Possible can of worms here...

KDE all the way.

I tried the rest but I figure out that for each of them I spent hours trying to make the work/look like KDE, so what's the use? Other WM are too limited, even if I use a KDE feature once a month I still apreciate that's there, I also use mostly KDE programs: Amarok, K3b, Kword, Konqueror, Akregator, just to mention some, if I'd use other WM I'd end up installing almost all KDE anyway.

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...as long as, like crow, I don't have to eat them.

DTEs, huh?

I've tried quite a number of them, over the years, and have settled upon KDE as my all time favorite.

It's fast.
Some may want to dispute this in a compare and contrast manner, but I don't have a tendency to use slow, memory-constrained machines for my daily work; so, the differences in apparent speed of the other WM/DM/DTEs simply don't amount to much observable benefit to me--if any at all.

It has all the tools and conveniences that I want, where I want them.

It is task-oriented, in such a way that it doesn't interfere with the way that I work. To the contrary, it actually speeds-up the path to the end work-product.

In terms of KDE being "windowsey", I actually find it to be quite a vast and pleasing departure from the one-size-doesn't-fit-all windows-like environment; but I tend to think in terms of fine distinctions as being chasms, so I may not be the best indicator of common perception on that count.

KDE is solid, and incorporates a logical suite of companion apps; which seem to fit my personality and needs perfectly. I really can't choose a second-favorite, even if pressed to do so; however, if KDE was going away for good, I'd probably implicitly agree with you and opt for AfterSTEP to maintain nearly the same speed of task navigation.

"You have two labs?"
"Each has its place. At the university, I try to please the Federal Government. Here, I negotiate with God."

I use KDE almost exclusively. I have used it from somewhere in the 2-ish rev level. I too like it because the organization seems to be about right.

One thing I really like about KDE, well ok, KDM, is the ease with which I can "start new session". I have a few different accounts on my computers, so I often will be logged in as "me" and also want to log into my "work personality". Simply right-click, and choose "start new session", and I get to log in all over again. I can even choose an entirely different window manager for that account (gotta love TRUE multi-user operating systems). There seems to be a bit-o-a-bug in the current version of KDE, in that starting a new session, or pressing ctrl+alt+Fx doesn't "take" until the second press

I also like xfce. For a slightly slimmer, trimmer WM this seems to be a good compromise (does the mouse in the spinning wheel defrag the hard drive like the fish?). I like that you can bring up the main menus with the right-click of the mouse. Funny how "far away" that lower-left corner can be when you "just want to start something"

Now, a criticism, not a flame. I have tried enlightenment, I really have! I'm a silly person who likes to start up multiple "anythings", windows, konsoles, virtual sessions.... KDE lets me start as many as twenty-eight virtual desktops; GNOME I think allows 32. No, I don't have that many set up, but "It's the Principle" of being able to do it that I like. Well, enlightenment allows something like 64 (or 128?) virtual desktops! That's all very good and all, and I like all the pager-thingies that can be created, moved, resized. But other than "The Principle" of being able to start all this stuff up I Don't Get It!!. Enlightenment is very "eye-candy-ish" and I can go all over the place, but other than that what are the "advantages" of using enlightenment? I really want someone who really likes enlightenment to, ahem, "enlighten me", as to how to make it do good things and allow me to do good things too.

Fluxbox: When I work on a smaller, older, simpler box fluxbox is very nice. But I agree with you rgnglzrd, it can be a little confusing for a newcomer.

I can't really make any comments, good or bad, regarding GNOME. I have used it, but I guess I haven't spent enough time with it to say, "GOSH this is great!" or "GOSH this really sucks!"

I guess what I'd like to see in some of the other window managers are tools to make configuration easier. If "ready for the desktop" also means "being able to configure your desktop" then KDE, and possibly GNOME appear to be the only candidates. All other WMs require just a little too much under-the-hood, use-an-editor-to-add-something mentality.

I also think that mepis.org is becoming too much of a pet store. First we have fish in tanks, then fish in kettles
http://www.mepis.org/node/11544
and now we have cans of worms! And I certainly didn't help by bringing up mice!

Jon

::: Looking at the cat on the desk :::

"No. I am not going to tell Jon what you just said!"

"You have two labs?"
"Each has its place. At the university, I try to please the Federal Government. Here, I negotiate with God."

