What distro offers the best Xfce 4.8 experience? (Your Opinion)

Ion Silverbolt · 2011-05-06 03:47:08

My top 3.

1. Gentoo
2. Arch
3. Linux Mint Xfce Debian

I find Gentoo and Arch at the top because you can get the exact set of software you want from the start. Most other distros with Xfce versions come with a lot of Gnome stuff, or are older packages. Also, you really get to see how lightweight and quick Xfce is supposed to be. Most people try Xubuntu, which is so bloated with Gnome stuff that it's practically well, Gnome.

I recently tried Linux Mint Debian Xfce, and it really impressed me. It's not the latest stuff like Gentoo and Arch, but It's a lot faster than Xubuntu, and only uses about 110Mb's fully booted. And although it may not be quite as user friendly as something based on Ubuntu, it has all the main tools you could need to keep the experience easy.

I also tried Salix Xfce recently, but for whatever reason, I could never get the LiveCD to load.

stqn · 2011-05-06 16:10:58

I'm using Arch Linux and Xfce 4.8 and the speed is fine (though I'm on a Core i3 @3.2 GHz + SSD, so there would be something seriously wrong if it was slow...) However it was a bit annoying when they switched from 4.6 to 4.8 when there still was a lot of problems in 4.8. The sensors plugin is still broken today for example. And now with the switch to Gnome3/Gtk3 I'm afraid to update my system and see some Gtk apps suddenly look ugly (not to mention missing buttons in Firefox 3.)
Arch is great for its speed and the large quantity of available packages though.

I've tried Linux Mint Xfce briefly and wasn't really impressed with the update system (asked me questions I didn't know how to answer.), nor about the software manager (asks for password at each click on "Install", and the password request pops up *below* the main window.) I don't think it's ready for newbies yet, and experienced Linux users might prefer something lighter.

Then there's SalineOS which is based on Debian Squeeze (stable) and supposed to be fast (though I couldn't find information about the target processor for compilation.) It could be a decent alternative for people who want to spend little time on maintenance.

Anzhr · 2011-05-07 00:01:43

I like Linux Mint Debian Xfce. It's great if you're doing installs on a lot of boxes for different people.

The only useful Mint tool is one that lets you get rid of the border around text if you're using desktop icons. Which I don't.

The Update Manager is written for Ubuntu and doesn't really work. Use Synaptic or CLI for updates.

Then there's just Xfce Debian Testing.

vrkalak · 2011-05-07 03:56:18

As a rule ... I use either LMDE-Xfce or #!Crunchbang-Xfce.

First of all, I just bought more RAM for my ancient Gateway (7-8 years old) laptop ... had only 182 Mb of RAM and upgraded to 2Gb RAM. Doesn't even seem like the same machine. big_smile

Now, I just built a vanilla Debian from a net.install ... then, added the new Xfce-4.8 on it.

Updated the Linux Kernel to 2.6.36.2 and the Debian 'testing' sources.list

I love what the Xfce-Devs have done with the Xfce-4.8 panel.

Last edited by vrkalak (2011-05-30 02:53:17)

twl · 2011-05-26 15:59:34

I prefer Ubuntu Server + apt-get install xfce4

I like Ubuntu because it seems like almost all of the developers for the apps that use have .deb's or PPA's I can use to get the latest versions.

And I was surprised to see that the official rep's for ubuntu had xfce 4.8 and not 4.6

rafo · 2011-07-12 21:36:16

I made an attempt to install Zenwalk 7.0, but I could not get the X configuration right. Perhaps the distribution does not support my on-board video adapter. Now I am going for OpenSUSE 11.4 with xfce-4.8. The network-based installer is very impressive indeed. Hopefully I will get xfce up and running so that I can contribute some impressions.

ComputerBob · 2011-07-13 13:18:59

Since I haven't used every distro that offers Xfce 4.8, I'm not qualified to render an opinion as to which is *best*.

But I've been happily using only Debian Testing with Xfce for the past year, and I upgraded to Xfce 4.8 several weeks ago, just a few days after it was released to Debian Testing.

Last edited by ComputerBob (2011-07-13 13:19:30)

wkr · 2011-07-13 14:57:49

I have tried Crunchbang, LinuxMint Debian xfce, PCLinuxOS xfce (phoenix) and zenwalk. But Xubuntu 11.04, unlike olders versions, is IMHO the best Xfce implementation I have tried at this time.

rafo · 2011-07-13 21:10:48

rafo wrote:

... Hopefully I will get xfce up and running so that I can contribute some impressions.

