Desktop Environments

This page explains what a desktop environment (DE) is, lists the DEs Andronix offers for each distro, and helps you choose one.

According to the Wikipedia article on desktop environments:

In computing, a desktop environment (DE) is an implementation of the desktop metaphor made of a bundle of programs running on top of a computer operating system that share a common graphical user interface (GUI), sometimes described as a graphical shell. The desktop environment was seen mostly on personal computers until the rise of mobile computing. Desktop GUIs help the user to easily access and edit files, while they usually do not provide access to all of the features found in the underlying operating system. Instead, the traditional command-line interface (CLI) is still used when full control over the operating system is required.

In simpler terms, a desktop environment is the graphical user interface (GUI) you interact with. Icons, menus, menu bars and everything else you see on screen are part of the DE.

What Desktop Environments does Andronix offer?Copy Anchor Link

Andronix supports most of the major DEs used in the Linux community today, including XFCE, LXQT and LXDE.

Desktop Environment ListCopy Anchor Link

• Ubuntu XFCE LXDE LXQT

• Debian XFCE LXDE LXQT

• Kali XFCE LXDE LXQT

• Manjaro XFCE LXDE LXQT

• Fedora XFCE LXDE LXQT

• Void XFCE LXDE LXQT

• Alpine XFCE

• Arch XFCE LXDE

Which DE should I choose?Copy Anchor Link

You can pick whichever DE you like or are most familiar with. For most people, though, we recommend XFCE as a starting point because of its ease of use and customizability.

Next stepsCopy Anchor Link

• Install a distro with the DE of your choice.
• Prefer a keyboard-driven setup? Read about window managers.
• Learn how to view your desktop with VNC or XSDL.