I feel that Gnome is too constricting as far as security feature customization. I'm a HUGE security buff being an IT and all and with a Windows machine I am capable of locking it to the bone. KDE has a vast security configuration list which is one thing I couldn't do/get with Gnome...at least that's how I feel.

And yes I understand how much more secure Linux is over Windows however I feel more secure in Linux when I can setup my own little tricks and traps like I can in KDE. SAM

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I don't think I was really clear when I said " 'Windowsy' without being 'Windows-ish' ".

KDE is a window manager. It has that familiar button to give us a grand menu. There's a taskbar and a clock and a system "tray". We can configure our workspace to suit our desires. We can add icons for programs and other stuff to our desktop. There a whole host of things that, although terribly generic, make KDE a little "Windowsy" but it isn't "Windows-ish". To me, "Windows-ish" translates to a "there's only one way to do anything" paradigm with relatively strict rules about what you can and can't do.

In short, "Windowsy" equals "Contains some nice stuff similar to Windows with lots of BONUS inside" while "Windows-ish" equals "A near or exact duplication of Windows look, feel and function. Which sux."

Michael
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My idea of a dream date? Simple!
DATE, $HOME, TOUCH, FSCK, MAKE CLEAN, SLEEP

From my perspective, it's not so much the Window Manager itself. It has more to do with how well it's configured.

For example, when I boot into some of the Vector Linux distros, the "look and feel" between the included Window managers is relatively consistent (fonts, menu layouts, etc.). So, I don't mind using a lighter Window manager with their distro.

Yet, I may boot into a distro that uses a heavier Window Manager like KDE, and hate it, just because of the menu layouts, fonts, colors, etc.

Also, distros that include more than one Window Manager tend to heavily customize one, yet leave the other "bare bones".

Sure, you can customize it yourself. But, I'd rather have something that's a good "fit" for my tastes to begin with. I don't want to spend a lot of time trying to get everything looking the way I want it to, trying to get more readable fonts, etc.

Lack of "polish" is what seems to separate a lot of the distros with me. Some are very "rough around the edges", and others are very nice to begin with.

Overall, I probably like KDE the best if I had to choose a specific Window manager. But, I would have no problem with some of the other Window managers around, if they were setup "just right".

Jim C.

and I've come to the conclusion that not only is KDE the best desktop on Linux, it is better than any other desktop regardless of the OS. And that includes the Mac.

And, it doesn't hurt that I like coding in C++/QT4

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GreyGeek

i'll be more specific.
with kde i just get one panel/toolbar. I place it where I like, make it hide, but with others you can get two, and you have to look around the screen to find whether you should be checking the top or the bottom for where is that other app?
lots of integrated tools, like being able to use the same window in konqueror for remote ftp and local files and samba is another plus.
some things i don't like. i remove them.
otherwise, i started with fvvm and its principles aren't out of date yet.

I've heard from some of you and like what I'm reading so far. I figured I'd chime in again now to "stir the pot" so to speak...

To JimC, one of the things I like most about KDE is that it is set up pretty well by design, not by the distro manager. I've yet to run a distro that uses a modern incarnation of KDE that I truly dislike. The last older version of KDE I used was in an old Slackware version. Still loved it though...

Doc, I have to agree with you about the integrated local and remote file ops within Konqueror. I've tried this with a Windows box and these functions just don't perform nearly as well.

For me, configuring KDE to be what and how I want it is part of the fun. I really don't want someone else's idea of how MY desktop should look. Warren gives us some pretty generic settings for our workspace when we install and boot up the first time. And making the default background under ROOT that deep, dark Red is a great idea. (Thanks, Warren!!!)

Beyond that, I change almost everything within the first 15 minutes. I install Baghira, take the taskbar out of Kicker and put it up top, remove the "Hide" buttons from the taskbar and Kicker, center Kicker on the bottom of the screen and enlarge it so I get that double row in the system tray, switch the mouse over to double click, flip my icons out for some that look more "Mac-ish" and reboot to make absolutely certain my settings stay (I've had problems with this in the past and still a bit gun-shy...) Yes, I have a tiny bit of Mac envy so I make mine look and feel as much like a Mac as I can for one primary reason: Mac OS isn't Windows. I know: Ultra GPL Geeky, huh?

If I could ever figure out how to make AfterSTEP have that Mac look and feel, I'd have to switch out from KDE. (Well, not really but you gotta admit it would still be cool...)

Michael
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My idea of a dream date? Simple!
DATE, $HOME, TOUCH, FSCK, MAKE CLEAN, SLEEP