Posted on 09/06/2021 5:53:07 AM PDT by ShadowAce
This is a series that offers a gentle introduction to Linux for newcomers.
A desktop environment is a collection of disparate components that integrate together. They bundle these components to provide a common graphical user interface with elements such as icons, toolbars, wallpapers, and desktop widgets. Additionally, most desktop environments include a set of integrated applications and utilities.
Desktop environments (now abbreviated as DE) provide their own window manager, system software that controls the placement and appearance of windows within a windowing system. They also provide a file manager which organizes, lists, and locates files and directories. Other aspects include a background provider, a panel to provide a menu and display information, as well as a setting/configuration manager to customize the environment.
Ultimately, a DE is a piece of software. While they are more complicated than most other types of software, they are installed in the same way.
Ubuntu 21.04 uses the GNOME 3 DE.
Ubuntu flavours offer a unique way to experience Ubuntu, each with their own choice of default applications and settings. To date, this Linux for Starters has focused on the GNOME edition of Ubuntu. But there’s other official flavors including:
It’s possible to install these flavours (and others) as a fresh installation. But what if you want to try a different desktop to GNOME 3? It’s easy to experiment with different desktops without wiping Ubuntu and installing a flavour from scratch.
First, we strongly recommend you create a separate user as DEs can share the same configuration files causing strange things to happen, especially with theming.
Running multiple DEs is possible and a great way to experiment, but you may need to resolve minor issues (which can be a good way of learning in itself). But if you want everything to “work out of the box”, you might wish to experiment running multiple desktop environments in a different way (such as using another machine or with virtualization software such as VirtualBox).
Let’s start with KDE Plasma 5.
You’ve installed Ubuntu with its GNOME desktop. If you want to try KDE, you don’t need to remove the present Ubuntu and install Kubuntu from scratch. Instead there’s a few different metapackages you can install. You can still switch back to GNOME 3 whenever you want.
Before we start, open up a Terminal and make sure your system is up-to-date with the command:
$ sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
This metapackage pulls in the core modules released with the KDE Software Compilation including the basic KDE Plasma Desktop, together with a minimal set of basic applications (browser, file manager, text editor, system settings, panel, etc.), important libraries and data.
No other applications are installed, but they can be separately installed later. The download size is around 247 MB and uses 957 MB of disk space. Install with the command:
$ sudo apt install kde-plasma-desktop
Once the metapackage is downloaded, you’ll be asked to configure SDDM (stands for Simple Desktop Display Manager). This is the recommended display manager for KDE Plasma. Select ‘sddm’ from the list and press Enter.
The remaining packages will then be unpacked and installed.
Once this is done, the remaining packages will be unpacked and installed. Reboot your system, and you’ll be welcomed by the SDDM Lockscreen.
Here’s an image of the desktop.
Click image for full size
One of the aspects that stands KDE Plasma head and shoulders above its desktop peers is extensibility. Plasma lets you configure the desktop to your specific preferences.
KDE Plasma widgets (also known as plasmoids) are a smart way of customizing the desktop. There’s an abundance of widgets available that act like building blocks, constructing a desktop that’s perfect for your needs and requirements. We explore the best KDE Plasma widgets in this roundup.
It’s easy to switch between GNOME and KDE Plasma using the “Desktop Session” dropdown available from SDDM’s lock screen.
There are other metapackages available:
The standard KDE includes Plasma desktop with a selection of the most common used applications.
The download is 351 MB in size, using 1,378 MB of disk space. You can install it using the command:
$ sudo apt install kde-standard
This is the complete package and core KDE plasma desktop. This metapackage includes all the official modules released with KDE Software Compilation that are not specific to development and as well other KDE applications that are useful for a desktop user. This includes multimedia, networking, graphics, education, games, system administration tools, and other artwork and utilities.
This is the largest of the metapackages. It’s a whopping 1,109 MB download, and will use 3,282 MB of disk space.
$ sudo apt install kde-full
Depending on your internet connection, you might want to put some filter coffee on while the process completes.
XFCE is a lightweight and versatile desktop environment that utilises a classic drop-down or pop-up menu to access applications. A little time and effort is needed to properly customise the desktop to suit personal taste.
Before we start, open up a Terminal and make sure your system is up-to-date with the command:
$ sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
We can install xfce with the command:
$ sudo apt install xfce4
This will install 45 packages. It’s a 16.9 MB download and uses 84.9 MB of additional disk space.
To get the full experience, we recommend you install the xubuntu-desktop package that offers several applications of its own.
$ sudo apt install xubuntu-desktop
This metapackage installs 280 packages. It’s a 157 MB download using 590 MB of additional disk space. It installs useful programs such as xfce4-terminal (a lightweight terminal emulator) and engrampa (an archive manager).
Once the xubuntu-desktop metapackage is downloaded, you’ll be asked to configure LightDM, a display manager that aims to be lightweight and fast. While Ubuntu 21.04 uses GDM as its display manager, several Ubuntu flavors still use LightDM. It’s the recommended display manager for XFCE too.
Select ‘lightdm’ from the list and press Enter.
We can now reboot our system, and XFCE will be your resident DE.
The MATE Desktop Environment is the continuation of GNOME 2. It provides an intuitive and attractive desktop environment using traditional metaphors for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. MATE is under active development to add support for new technologies while preserving a traditional desktop experience.
Before we start, open up a Terminal and make sure your system is up-to-date with the command:
$ sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
There’s a couple of ways of installing MATE. We can issue the command:
$ sudo apt install mate-desktop
This installs 4 packages including the desktop environment and its user guide. It’s a small download (approximately 8.2 MB) and uses 87.6 MB of additional disk space.
