Linux Desktop Environments: A Comparison Between KDE and GNOME

Have you ever been interested in switching to Linux but are unsure of what to use, or why? Well, this article should help clear things up for you. The Linux world is pretty divided into many different distributions, and those distributions themselves are sometimes divided further into different sub distributions. It can get somewhat confusing, but one of the main differences between distributions is the Desktop Environment they use. In the Linux world there are two primary DEs out there, KDE, and Gnome. This article will address the differences and similarities between them.

KDE

The Good

KDE stands for the K Desktop Environment. It has been around for a long time and is a very good Desktop Environment. KDE is fully functional right out of the box, with every app that you would need for a standard use desktop. It has an enormous number of apps that are very useful, pretty, and intuitive to use. In fact, I would say it's got the best apps of the two Desktop Environments. KDE is also better for new users switching from Windows, as you rely less on the command line interface to do things. KDE has a ton of GUI settings changers available, to help make doing simple things like changing basic settings (resolution, driver usage, wallpapers, appearance), and all of them are very intuitive and easy to use.

KDE ships with an enormous amount of apps, including groupware, office, multimedia viewers/players, feed aggregators, and tons more. There are also hundreds of KDE apps available in the software repositories, including photo/video editing, games, development tools for all the popular languages, and a ton more. There's even a Google Earth-esque globe thing called Marble, that shows you the entire Earth and let's you zoom in, find streets, and even get directions.

The Bad

Well, KDE is not without it's problems. After the 3.5 release, KDE started to change things around, and many people are not liking the new releases. 4.1 saw some major changes that have people all in a tizzy, including the removal of the "desktop" as windows users know it. Instead, you are presented with a blank screen and a panel, and your "desktop" shows up in a window. Personally, I like this change, but a lot of people don't. KDE is also less stable than its counterpart/competitor Gnome. KWin (the windowing manager) likes to crash every now and then seemingly, although this happens more frequently on 4.1. Also, there are some strange bugs that happen when you aren't careful, such as settings not being retained through restarts, and every now and then my icons get messed up in the System Tray.

My other minor complaint with KDE is its default web browser, Konqueror. Konqueror is, again, a very good app, but Flash is a pain in the ass to get to work. You never realize how important Flash is until it's gone. Flash DOES work with Konqueror, it just takes a lot of hacking.

Overall

Overall, KDE is awesome, I love all the applications in KDE. Every single one is of extremely high quality and performs its job very well. KDE is also much "prettier" than Gnome right out of the box, although they are both skinnable and customizable to look however you want.

GNOME

The Good

GNOME stands for the GNU Object Model Environment. It has a long history, and is very well established in the Linux realm. GNOME is extremely stable, and offers a TON of features, just like KDE. There are a huge number of apps available that conform to the GNOME Human Interface Guidelines(HIG). The GNOME HIG is a standard set of rules that all GNOME apps should follow to be more intuitive, easy to use, and easy to understand. Most GNOME applications follow these guidelines to the letter, resulting in a very user-friendly interface and common usability between applications. GNOME does not have built in windowing effects, but most distributions bundle in Compiz-Fusion, which is pretty much the end all be all of flashy desktop effects, that don't just look good, but also enhance the functionality of your desktop. They also look cool and are good to impress your friends (painting fire across your screen while rain comes down, while your rotating a cube with jessica alba's face on it.) GNOME offers an extremely attractive desktop, good quality, high usability, productive applications, and an outstanding community for support, or just for chatting.

The Bad

To a new user, GNOME will feel kind of unpolished and ugly, especially one that's used to Vista's Aero interface. However, this is easily changable through the use of themes, of which there are a wide variety, to make it look however you want, even like Vista. GNOME also has a crippling reliance on the command line interface that may scare new users away, although they are working to reduce the dependance by making settings easier to change via GUI programs. The command line is an integral part of Linux, however this is much more noticeable with GNOME, which has a tendency to scare people away. Some GNOME apps are just plain ugly and primitive looking as well as not having the functionality of their KDE counterparts.

Overall

Overall, GNOME is my favorite Desktop Environment, mostly for stability reasons, and I'm addicted to Compiz-Fusion. If you're willing to spend some time skinning and themeing your desktop, it can easily look as good or better than KDE's default. GNOME also has a very classic feel to it, and is super easy to use for most things right out of the box. Setting things up the way you like it will take time, but overall you will end up with a very functional, pretty, productive desktop that can do anything and everything you want it to. It should be noted as well, that you can mix and match KDE and GNOME applications.

The Bottom Line

While there is no clear winner, everyone will obviously have their favorite. GNOME happens to be mine, mostly for stability and familiarity reasons, but KDE does have some very promising features, as well as the best apps on this side of the Open Source world. So, which should you choose? Try both, see which one you like best, and make your own decision, they're both great in their own ways and offer their own unique insights into the Linux world.