Trisquel 9.0 + xfce = Trixquel...? Trixel...?
Hello. I recently upgraded to Trisquel 8.0. You've done an excellent job on that so thanks.
I played around with desktop environments a little on an HDD before picking one to install on my SSD. My verdict is this:
- GNOME - too heavy. Only in Trisq 7 anyway
- KDE - WAY too heavy.
- MATE / LXDE / XFCE - All quite similar but I like XFCE the best (nicer default programs, easier to customise how I like, marginally better performance)
However, XFCE, unlike MATE and LXDE, are not available as standard in Trisq 8, I.e. Trisquel 8 = MATE, Triskel 8 = KDE, Trisquel mini 8 = LXDE. Therefore, I have to install one of those and then swap out the DE for XFCE, which is a pain.
This leads me to the fairly obvious idea of... Can you please add XFCE as a standard DE in Trisquel 9 please? Ubuntu does it (lubuntu and xubuntu).
Thanks, Stevo
Plus I've already come up with two possible names (see title)
Use the NetInstall, behind "More" on https://trisquel.info/download
Its installation will provide you a minimal (text-only) system (unless you ask for more during the installation process; I do not think an Xfce desktop environment is proposed) in which you can boot, log into, and execute:
$ sudo apt install xfce4
Also, GNOME Shell is available for Trisquel 8 (many of us actually use it): https://trisquel.info/en/wiki/installing-gnome-shell
I am a translator!
Triskel is (as far as I know) simply an option when using the net install which installs all KDE packages - this can also be achieved by installing a basic system using the net install and then installing the KDE packages once you are done. It is not an official Trisquel version unlike LXDE or MATE.
trisquel.info/en/wiki/installing-kde
You can simply install a basic system using the net install and then the Xfce packages to achieve what you desire (i.e. a simple version of Trisquel which only contains Xfce without unneeded packages).
Nice one! I'll give that a try. Thanks
Hi Steve-O, you describe why you like XFCE over Mate as:
> nicer default programs, easier to customise how I like, marginally better performance
Could you maybe expand on this? Which default programs do you think are better and why? What do you customize and how does XFCE maker it easier? How did you measure the performance? Were there any other differences you didn't mention?
I've found the Mate desktop in Flidas (T9) a big improvement, offering a similar UX to GNOME Fallback but with a resource footprint much closer to LXDE. I'd support a switch to XFCE as the default desktop for Etiona (T9), if those who use and champion it make a strong case for why it's better than Mate.
I haven't tried XFCE for about 10 years, but this comment from a late 2018 review of a number of recent distros with XFCE as the default desktop, pretty much sums up how I felt about it then, and why I didn't stick with it:
> "I did pay more love and attention to Xfce this year than last year, but the sentiment remains. The Xfce desktop seems to have stalled, and it’s in some odd limbo state, in between leading and following."
http://www.ocsmag.com/2018/12/05/best-xfce-distro-of-2018/