We recommend you install MATE with this command:
$ sudo apt install mate-core
mate-core is a meta package. It installs 46 new packages including mate-desktop. It’s a 41.6 MB download using 300 MB of additional disk space.
Here’s an image of MATE in action. We’ve added a few things to the desktop.
Click image for full size
The Budgie Desktop is a modern desktop designed to keep out the way of the user. The desktop focuses on simplicity and elegance. It provides a traditional desktop metaphor based interface using customisable panel based menu driven system. Budgie-Desktop is written from scratch using many GNOME based sub-systems such as GNOME-Session and Mutter.
Before we start, open up a Terminal and make sure your system is up-to-date with the command:
$ sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
We can install Budgie with the command:
$ sudo apt install budgie-desktop
This package installs the minimal GNOME based package-set together with the key budgie-desktop packages to produce a working desktop environment. It installs 8 packages including budgie-core. It’s a download just over 1 MB and uses nearly 6 MB of additional disk space.
We also suggest you install budgie-extras-common which provides applets for the desktop.
$ sudo apt install budgie-extras-common
Here’s an image of the Budgie Desktop in action.
Click image for full size
All articles in this series:
| Linux For Starters | |
|---|---|
| Part 1 | What is Linux? Why use Linux? What do I need? |
| Part 2 | Choose a Linux distribution meeting your specific needs and requirements. |
| Part 3 | Make a bootable Ubuntu USB stick in Windows. |
| Part 4 | We show you how to install Ubuntu 21.04 on your hard disk. |
| Part 5 | Things to do after installing Ubuntu. |
| Part 6 | Navigating your way around the Desktop. |
| Part 7 | Updating the system, install new software. |
| Part 8 | Open source replacements for proprietary Windows desktop software. |
| Part 9 | Get started with the power and flexibility of the terminal. |
| Part 10 | We cover the basics of files and permissions. |
| Part 11 | Getting help from your system. |
| Part 12 | Learn all about the file system. |
| Part 13 | Manipulating files from the shell. |
| Part 14 | Maintain your system with these simple tips. |
| Part 15 | Managing users on your system. |
| Part 16 | Explore different desktops to GNOME 3. |
BKMK
If I may add one more, there's also Making Ubuntu Look Like MacOS which happens to be my favorite.
I also add Plank Dock to my Ubuntu MacOS desktop for the full Mac experience. It's easily customizable with the ability to add apps to it, change behavior, transparency, etc..
For those seeking a Mac experience without paying the Mac hardware & software price, this is the way to go.
Bookmark
Is it just me? When I click on any of the “Part XX” links, I get the dreaded “404 Not Found” error message.
Linux will never be a windows replacement with the continued reliance on the terminal sudo commands to call down upgrades, patches and installs. Without a serious PnP capacity it is crippled.
Once you get it configured it will operate like that forever. So to be fair it makes a good appliance.
Ahh crap. Sorry about that.
It's not just you. I messed up when copying the links. Go to the source link, and you'll be able to click on them there.
There is no such reliance. Installs, patches, and upgrades can all be done via the GUI if you so desire.
Just look at your post there’s at least 13 mentions of a sudo command that’s at least a recommendation. If there was a GUI implementation of those functions then why not say so? Look, I’m not opposed to linux in any way. I wish that it was a user friendly as a primary front end OS. I will try again i’m sure but i always end up back on Microsoft because they have a reliable Plug and Play module.
The same is true with Linux.
Both Windows and Linux provide Administrative capabilities via GUI with appropriate privilege escalation requirements (passwords.) Some of us old farts who grew up with DOS 1.0, DOS 2.0, IBM PC DOS, MINIX along with Windows 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, 3.11, etc.. will likely always prefer command line vs. GUI frankly, because doing things via command line (in Windows and Linux) is often far faster.
Ditto on the total lack and avoidance of PnP. sudo sucks, to put it simply.
I suspect this dilemma is deliberate. Many who fanatically support Linux (BTW, I have 2 Linux installs) seem suspiciously similar to AppleFanBoys in their ..... egos?
It is like the position is: “We are not gonna make it as easy as any M$ operating system as we can because that would be sacrificing our principles. YOU have to surmount this sudo boundary to prove to US that you are worthy of using Linux.”
It’s like contacting Apple on any issue and getting the response: Well, you just shouldn’t have done that! Sniff.”
The length of that article along keeps me from going to Linux.
All I would want from Linux is the internet, Office, email, and a driver for an MBED board. Don’t care what the desktop looks like.
You young pups. Don't even know how to get a computer going in CP/M.
Thanks! BTW I run Linux Mint. I'll never go back to Micro$oft.
With the new Linux installs you don’t have to use terminal , ever , you get a popup for updates and it takes a minute or 2 and it updates everything and doesn’t take a day to update like windows
And, of course, privacy issues.
Linux geeks will never figure that out.
True statement. I am running Ubuntu and have done all of my installs from the GUI and not the terminal. Updates are automatic. Just a few clicks, a password and it’s done.
I am sure there are things I may need to use the terminal for but for now, I use it to play. My day to day type usage is all through the GUI. I am still a Linux noob but even I have been able to replicate all the software I use on my Windows machine with equal or better options in Linux except Google Earth. Libre Office works fine for home use but would not be for me at work. Excel is still the top dog when it comes to spreadsheets with advanced functions like Dynamic Ranges and other features.
I run Windows as my main system (I run a team of Windows devs so it’s just easier) but I’ve got a bunch Linux distros in VMs that I tinker with.
Putting aside work needs, could I run Linux as my main system OS? For the most part, yes (certain games I like don’t have a Linux port and are garbage in WINE or a VM). The rest of the family are the biggest non work obsticle. They are confortable with Windows and it’s not worth the pain to try to change their minds at this point.
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