When it comes to choosing a Linux version, it is also important to pick what type of experience you would like to have with that particular distribution. That is where a desktop environment, window manager or tiling window manager come into play. Most of the time, when picking a desktop or server distribution, any one of these from the list above are available for installation. Some of the more popular desktop environment, or DE, to choose from are Gnome, KDE, Mate (pronounced ma-tay), and Xfce. I have a few others listed; however, it is important to note that is a short list as there are quite a few other desktop environments available to choose.
If you choose Ubuntu, the Gnome desktop environment will be your default. However, there are specific Ubuntu distributions dedicated to releasing their version with a specific DE. As mentioned above, some of the more popular distros with a dedicated DE are Kubuntu, with KDE, Ubuntu Mate, with Mate, and Linux Mint, with Cinnamon. If you choose to install Fedora, their default is also Gnome but if you check out their Spins section on Fedora’s website you can also choose KDE, Xfce, LXQt, Mate, and more; as noted in my video, they even have a tiling window manager option using i3WM for installation.
Two other alternatives to a desktop environment to keep resources at a minimum would be using a window manager, like Openbox, or a tiling window manager, like i3WM. However, these choices often come with a steeper learning curve and not something I would normally recommend to a new user of Linux.
And note, if you plan on installing and using a server distribution to host services, anyone of these options (a DE, WM or Tiling WM) can also be installed on a server distribution. However, most of the time it is better to run a server in headless mode (without a DE, window manager or tiling window manager) so that the additional packages of desktop manager does not get in the way of a server’s role.
Stay tuned for sessions in the future where I discuss in more detail the technology that defines the desktop environment, window manager and tiling window manager.