With systemD, the alternatives have a curve because so much IBM money and monopolization has gone into it. But systems using OpenRC(alpine) or SysV(MX linux, Devuan) work great in my experience. there are other init systems like runit (void linux) also seem to work great too, I just haven't used them.
As for desktop environments, the choice is very easy. Because there are simply better options.
For normal users, I always suggest KDE Plasma or XFCE, Cosmic is still in development but looks very promising, cinnamon also looks great, but I don't use it (I know it's a gnome2 fork).
But for power users, the choice of WMs are pretty trivial. i3, xmonad, qtile, niri, leftwm, etc.
The experience of using a WM instead of a full DE is incomparable for professional and power users. That is why I LOVE XFCE because it is modular. you can use parts of the XFCE ecosystem in any WM (power manager, theme manager, file manager etc.) or just replace xfce wm with your WM of choice (although I don't recommend this).
I admit I'm an edge case, but last year I installed Slackware on my main desktop specifically to escape the clutches of systemd, and by god it feels great to have a working /etc/rc.d again!
I do use containerised solutions for a few things (e.g. conty[0] for Steam, and a couple of rocm containers for messing with ML things).
KDE is the default desktop and does everything I need. I haven't used gnome for a decade anyhow.
I would like to recommend Mate, which is a continuation of Gnome 2.
I like to think of my Desktop Environment as little as possible - if I'm thinking about it it's usually because it's getting in my way. In particular, I switched to Mate when the Gnome 3 team went Steve Jobs on us and implemented menus that couldn't be moved out of the way and a new desktop philosophy that didn't fit my current workflow. Gnome 2 worked just fine for my everyday work so by choosing Mate I know I'm getting a responsive, functional Destop Env. that won't throw random surprises at me.
To add to that: I keep trying out other new, interesting or high-profile distros, and whenever they use KDE Plasma (esp. on older HW) it is a grating experience, especially because it's slow. And after you log in, you have to wait again with an animation before your desktop shows up. On my son's desktop, I just replaced it with MATE, and now it's instantly available right after login. SO much nicer!
There is a rich world of window managers, if you run a proper distro with X11. IceWM for example is a great building block for your own desktop, you can combine it with the file manager you prefer, or use a terminal instead for that, use it with a dock, tray and a helper like conky instead of the default task bar. The capabilities of real WMs are great, to pin windows (permanently), have workspaces, give overviews - and that's before going into the auto tiling direction.
But that's only if you want to have something custom. Otherwise KDE would be the default alternative to Gnome, then XFCE or LXQT for smaller desktop environments.
I like Regolith ( https://regolith-desktop.com/ ), it's built on Gnome-session for its configuration screens, but otherwise runs a lightweight tiling window manager.
For my windows I only use keyboard shortcuts (no mouse) and full-screen windows (sometimes two half screen windows side by side), so I may be a bit weird.
I've been a big fan of OpenRC. Gnome has never been a pleasant DE but really went downhill with Gnome 3. I used FVWM2 until college when I switch to CWM. Not sure I'd recommend CWM to someone who just wants to experiment though
Not the OP but I switched to KDE and I'm happy with the switch. It doesn't try to force a tablet UI on you, doesn't look like a toy and actually feels snappier.
We are not lawyers. I don't care what their "parent" company is legally.
In practice, IBM influences and affects every single decision of these projects/companies.
So yes, It is their parent company. Just look at what they were doing to X11. Holding it's development back just to monopolize wayland more.
If you've never tried a tiling window manager, give them a try. I've been on i3 for over a decade and love it. It takes a lot more work to setup, but once you get going, it's an amazing environment.
If you insist on using Wayland, Hyprland is an excellent choice. It's the least broken tiling widow manager for Wayalnd. Sway was the original i3-compatiable replacement and it's still not all that great.
Can you explain what's wrong with sway? I've been using it for quite a while and it's been the one of the most stable pieces of graphical Linux software I've yet seen. It seems to handle most of my features, except i3-like layout saving.
yolkedgeek|8 months ago
As for desktop environments, the choice is very easy. Because there are simply better options. For normal users, I always suggest KDE Plasma or XFCE, Cosmic is still in development but looks very promising, cinnamon also looks great, but I don't use it (I know it's a gnome2 fork). But for power users, the choice of WMs are pretty trivial. i3, xmonad, qtile, niri, leftwm, etc.
The experience of using a WM instead of a full DE is incomparable for professional and power users. That is why I LOVE XFCE because it is modular. you can use parts of the XFCE ecosystem in any WM (power manager, theme manager, file manager etc.) or just replace xfce wm with your WM of choice (although I don't recommend this).
ttctciyf|8 months ago
I do use containerised solutions for a few things (e.g. conty[0] for Steam, and a couple of rocm containers for messing with ML things).
KDE is the default desktop and does everything I need. I haven't used gnome for a decade anyhow.
0: https://github.com/Kron4ek/Conty/
probably_wrong|8 months ago
I like to think of my Desktop Environment as little as possible - if I'm thinking about it it's usually because it's getting in my way. In particular, I switched to Mate when the Gnome 3 team went Steve Jobs on us and implemented menus that couldn't be moved out of the way and a new desktop philosophy that didn't fit my current workflow. Gnome 2 worked just fine for my everyday work so by choosing Mate I know I'm getting a responsive, functional Destop Env. that won't throw random surprises at me.
pepa65|8 months ago
onli|8 months ago
There is a rich world of window managers, if you run a proper distro with X11. IceWM for example is a great building block for your own desktop, you can combine it with the file manager you prefer, or use a terminal instead for that, use it with a dock, tray and a helper like conky instead of the default task bar. The capabilities of real WMs are great, to pin windows (permanently), have workspaces, give overviews - and that's before going into the auto tiling direction.
But that's only if you want to have something custom. Otherwise KDE would be the default alternative to Gnome, then XFCE or LXQT for smaller desktop environments.
cardanome|8 months ago
Yes wayland support is still experimental but I don't understand why you would voluntarily use it at its current change. X11 works perfectly fine.
Also good old Xfce. Honestly, even KDE is pretty decent again these days, I have heard. As Linux users we are spoilt with great options.
Scarblac|8 months ago
For my windows I only use keyboard shortcuts (no mouse) and full-screen windows (sometimes two half screen windows side by side), so I may be a bit weird.
msgodel|8 months ago
flohofwoe|8 months ago
DoctorOW|8 months ago
0points|8 months ago
yolkedgeek|8 months ago
airhangerf15|8 months ago
If you insist on using Wayland, Hyprland is an excellent choice. It's the least broken tiling widow manager for Wayalnd. Sway was the original i3-compatiable replacement and it's still not all that great.
pona-a|8 months ago
unknown|8 months ago
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