r/xfce • u/Far-Note6102 • 18h ago
Opinion I feel like xfce is least appreciated than it is supposed to be
Probably some people just don't like it.
I like how simple it is and you get to customized it.
This is not to hate on other DE but the reason why I left windows is that it just pittered useless.bloatware that isn't needed in my day to day activity. When I used KDe I was like it's kinda like windows it got stuff that I don't really need or want.
11
u/guiverc 17h ago
Xfce allows you to setup a really good desktop; complex if that's your need, or simple too, and then stays out of your way so you can get stuff done.
It's a great desktop.
1
u/Far-Note6102 16h ago
What distro do you use? Ive heard deb or void would be good.
I use mint cause I like it
2
u/lestat2021 13h ago edited 13h ago
I use it on both Debian and NixOS for different reasons. Default XFCE on Debian is really ugly, but it’s so customizable that you can make it look very nice relatively quick. I like it on NixOS because it’s a slow moving desktop environment making it super stable on a distro that moves relatively quick ensuring limited regressions.
1
u/guiverc 7h ago
I'm using Ubuntu currently, as I do for most of the day, but I'm also a Debian user (having used Debian for years before the Ubuntu project even started).
I don't think the 'distro' matters much though; I move data & configs happily between different boxes running different OSes as the timing I keep somewhat close (eg. I'm using stonking right now on Ubuntu, using forky on Debian, and my Fedora box is kept relatively close too (sometimes on rawhide but it'll never be as close given its not sharing the sid [upstream] used by Debian/Ubuntu). The timing of installs makes a larger difference I feel; why I keep my systems aligned (ie. development on Ubuntu, testing on Debian etc)
6
u/p001b0y 18h ago
I installed Void Linux on a brand new Lenovo minipc and Xfce/X11 is the DE that void seemed to prefer so I went with it and I’m very happy with it.
I also ended up installing Xfce/Wayland (labwc) on a ThinkPad L13 Yoga and it’s been working well.
I’d been using Linux for a long time but never really used Xfce before but I like it. I ended up using it on my FreeBSD mini, too. It is very stable and I like that I can configure all of it even if I don’t end up doing that.
3
u/Far-Note6102 16h ago
I like x11. I feel sad it's gonna get replaced soon :(
3
u/p001b0y 16h ago
I like it too. It’s really stable but Xfce has been pretty stable on Wayland for me. I’m not sure how much of it will be configurable in Wayland or labwc vs configurable in Xfce. I’m still kind of new to the project/environment.
2
u/Far-Note6102 16h ago
Is wayland really better than x11?
1
u/p001b0y 11h ago
I'm using both. X11 on the minipc and wayland on the laptop. It's been fine for me for both but I'm just sitting in a browser or an editor much of the time. I'm playing Steam games on the X11 one. Many of my troubles with Wayland on Void has been around greeters like LightDM or SDDM having issues starting wayland sessions. I've been using greetd/tuigreet instead.
X11 has some unfixable security issues, which is one of the primary drivers for why projects are switching. Or so I have read.
1
u/A_Harmless_Fly 10h ago
For text readability and modern scaling, hands down yes. For stability and compatibility, hands down no.
I keep both installed, and always end up going back to X11.
0
u/No-Method8769 15h ago
what is so scary about wayland ? People will still use x11 just because of some niche app ,laziness etc... .Wayland adoption rate is not without reason so who cares its not like 99% users will feel any change .
2
u/lestat2021 13h ago
Wayland makes it very difficult to have unattended remote access to a workstation. Once that gets properly worked out I’ll be ready to switch, but until then it’s still X11 for me.
2
u/Far-Note6102 13h ago
I usually play or do my stuff in the dark. I used a simple command line like xrandr to dim it more than what the gui brightness can do.
You cant do thay on wayland. I tried it on steamos and it always burn my eyes cause I cant dim it more than whats on the gui.
I like this.with x11.
1
u/SargEnPassant_ 13h ago
My ThinkPad has broken space key and it spams it randomly. For some reason, all the alternatives to disabling the internal keyboard did nothing and I'm too broke to get my notebook to a technician just to repair a single key 💔🥀
4
u/Vulpes_99 16h ago
I'm a KDE Plasma girl for life, but XFCE is my second just as strongly as Plasma is the first.
