Which Desktop for Your Korora

Table of Contents

• Applications
• Xfce
• MATE
• Cinnamon
• KDE Plasma
• GNOME
• Summary

So you finally decided that Korora is the distro for you. However, you are now faced with a daunting task of which flavor or desktop environment (DE) to use. Korora currently offers the following:

• XFCE
• MATE
• Cinnamon
• KDE Plasma
• GNOME

Exactly what is the DE? It is a complete graphical interface for the end user that ties the various software systems together. Most proprietary operating systems only implement a single supported desktop environment. However, Linux is about choice, so the end user can choose which DE to implement! There are advantages and disadvantages to each DE. Two questions can simplify the process:

• What type of desktop experience does the user want?
• What type of hardware will be running Korora?

The suggestions below are only that--suggestions. Have fun and explore the DE world with Korora under that digital skin.

The basic minimum hardware requirements for Korora are:

• 64-bit Intel Compatible CPU
• 2GB RAM
• 20GB of disk space

Any of the DE's can run on these hardware requirements, however some of the DE's may not meet the end-user expectations due to poor performance.

Applications

While some DEs may include several native apps that are developed specifically for those environments, all versions of Korora come with a full range of applications. See here for more details.

Now let's review each of these DE's in further detail.

Xfce

Xfce aims for a lightweight environment that is low on RAM usage. Xfce first was created in 1996 by Olivier Fourdan. It allows older hardware to operate well on Korora. It is a very stable DE that can be customized using plugins to interact with user settings. Xfce runs well with 2GB RAM and even better with more. With some effort, it can be configured to mimic a traditional DE. However, it has fewer native apps when compared to the other four environments.

MATE

MATE is another lightweight environment like Xfce. MATE was born out of a dissatisfaction with the direction GNOME 3 had taken over the conventional desktop metaphor employed by GNOME 2. As such, the developers of MATE chose to fork GNOME 2 and continue development of its applications while keeping the familiar look of the earlier version. Despite being based on an earlier version of GNOME, MATE is one of the newest DEs, having first debuted in 2011. Xfce is marginally faster, but MATE is light on RAM consumption, too. It has elements of various GNOME apps, but has more native apps than Xfce. MATE aims to be a complete and modern desktop. It works well with 2GB RAM or higher.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon, too, began with GNOME 3 dissatisfaction. Instead of explicitly continuing with GNOME 2, however, the Mint developers decided to make alterations to GNOME 3 itself in order to bring back some of the desktop's familiarity. Cinnamon has a nice array of native apps. It was developed in 2011 for the Linux Mint distribution. Today this DE is popular and is spread across numerous Linux Distros. It matches the mainstream operating systems in terms of menu layout and graphical interface. Therefore this desktop is commonly recommended for a new Linux user, due to using a common visual layout similar to Windows. However, the graphical intensive approach is best used with 4 GB RAM or higher

KDE Plasma

Matthias Ettrich started KDE in 1996. It is now known as KDE Plasma. This DE is very widespread across the BSD and Linux communities. It is very well-maintained and supported. This DE has a vast array of apps used in the software centre. Like Cinnamon, it mirrors the traditional layout, however it is a refined product and is heavily customizable. A new Linux user can quickly learn KDE Plasma, however there are many advanced features to satisfy those looking for something special. This DE is best used with 4GB RAM or higher on your hardware.

GNOME

GNOME is the current flagship DE for Fedora. GNOME is built on top of a shell and works with extensions, somewhat similar to the internet browser extensions. It started on March 3rd, 1999. This DE is streamlined and places an emphasis on accessibility for all individuals. If the modern interface is undesired, the GNOME Shell can be disabled, and the Classic GNOME DE can be activated. Like KDE Plasma, it has a robust software centre and easy-to-understand layout. The GNOME shell requires 4GB RAM or higher on your hardware.

Summary

Which desktop you choose is a matter of personal preference. All of the Korora desktops are available as live systems that can be demoed without installation on your computer. So you can test drive them all and see which one you prefer. You don't need to limit yourself to just one, either. It is possible to install others along side your first choice, see this guide.

We hope this guide was useful in determining the appropriate desktop environment for your Korora computer!