Joeman1

Yes, I agree. KDE seems to have the best performance over Unity. Gnome 3 also has pretty good performance as Mutter (the Gnome 3 compositor) automatically unredirects full screen apps - whereas KDE, you have to select this option, but its a small check box. Yes, there are "Standards" for desktop protocols and file system standards for configuration locations, etc..., but for the programmer, they have to choose which platform they want to code in.. Be it GTK(2 or 3), QT, or Vala+GTK(3) (What Unity is coded in), they have to select what to use and it does make a difference in user experience. I use GTK apps in KDE and I use QT apps when I have used Gnome, but they do not look or act the same as when they are in their native environment. Also, you usually have to install an insane amount of dependencies when you try to install a GTK app in KDE and, likewise, the other way around; it's usually more troublesome to use cross platform engines, but can be done. This is quite discouraging for developers, especially young developers just starting out. I just think its time for the Linux community to set in stone a standard desktop environment and stick with it. Look how popular Windows and Mac is - why, because they are consistent with their UI. Heck, look at how popular Android is - they don't have multiple environments and "Choice" AND its based on Linux. Google choose one DE platform and stuck with it. Now, Android enjoys 74% market share. Experienced users like you and me will always enjoy the choice, and I feel much more at home with KDE (Especially after spending the last couple days testing out Unity and Gnome 3). But, if Unity brings the masses to Linux and corporate developers and game companies feel its a standard base to code for, I'm excited for that too . Joe

I have been trying out Unity all day, and I have to say that with the new nvidia drivers and kernel, most games now run on par with my KDE install. I have enjoyed using KDE, but looking for something a little less heavy on my system. Not sure how "Light" Unity is though :-D. I might give OpenSUSE a try; I'm taking their CLA and CLP class atm and am quite intrigued by the OS on the server side. The Desktop look interesting too, but last time I tried OpenSUSE, I had a nightmare of a time trying to add simple repos to install software that I needed to use. Reminded me of the RPM dep-hell back before yum came out for RHEL :-D. Any tips on package management for OpenSUSE? You know, my Wife uses Linux Mint KDE version and she really likes it a lot - very little trouble at all with it! Thanks so much for the replies... I have the next week off from work, so I think I will plan to do some benchmarks and see what is best. I would stick with KDE, but like I mentioned, I don't like the heavy feel of the OS with things like virtuoso-t consuming a whole cpu core for 45 mins while it searches though my imap mail, or installing and useing a fully installed MySQL server for its database - seems a bit rediculious and way too much overkill for a desktop!!! When you are looking for pure performance from an OS for gaming, you don't like to see back-end processes running all the time on a desktop. Kind of feels to me like running Windows with all the virus scanning software all the time :(. Plus, it seems like Unity is catching the majority of the major vendors eye now seeing as Steam is porting its clients and games to Ubuntu with Unity (Fully supported.) I know we will more than likely be able to run the client on anything, but I feel, personally, that its time for Linux to settle down some and come to grips with a standard desktop, among other things, so commercial development houses feel more comfortable programing for ONE desktop instead of 5 or 10 :-P. Just seems like Unity is becoming that standard. Anyway, thanks again for the replies!!! I will do some testing and see what I come up with. Joe Yeah, its definitely not aesthetically accurate from what I am used too, thats for sure, but its not HORRIBLE like it was when it first came out Joe

Hi everyone I am a Linux user and am thinking about getting back into XP after a long hiatus . I used to actually be a Linux support contact for XP on version 7, 8, and 9. Anyway, I have been wanting to get back into XP but having not used the software for a while, I was wondering what other Linux users use for their desktop environment and which offers the best performance. Currently, I use Kubuntu 12.04 and am quite happy with KDE - although, am becoming impressed with Unity. Is KDE a good environment for XP or would there be a better DE to try? A little about my system: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Processor Linux 3.2.0-34-generic #53-Ubuntu SMP Thu Nov 15 10:48:16 UTC 2012 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux 8 Gigs of ram NVIDIA Corporation GF110 [GeForce GTX 570 HD] (rev a1) with the 310 driver Pretty default install with a couple of extra PPAs installed for good measure . I have not purchased XP 10 yet, but do plan too. How does the 64 bit version run? So, what are some of your thoughts? Thanks! Joe