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In case you were wondering…
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I’ve been hanging out in #openSUSE-project for a few days now, and the question posed to me most frequently is what desktop are you running? I guess this is usually a straightforward question — pick a desktop you like and stick with it, right?
Right now, I’m using KDE on my main desktop. Let me show you it:
I’ve got a dual-head video card, and two 20″ Dell widescreen monitors — which openSUSE 10.3 had no problem detecting and putting to work. (I like a LOT of screen space…)
But I’m also running GNOME, on my spiffy new work ThinkPad. And I use Xfce on my desktop from time to time, too. Why? A couple of reasons — one, it’s a habit from my days as a freelance writer to run multiple desktops. Being familiar with more software meant being able to pitch and write more articles.
Two, I want to kick the tires, so to speak. When a new release of GNOME, Xfce, or KDE is out, I can’t wait to get my hands on it. (Kudos to the openSUSE team for having KDE 4.0 and 4.0.1 packages out fast, fast, fast!)
Also, over the years, I have gotten to know a number of GNOME and KDE developers and contributors, and I want to be able to see what they’ve been working on and give an honest opinion if I’m asked. But, mostly? It’s the fun. 
I enjoy using KDE and GNOME, but for different reasons.
So, what’s on your desktop, and why?
KDE (currently 3.5.8, r22.3), has been exclusively for years. Just something about the Gnome look and feel that doesn’t sit right with me for some reason. About the only non-KDE application I run any more is Firefox, and that’s just due to it already having my bookmarks/credentials saved. Now, were there to be a way to hook Google Browser Sync into Konqueror…
I’m a Gnome user as of late, I suppose it just “feels” better to me than KDE. The click ‘n drool administration tools in Gnome seem to be easier to use than those in KDE.
I’ve only started using a DE a few months ago. For several years I was an ion3 junkie (http://modeemi.fi/~tuomov/ion/), but the movie to openSUSE forced me to kick that habit. I’ve taken to the mouse pretty quickly.
I’ve got openSUSE with KDE 4 in a VM right now, just “kicking the tires” as you put it. We’ll see how it goes.
KDE (currently 3.5.7 on openSUSE 10.3) since years. Since SUSE Linux 7.x to be exact. Why? There are several reasons:
desktop environment.
- KMail is the best mail client I have ever seen
- I don’t like the over-simplification of GNOME which doesn’t offer all the options I want and need. I need a Konfigurable
- And maybe another reason is that the person who showed me (SUSE) Linux also uses KDE.
However, I also use some GNOME apps, with GIMP being the most important one for me.
Yeah, regardless of the desktop I’m using, I wind up using a mix of apps — I use Konqueror all the time for managing files on remote servers using fish:// and just find it to be the most useful, overall. Same with the Gimp — I don’t do a lot of image editing — mostly cropping photos and managing screenshots, but it’s a part of my routine.
I’m using Gnome in OpenSUSE 10.3.
Me and my wife feel that Gnome is more clean and userfriendly than KDE, everything is very easy to be found on this DE. In my opinion, KDE is not so beautiful as Gnome (the fonts in KDE seems very ugly and KDE has excessive number of applications, for example).
Despite of that, I’m thinking seriously in giving KDE4 a try in OpenSUSE 11.
Good luck with KDE4 in 11.0 — hope you enjoy it, but if not, you’ll still have GNOME.
In this instance, I’m one of the people that love the choice FOSS provides and so I enjoy the fact that KDE and Gnome are (basically) first-class citizens in openSUSE.
I avoid using ‘better’ in a discussion about the relative merits of KDE v Gnome (or Xfce) as, like the author, I believe they each have their purpose.
I use KDE as my primary desktop as I enjoy the extremely configurable aspect of that particular DE. However in the past, I’ve forced myself to use Gnome for a couple of months (when Compiz was much better on Gnome), to see if it was for me.
On the same system I have Gnome installed because my girlfriend is a creative type and I’ve made her desktop look and feel like OS X so she’s at home when using the system. I also think Gnome is good for the masses, that weren’t power-users on their old non-free OS of choice.
I also have some of the more lightweight window managers installed, and use these occasionally when testing or if I just need to carry something out quickly and I’m not logged in (and don’t want the delay starting up all my apps).
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I use KDE mostly. Been using SuSE sense 9.0 with KDE. THough i have used gnome, KDE is as Christian Boltz put it “Konfigurable”
I personally think that makes the DE MORE user friendly. I know that is backward thinking but with the latest generation being called “digital natives” it seams they are simply use to and at home with options and many different programs to choose from and whatnot. But all DEs have there place… i still have gnome and enlightenment installed as well 
>So, what’s on your desktop, and why?
1. No blurry pixels.
2. Something that is NOT on everyone’s desktop (KDE/GNOME and… Amarok) – already seen all those things over and over.