Linux Desktop Enviroments (DE)

Hello All...
I just love this MATE DE. I have multiple boxes running Linux in different flavours. Some of the DE's I would like to replace with MATE. Is it possible to change to MATE from LXDE or XFCE ??? And would I have to remove the old or can I keep both and choose one or the other?
Thanks for your time...

2 Likes

You haven't provided your release details, which in this case I believe matters.

I'm a lover of multiple desktops on my boxes; the box I'm replying here with, was a Lubuntu install (thus LXQt & openbox); but once all checked out I installed other DEsktops. I select at login which I'll use for the session.

I'll provide a link here where I talked about my primary box (this box) - software installation - Installing several different flavours of Ubuntu 20.04 - Ask Ubuntu though that box died late last year, thus I had to start again; only I used Lubuntu this time for install (in that question last time in 2017, my install used Ubuntu Desktop), then added my other wanted desktops.

I've written many other questions too on multiple DE/WMs. I love it !

You do mention LXDE now; do note LXDE is now not managed by the Lubuntu team, and LXDE packages come from upstream Debian now, which have different defaults to when Lubuntu managed them (Debian doesn't use openbox; they use xfwm4 by default as just one example). I did some testing with LXDE back in 20.04 & some other releases after users expressed problems (I didn't in my testing), and I possibly was aware of the differences in my testing in packages I installed. Either way I did have LXDE/Xfce/MATE & GNOME as mentioned in my linked answer (and later in 20.04 etc too in testing).

As noted in that linked answer

  • the packages you install (ie. how you add the other desktops)
  • the order can (in my experience) make a difference too especially when you install numerous
  • and the release can make a difference. I tend to suggest always installing everything, as I've had less troubles with that (and aren't that worried about disk space; RAM usage I do worry about but I manage that myself).

You can remove unwanted desktops too, though it's not that easy to complete a 100% uninstall (without minor settings etc that can impact you much later), and thus I tend to avoid it on boxes I want to use longer term. That's possible though for sure.

3 Likes

Hey Chris,
Thank you for the info. I will do some reading and research today on what you sent me.
I guess I will try to explain what I trying to do:
The laptop I'm on now has the MATE DE. My other laptop downstairs has LXDE and peppermint 10 that came with XFCE DE. I was playing around with VNCserver settings on the peppermint os so I could get to it over the network without going down 2 flights of stairs to logon. I never could get to the laptop through Remmina until I read a post about using LXDE. All worked great after the install. But now I have double files of certain apps and just want it to be clean again, but with MATE DE.
I have the info (I think) you are looking for. If not just drop me line and I can get it to you.


Screenshot at 2023-04-26 22-06-43

What do I need to do to get rid of LXDE and XFCE DE's ? Then install MATE DE, if possible.

From your neofetch details it appears neither system is a Ubuntu system, nor Ubuntu-MATE which is what I see as on-topic for this site, thus I won't help there.

Linux Mint contain an extra layer of software that Ubuntu doesn't use (runtime adjustments) that may need to be considered (that I don't consider as no Ubuntu flavor uses them), and I have almost no experience with Peppermint (did some testing because Stevesveryown asked me to at one point, but that doesn't mean I know anything).

I won't reply on either sorry. They aren't Ubuntu or Ubuntu-MATE systems.

Your right about the Ubuntu system, I got ahead of myself with the whole DE thing being MATE. Sorry for the trouble. I should have known better.
Thanks anyway...

Chris,
I just realized I sent the wrong screenshot, I do have Ubuntu installed. But I understand the cross platform thing. Sorry again.

Ubuntu 18.04 LTS was released in 2018-April (thus the 18.04 using the year.month format used), with 5 years of standard supported life; ie. it's about to reach it's EOSS in mere days.

I posted notice(s) of that at Lubuntu's site and you'll find the same here too for Ubuntu MATE 18.04.

The oldest supported release for Ubuntu flavors currently is Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, and that's about to reach EOL too (Ubuntu-MATE's warning can be found here).

You may have just met the Ubuntu system, but it's still not on-topic for this site as I see it sorry.

FYI: Ubuntu 18.04 LTS' standard supported life received an extension awhile back, instead of EOSS in April 2023 being the end of five years, Canonical have elected to extend life until 31-May-2023; but given we're talking about flavors here anyway, that doesn't make any difference as I see it here.

Chris,
Does it help if I have Ubuntu Pro Installed ?

That gets me to 2028 Right?

What do you mean with that, examples?

For security fixes of the supported ESM/PRO packages, but you're asking for flavor support here which is not included; 18.04 is EOL for that, with 20.04 soon to also be EOL.

Ubuntu ESM support primarily sits around the default Ubuntu Desktop, ie. GNOME.

In most cases; if a change needs to be performed by a GNU/Linux distribution, overly simplified: a dev grabs the source code, makes the required change. compiles locally (or via PPA) & tests the changes (others can verify too etc with use of PPA), then upload source & compiles creating binaries (Ubuntu uses launchpad for this). When it hits the repositories scanned by the end-users PCs, their systems will detect a newer package, download and update to this.

There are costs with this in infrastructure doing compiles, plus bandwidth allowing users to download those newer packages. For smaller distributions that cost can be prohibitive, so they may do this only for packages they consider critical and rely on runtime adjustments to modify (during execution) the packages they don't provide compiled binaries for; thus maintain a smaller runtime adjustments package covering a larger number of packages.

The level of adjustments will vary from release to release (if they host their own packages there is no need), as they're only used to get around using packages out of the control of the development team. There are also security considerations to the use of adjustments (users wear those); but it lowers the financial cost in compiling & in particular hosting those packages for download.