So, I’m not that understanding of linux. But I guess I can’t call myself “new” anymore. I’ve been using linux since December. Although to be fair, I’m barely ever home. “Using” linux at this point mostly consists of opening firefox, and watching youtube.
I know “sudo” is “super user” “apt” is some kind of repository command, and then you type “install (program)”
But I’ve really taken to flatpack. I hate hate HATE the terminal. All I ever do is screw things up in there. I don’t know what I’m doing. I just follow commands. “Just copy/paste this exact set of text”. And then I have an error.
It’s kind of like knowing 4x4=16. And all you do is memorize that line, as opposed to knowing that 4x4 is the same as 4+4+4+4. And knowing what 4 is. If you memorized 4x4=16, but get presented with 4x4-2, and you don’t understand the core concept of numbers, you wouldn’t know how to adjust 16 to 14, and know WHY it’s 14. I’m just copy/pasting someone elses instructions.
sudo apt get firefox && -z, -r, -☆, -$, randop, redo, up.
That’s probably complete jibberish in terminal, but it helps you (the experienced linux user) understand how terminal feels/looks to me. If I had a problem, and troubleshooting told me to copy/paste that to solve my problem, I would. That to me looks as legitimate as any other jibberish that would actually work.
Ok. Rant aside, lets start a civil war in here! I’ve been using ZorinOS, and I kind of like it. HOWEVER, I did spend a considerable amount of time tweaking it. It’s finally how I want it, so I’m not messing with it. So I’ve never experienced KDE. I’ve only experienced GNOME. And quite honestly I don’t know what that means. I know it has to do with the desktop environment…but I don’t know what would be different if I used another desktop environment.
But that brings me to a question I was told you just can’t ask the linux community without blood being shed.
What’s better? KDE? Or GNOME?
KDE is the “bleeding edge” and looks nice, but because it’s the bleeding edge it also is prone to breaking.
Gnome is less good looking, but in my experience at least, has been much more stable and something I don’t even have to worry about. It just works.
So depending on what I am using the system for, I have used and will probably continue to use both.
What’s better? KDE? Or GNOME?
Cinnamon.
Nah just kidding. What happens is that you use enough different OSes and DEs for enough time and you start to see through the matrix. You realize they’re all just visual wrappers for the underlying systems that do the real work, and the DEs don’t really matter. All the major ones are good enough. And when they don’t work, that’s when you use command line. Then eventually, after doing that enough times, you say “fuck it all, get this GUI out of my way” and just start using CLI for everything.
I love KDE because I can customize it to do crazy shit but that also means it gets buggy at times. If I want something that looks nice out of the box and Just Works™ then I go with cinnamon. I really dislike GNOME, particularly the application icons. They look bad and I find it much more difficult to customize than cinnamon or KDE.
I like this reply, because even though it’s an opinion, it’s a self realized opinion. It’s not trying to push opinions as facts. It gives insight to this persons taste, which if everybody did this, you’d get an idea of who likes what, and why. That would give you an idea of how different things are percieved.
I feel like the sidelined family members on family fued.
“Good answer! Good answer!”
Flatpaks get a lot of hate but I really think they are the future. It gives all developers a standard to develop for to cover almost all Linux distros. It gives some additional sandboxing which is also nice.
Flatpaks get hate? I know snap gets hate, and I get why, but flatpaks? What’s wrong with flatpaks?
Yes!
This is what the community will likely tell you: Gnome is more for “I just want it to work and stay out of my way” and KDE is for “I want it to behave in some crazy fashion, and I CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN!”
I find the opposite.
I get Gnome, and I add tweaks, extensions, desktop wallpaper thingies, task bar nonsense, etc. I get KDE, and I just use it as is.
So clearly, the correct answer is: XFCE! Mwah hah hah!
KdOME is best!
/s
…see, I see the /s, but without that, I’d have legitimately thought that was another option.
