Ugh! I used to only use Gnome. KDE just seemed like a mess. Gnome 3 came out and I tried to like it but decided to take a break. I used classic gnome, mint, xfce and some others that I can’t remember. For years I bounced around. Finally, a year ago, I was ready to give Gnome a shot again. I really tried. Learning the quick key commands, then giving into old style habits and getting all the plugins that’s made everything just right.
Two things happened. First, I updated my OS and some of my 3rd party plugins no longer worked. Second, I didn’t like how I had to install a bunch of community plugins to get basic desktop functionality. I finally realized that what I wanted from a desktop gui was not what gnome vision is and I was forcing my wants with add-ons.
I heard that the Steam Deck uses KDE. So I tried KDE and was really impressed. The messy feel that I disliked seemed to be gone. KDE is currently working well for me.
This is just my experience. I’ve have read plenty of forums with people who seem to like modern Gnome.
When I started in 2000, I was using the OG KDE. Gnome just felt limited back then. Then Gnome 2 came out and it was perfect. KDE 3 was a fucking mess so I stuck with Gnome.
When Gnome 3 came out, I couldn’t stand it one bit. Even Canonical came up with an alternative with Unity. I stuck with MATE for a long while. Then KDE 4 and 5 came and it was great again. It still has a lot of bugs though. It’s not as stable as Gnome. But at least it’s usable. So I’ve switched back to KDE.
I didn’t like how I had to install a bunch of community plugins to get basic desktop functionality
This seems to be the main gripe with Gnome. I disagree.
This “basic desktop functionality” people are missing in Gnome is usually the standard desktop metaphor. You can hack it back into Gnome with extensions, but that’s not what Gnome is going for.
If you want to have lots of icons on screen that show info and can be clicked on for more info or actions, just use KDE.
Gnome works much better on laptops with a touchpad and no mouse. It’s philosophy is that you only ever really do one thing at a time, so it’s designed to show you the program you’re currently working in and nothing else, until you need something else.
My only gripe with it is that the top bar is actually useless, so I use 1 extension to hide it.
Ugh! I used to only use Gnome. KDE just seemed like a mess. Gnome 3 came out and I tried to like it but decided to take a break. I used classic gnome, mint, xfce and some others that I can’t remember. For years I bounced around. Finally, a year ago, I was ready to give Gnome a shot again. I really tried. Learning the quick key commands, then giving into old style habits and getting all the plugins that’s made everything just right.
Two things happened. First, I updated my OS and some of my 3rd party plugins no longer worked. Second, I didn’t like how I had to install a bunch of community plugins to get basic desktop functionality. I finally realized that what I wanted from a desktop gui was not what gnome vision is and I was forcing my wants with add-ons.
I heard that the Steam Deck uses KDE. So I tried KDE and was really impressed. The messy feel that I disliked seemed to be gone. KDE is currently working well for me.
This is just my experience. I’ve have read plenty of forums with people who seem to like modern Gnome.
Same.
When I started in 2000, I was using the OG KDE. Gnome just felt limited back then. Then Gnome 2 came out and it was perfect. KDE 3 was a fucking mess so I stuck with Gnome.
When Gnome 3 came out, I couldn’t stand it one bit. Even Canonical came up with an alternative with Unity. I stuck with MATE for a long while. Then KDE 4 and 5 came and it was great again. It still has a lot of bugs though. It’s not as stable as Gnome. But at least it’s usable. So I’ve switched back to KDE.
KDE 6 has been rock solid for me, I haven’t had any issues with it yet
This seems to be the main gripe with Gnome. I disagree.
This “basic desktop functionality” people are missing in Gnome is usually the standard desktop metaphor. You can hack it back into Gnome with extensions, but that’s not what Gnome is going for.
If you want to have lots of icons on screen that show info and can be clicked on for more info or actions, just use KDE.
Gnome works much better on laptops with a touchpad and no mouse. It’s philosophy is that you only ever really do one thing at a time, so it’s designed to show you the program you’re currently working in and nothing else, until you need something else.
My only gripe with it is that the top bar is actually useless, so I use 1 extension to hide it.