The installation went fine and everything looks very nice and polished on a 1600x1200 display. All things that I have tried so far seem to just work, including automatic appearance of inserted USB memories in thunar (this is one thing that I have not got to work well in XFCE on Gentoo).

In fact I got so carried away about the pretty looks of XFCE/OpenSUSE that another family member today installed the same desktop on a low-end netbook with a tiny 4GB SSD and an attached 1280x1024 display. It remains to be seen how long he keeps it...

jessejazza · 2011-07-18 23:04:27

I'm using xfce now after using gnome for 4 years. What i like is the minimum approach [i like this forum too FluxBB is simpler but has all that's necessary]. Gnome had too many things that i just didn't want and the latest developments are not for me. I use xubuntu and have for about a year.

Which distro is always ? Xubuntu offers excellent repos, apt package management and fixed updates (i'm a LTS user). I think xubuntu lags behind others on the actual apps included in the installation but previous sentence is more important for a distro. Should a member of the team be ill there is a standby maintainer.

Tried Mint... lovely system but ONLY one maintainer who's had family troubles and so NO updates and development [has my sympathies but i've still got my system to keep on top].

PCLOS - best packager i think of all distros - Texstar and a great community. But it's rpm and repos are small. Thus i'd rather stay with xubuntu. Yes it is closer to gnome but Ubuntu is now very different - kde not to my liking.

Vastone · 2011-08-03 04:30:45

Crunchbang with 4.8... Have not been this happy with a DE since the old OS/2 Warp 4 days...

francois.e · 2011-12-13 18:21:50

Trying to find a distribution that fits my particular needs with the xfce 4.8 desktop environment for single user use with a priority in terms:
1) fast bootup speed (like slackware and its derivative)
2) the possibility of passing thru login manager directly into the X environment for a given user (even as root user) (this is not possible with debian)
3) the use of a recent kernel and a simple and efficient strategy for problematic wifi and graphic drivers (bcm, nvidia) and dual display settings (like ubuntu or mint)
4) an efficient os in terms of printer implementation (this is not the case with slackware that seems to be troublesome with brother printer drivers under CUPS, amongst others)
5) a broad access to a variety of software (ubuntu or debian like)
6) ease of installation

Is there such a distribution?

xfcelav · 2011-12-14 22:11:10

Install Debian base-packages, whitout Desktop Environment. Then, configure the sources.list and execute:

# aptitude install xserver-xorg-video-<your driver card> lightdm xfce4 xfce4-goodies gvfs-backend

big_smile

fabdo · 2011-12-25 04:08:35

when you want a pure xfce desktop, easy installing, rolling release -> try PHINX

http://cozmodesigns.co.uk/phinx/get-phinx

"Phinx is the child of PCLinuxOS-Phoenix and is the idea of keeping a pure XFCE Desktop Environment … this means that all the applications used in the release iso are native XFCE applications and configurations …

I have been working on Phinx for 18 months now and i have released a 32bit Version, i have recently packaged up the 64bit packages ready to release a final 64bit iso in the coming weeks …

Both these iso’s will be tweaked ready for a new year release ready for 2012-01 …. this will include all the latest XFCE updates leading towards the upcoming XFCE 4.10 stable release …"

Ion Silverbolt · 2011-12-26 02:18:52

I just tried out Vector Linux. And WOW. They have the best Xfce setup I have seen. Fast, light, and easy to install packages with gslapt. A couple packages I didn't see in the repos, but all the tools were there to compile from source. A simple ./configure, make, make install took care of those.You can also add Slackware repos for source files.

Another big plus is, they use Wicd instead of Network Manager.Network Manager is the biggest turd that anyone can dump on Xfce. Wicd is lighter, and in many cases, more stable.

