KDE devs will be fine with whatever you’re wearing.
Now as you may have gathered I definitely prefer one over the other, but I do recognize some people may like GNOME for its simplicity, looks, flow and I even heard some like the lack of customization because it prevents them from getting distracted with tinkering. All in all use case depends on what you want to do with it, tho hopefully Cosmic DE beats the shit outta GNOME devs those damn pricks.
Don’t quote me on it, but I think they just scale to match the panel height, so I’d you shrink the panel the icons should shrink as well. I’ve used the xp style taskbar instead for a long time tho, so I’m not certain…
No you're right, it's mostly stereotypes that don't have any real world importance. From my intermediate POV, it comes down to GNOME being a resource hog which the 1337 H4X0Rz don't like. But with most modern systems having more than enough resources to spare, you're not likely to notice unless you're the sort to always have one eye on the system monitor pegged to your desktop. It's an argument for the sake of an argument. I use KDE btw.
It’s a different philosophy. KDE gives you a default setting, and all the options you need to fuck it up customize it.
Gnome gives you the default and an API for extensions to customize it. Install one of the big ones like V-Shell and you’ll have more options than you know what to do with.
Ughhh! Filthy casuals like you using the screen on a multimeter! I bet you don’t even staple the electrodes to your nipples! Probably use clamps instead 🙄
Oh, I wouldn’t get on my high horse about that, Gnome apps used to be G- or Gnome-something for a long, long time.
Now they’re just some stock generic name that assumes “why would anyone ever use any other program for music except Music, or videos except Videos?”. Pretty much like Apple.
We wouldn’t have Safari (Webkit) or Chrome (Blink) today if it weren’t for Konqueror and KHTML! Webkit is a fork of KHTML, and Blink is a fork of Webkit.
Having both at the same time may break shit. However you can choose a distro like Debian or Arch or any one that just gives you the default DE, customize it to your liking if needed, use it for a set amount of time (like two weeks, a month, whatever) or until you feel like you have a good grasp on it and if you like it, then install another one, uninstall the previous one and repeat until you tried all the DEs you wanted to try or found the one you like and just use that one
I do have both installed, Plasma seems better for gaming with performance and experimental features, while GNOME is very stable for work and, ironically, customizes better for my preferences.
I don’t think you need to go full WM-onlyism to find yourself unable to relate to Gnome users. There are probably a handful of KDE users who still use Chrome, but we usually have some shame. We’re not, like, trying to form HOAs in our neighborhoods like Gnome users are, probably.
Ricing refers to modifying your system to make it look cool. The term comes from street racing, where it basically meant improving perceived performance using cosmetics like spoilers and hood ornaments and stuff. Mostly form over function.
Also, if you don’t mind visiting, you’ll see more of what I mean over here:
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