Linux

Here’s how you can try all of the desktop environments on Linux without reinstalling versions. First, you open terminal.

(You follow these commands to install the ones you want–if you already have one there is no ned to reinstall it under normal circumstances)

Type: sudo su and give your admin password.
To get:

• GNOME: apt-get install ubuntu-desktop
• KDE: apt-get install kubuntu-desktop
• xfce: apt-get install xubuntu-desktop

Type: exit to get out of superuser mode.

Now when you get to hte login screen you have the option to pick an environment and can chose a default. (That is found under the ‘Session’ menu).

Linux is just a kernel, the underpinnings of the operating system and doesn’t specify the desktop environment. When it comes to desktop environments you have a few conventional choices: KDE, and GNOME, xfce.

These all have grown alike in that they have the conventions of a “desktop” with folders and icons, an area that minimized windows go to, and a “tray” of service-type application status icons. However they also have vast differences; take how GNOME has a Mac-like menu bar at the top of the screen and KDE has a more Windows-like metaphor with a panel resembling the Start Menu, which is triggered to appear when a Start Button-type button is pressed.

Ubuntu is a very common and in most cases the recommended distro of Linux recommended, especially to beginners (to Linux). Ubuntu in it’s default package comes with the GNOME desktop environment, however from the same project you can also chose from: Kubuntu (as I did) or Xubuntu. (The former being packaged with KDE and the latter being packaged with xfce.) However, just because your copy of Linux ships with one desktop environment doesn’t mean you can’t change over and test the others–and the best part is that (if your computer is capable of running the environments and has enough disk space) you can chose between them from the login screen and try them all!