New Personal Rankings:

1. Gentoo (For speed and maximum configurability)
2. Vector Linux (For speed and ease of use)
3. Arch (For speed and configurability)

Linux Mint Debian Xfce is still decent as an easy to use distro, but in my opinion, Vector was easier, and has less of the useless stuff installed than Debian Mint Xfce. The only real drawback is there is no 64-bit version. Still, I plan on keeping it handy on a flash drive for older systems.

aga · 2011-12-30 10:15:20

Seemed to me like Mint Debian Xfce and PClinusOS-Phoenix were trying to "take credit for" distro-rebranded (?) incarnations of the xfce "Settings Manager" as well as the xfce "Application Finder". Worse, mint (and other distros) come across as seeming hellbent on ensuring "all the good stuff they've packed into a distro" is apparent -- including "Settings Manager" along with REDUNDANT Menu-} Settings entries for each of the dialogs. Makes it confusing as heck to remember "where do I go, what do I click on, to reach "mouse cursors" setup.

DreamLinux 3.5, followed by PClinusOS-Phoenix, those would top my list of "best configured" xfce inclusions on a live distro. Sadly, none of the distros I've tried (I've checked out most of the recent Debian-based distros) have been preconfigured to make full (or at least thorough) use of the xfce plugins and goodies.

stqn · 2011-12-31 09:50:10

aga wrote:

Worse, mint (and other distros) come across as seeming hellbent on ensuring "all the good stuff they've packed into a distro" is apparent -- including "Settings Manager" along with REDUNDANT Menu-}

Well, as far as I understand it, it's the default Xfce experience... I've never understood the point of the Settings Manager when everything is already accessible in the menu, with one less click.

aga · 2012-01-04 06:25:17

default experience? Yeah, I think you're right ~~ that redundancy represents the default xfce configuration.

I would guess that both are available to accomodate preferences. Perhaps the expectation was that some folks (distro devs) might decide to JUST display SettingsManager (and suppress display of the individual items)... while other folks might suppress SettingsManager menu entry instead.

Presenting multiple menu items (vs only presenting Settings Manager) enables user to open and jump between multiple dialog panes.

When the user wants/needs to change a setting, due to the unhelpful (and confusing) menu labels... it's a hunt/peck proposition. Do I need to visit "Window Manager" dialog, or "Window Manager Tweaks" dialog...

...so (and PCLinuxOS Phoenix edition has done so nicely) when developing a distro, nice helpful verbose descriptions of "what does what" can be presented in the "front page" of SettingsManager.

Regardless which of these 2 ways it's presented (or both) managing xfce settings is a currently a usability pain point.
Word.

Last edited by aga (2012-01-04 06:26:18)

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#1 2011-05-06 03:47:08

What distro offers the best Xfce 4.8 experience? (Your Opinion)

#2 2011-05-06 16:10:58

Re: What distro offers the best Xfce 4.8 experience? (Your Opinion)

#3 2011-05-07 00:01:43

Re: What distro offers the best Xfce 4.8 experience? (Your Opinion)

#4 2011-05-07 03:56:18

Re: What distro offers the best Xfce 4.8 experience? (Your Opinion)

#5 2011-05-26 15:59:34

Re: What distro offers the best Xfce 4.8 experience? (Your Opinion)

#6 2011-07-12 21:36:16

Re: What distro offers the best Xfce 4.8 experience? (Your Opinion)

#7 2011-07-13 13:18:59

Re: What distro offers the best Xfce 4.8 experience? (Your Opinion)

#8 2011-07-13 14:57:49

Re: What distro offers the best Xfce 4.8 experience? (Your Opinion)

#9 2011-07-13 21:10:48

Re: What distro offers the best Xfce 4.8 experience? (Your Opinion)

#10 2011-07-18 23:04:27

Re: What distro offers the best Xfce 4.8 experience? (Your Opinion)

#11 2011-08-03 04:30:45

Re: What distro offers the best Xfce 4.8 experience? (Your Opinion)

#12 2011-12-13 18:21:50

Re: What distro offers the best Xfce 4.8 experience? (Your Opinion)

#13 2011-12-14 22:11:10

Re: What distro offers the best Xfce 4.8 experience? (Your Opinion)

#14 2011-12-25 04:08:35

Re: What distro offers the best Xfce 4.8 experience? (Your Opinion)

#15 2011-12-26 02:18:52

Re: What distro offers the best Xfce 4.8 experience? (Your Opinion)

#16 2011-12-30 10:15:20

Re: What distro offers the best Xfce 4.8 experience? (Your Opinion)

#17 2011-12-31 09:50:10

Re: What distro offers the best Xfce 4.8 experience? (Your Opinion)

#18 2012-01-04 06:25:17

Re: What distro offers the best Xfce 4.8 experience? (Your Opinion)

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