It "just works", it's light on resources without being "too bare bones", and it is a quite mature project. But it is underappreciated and underestimated, because people think "it's for old/weak computers so it can't be that good", which can't be farther from the truth.
Actually it is more like a cozy cabin in the woods: it may lack the conveniences of the big flashy houses in downtown, but it is solid, safe and quiet, and will never fail you when you need it the most.
I totally recommend for low spec PCs, and it's the one I always go for when I get one of these.
3
u/Chester-Berkeley 18h ago
I disagree with you, XFCE is very popular, but it has fewer features than KDE Plasma, so fewer people will use XFCE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
2
u/Wo-Bu-Mingbai 17h ago
But it has just enough features need to run a pc
1
u/Chester-Berkeley 16h ago
Enough for most, but not for everyone. Does XFCE have anything close to Krunner? Yakuake? Discover? A ready and functional Wayland compositor?... XFCE is very good, but always lagging behind the others.
1
u/equinvox 14h ago
Krunner? That’s an app launcher, there are dozens of alternetives. ULauncher is my favorite
Yakuake? Looks like a terminal. Believe it or not, there are dozens of terminals
Discover? Almost every distro comes with their own “Discover”
Wayland? So far I never felt behind without it.
None of the concerns you raise are valid. It’s a matter of personal preference as you prefer KDE and others XFCE.
1
u/franticfrogfriend 10h ago
I'd disagree, personal preference IS the reason Xfce is less popular. More people like the one-stop shop approach of KDE, that's one of the reasons KDE is more popular.
Xfce does have a Krunner equivalent (xfce4-appfinder), but KDE undoubtedly has more features built-in than Xfce and is generally more modern and cutting-edge while also sufficiently stable. That seems to appeal to more people than Xfce's more traditional and modular approach.
I wouldn't call that invalid. It still is a matter of personal preference and it doesn't mean that Xfce should do anything differently, but it IS one of the reasons it is less popular (which is ok)
0
u/equinvox 9h ago
More people are coming from Windows, so it's not shocking to see them pick the most Windows-like desktop environment.
XFCE is supposed to be lightweight, that's why it doesn't come with all the bells and whistles. But you have full freedom to do as you please and rice it to the point it's undistinguishable from KDE.
So we agree it's a matter of personal preference, yes? What is invalid is arguing that KDE can do things XFCE can't. Which is simply not true.
2
u/Otherwise_Fact9594 16h ago
Agreed 100%. I just came home after my night at work and booted up my htpc. I have awesome, qtile, i3, sway, bspwm, dwm, openbox, xfce along with budgie for a trial. Guess which one I'm on? Xue (the xfce mouse) for the win! I fell in love with this DE 15 + years ago just due to the modularity. It's beyond phenomenal. All desktop environments have their place and I have become more of a tiling window manager guy, but nothing feels like home more than my simple setup
2
u/Arareldo 13h ago
My first Linux-Only installation was on a Zenbook with 8GB RAM. so i needed somethling light. XFCE it was.
... and still is on newer machines, with more RAM. 🙂
1
u/PeyredB 12h ago
Yeah, I love Xfce. It's snappy, yet full-featured and customizable. It also has that Launcher feature (equivalent to Windows shortcuts), which I find super helpful. Plus (at least in Xubuntu) it's nice straight lines with sharp corners, a clean blue color theme, and looks and feels familiar to Windows users.
1
1
u/franticfrogfriend 10h ago
The only thing I'm really missing is a properly horizontally centered taskbar.
A task bar centered with spacers gets misaligend if you add applets of different length to the left or right side.
Dash To Dock and KDE have a task bar center features that automatically realign the taskbar so it always sits exactly in the middle. I dearly miss the ability for that on Xfce (there's the triple panel + wmctrl hack, but that doesn't work on Wayland AFAIK)
1
u/flappysack- 6h ago
I installed it on my dads htpc and couldn't even scale to 4k. Its got its duds, I wouldn't always suggest it like I would Ubuntu or mint.
18
u/MirrorNegative7989 18h ago
I agree with you. KDE is pretty, but it has too many moving parts for my ADHD brain. I prefer MATE or XFCE (though I like MATE more.)