The Best Linux desktops for Professionals
Most laptop users are familiar with Windows and macOS, but Linux offers a more practical alternative. With ‘of these’, Linux provides a range of flexible installations that can be daunting for even tech-savvy users. To make the most of it, they must first understand the basics of Linux.
Linux, first released in 1991, is a popular open source operating system among software engineers and developers. Its code allows for collaboration within the Linux ecosystem, providing users with a variety of distros that meet their needs.
No matter your level of Linux proficiency, there’s a distro for you. With so many to choose from, we’ve narrowed it down to the best available today. Whether you install it pre-installed or download it, you’ll find a Linux platform that meets your needs.
Parakeet
Solus’ Budgie desktop, built from the ground up with components from the Gnome stack, features a unified notification and personalization center called Raven. This center provides users with quick access to their calendar, media player controls, system settings and power options. All desktop elements are applets for easy customization.
Budgie is highly customizable, allowing users to tailor it to their preferences. Icons can be added to the desktop and multiple workspaces created, all through the Desktop Settings app.
Developers have improved the Budgie Menu and Icon Tasklist applet in the latest release of the desktop. The Budgie Menu now sorts category names alphabetically, while the Icon Tasklist applet has several new features and refinements. Ubuntu, Manjaro and Fedora users can access these updates through their respective spins or COPR repository.
Deepin DE
Deepin distro offers a desktop experience based on HTML5 and WebKit, with components written in QML and Go. Its home-made features include an application launcher, dock and control center, all of which can be adjusted through a hidden panel.
Deepin desktop offers a Mac OS X-like experience with its clean, uncomplicated interface featuring only a dock at the bottom of the screen. It now supports touch screen gestures and configurable active corners, allowing users to access the application menu and control panel for easy management of their desktop.
Many Linux distributions don’t officially support the desktop, but users can access it through community-supported spins or third-party repositories.
Lighting
Enlightenment is a unique window manager that offers an array of eye-catching visuals without the need for taskbars, panels or menus. Despite its lightweight design, it still provides a full-featured desktop experience.
Enlightenment’s desktop offers a range of customizations, from text size to menu animations. Its first startup wizard allows users to tailor the desktop’s behavior and appearance to their needs, especially when running on a high-DPI screen.
Enlightenment, a desktop offering many modules and configuration options, is available in the official repositories of all major distros. Though it may require patience and experimentation to set up, users can customize their experience to their liking.
LXQt
LXQt is a modern desktop environment that combines the lightweight GTK-based LXDE and Razor-Qt desktop, using the Qt toolkit. It offers a sleek look without consuming too many resources.
Desktop users can now breathe new life into an old machine, as the familiar desktop metaphor is light enough to be used on modern machines. The status bar at the bottom of the screen is loaded with icons, while the application menu features a categorized list of apps and a search box to help launch them.
LXQt provides users with a range of customizable options to personalize their desktop experience. It utilizes modules, which are tools that can be used across different workspaces, and its dashboard supports plug-ins. LXQt is available in the repositories of most Linux distributions.
Pantheon
Elementary OS’s Pantheon desktop is a minimalist, stylish environment that has become known for its user-friendly design. Taking cues from Mac OS X, the desktop features its own Mutter-based window manager, Gala, and integrates Plank dock, Wingpanel top panel and Slingshot application launcher for a seamless workspace.
The Pantheon Tweaks tool lets you customize your desktop’s appearance, from fonts to animations. It strikes a balance between form and function, allowing you to enjoy subtle animations while still getting the job done.
Pantheon, a desktop environment, offers users a unique experience with its custom-written apps and mouse-free navigation. Although not officially compatible with other distros, it can be installed on Arch, Ubuntu, OpenSUSE and Fedora.
Final note
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