Conceptual preference question: When installing an open-source Linux distribution, what approach do you lean toward when selecting a desktop environment? A classic environment (e.g., GNOME, KDE Plasma), a lightweight setup (e.g., Xfce, LXQt), or a modular one (e.g., tiling WMs, Wayland-based experiences)? What factors influence this choice?
Which desktop environment do you prefer in Linux distributions?
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I also faced the same dilemma years ago when installing Debian. On my first try, I went with KDE Plasma because that classic Windows-like interface that slides down from the top gave me a sense that everything was going smoothly. But then, even with just 4GB of RAM, it started consuming almost 90%, so I switched to Xfce. From that moment on, I realized how smooth a lightweight setup could be—especially when juggling between Firefox with 20 tabs open in the background. Back then, there was something called Wayland, but it wasn’t stable, so I gave up on it. Of course, things are very different now.
Nowadays, I’ve moved to tiling window managers (I use i3wm) because when programming, having the ability to arrange windows on a blank screen is fantastic. But of course, hardware always plays a role in these choices. While I enjoyed i3wm on my old laptop, on my new desktop, I’ve reconnected with GNOME’s modern philosophy—even without a dedicated GPU. Ultimately, the more a choice depends on usage purpose and hardware, the less it’s about being "right" or "wrong." So, what are you looking for?