LXDE, the worst DE

[tuxracer]

I installed Debian w/ LXDE and Lubuntu on my Thinkpad T41 laptop a while ago. I have since decided that I despise LXDE. There is poor integration or availability of features. No convenient way to add to keyboard layout among many others, for e.g. Also, the neglect of all the flaws by the devs.

But, one of my biggest issues has been other minor but really annoying quirks. Such as the scrollbar in my browsers. I can barely see them and I did try to change my brightness settings but it didn't help. LXDE is the most overrated, useless DE to come out, definitely.

There is little change in the features and as XFCE, KDE and Gnome are constantly changing and evolving, LXDE stays static and at a most primitive state.

I would re-install a different DE but my laptop has other problems (hardware). I'll be considering it, though. I have since lost my Lubuntu install (for whatever reason, once it loads, it's just a blue screen with the logo). I don't get the fanfare that comes with LXDE. It's one thing to be a low resources DE (which can be had with XFCE, openbox, fluxbox, Enlightenment etc.) but another when it's completely useless and lacks features.

Hopefully, DEs like XFCE can become more efficent but not lose the useful features that it offers.

[secipolla]

LXDE is very good. Try and customize an Openbox or Icewm environment, which are similarly light, to have the ease of use and features that come in LXDE.
It happens that its main component, PCManFM (actually pcmanfm + libfm), has a rather buggy released version but its development version is very good.

Before talking nonsense, reckon that you should use what fits you better. There isn't any lack of alternatives.

[emariz]

I dislike bananas, guavas and raw tomatoes.

[craigevil]

LXDE is actually a pretty cool DE, granted it doesn't have all of the features of KDE or Gnome but it also doesn't have the bloat, and it runs well on a low end system with 256mb of ram.

Once again tuxracer is complaining about something simply because he can't get it to work. Bad enough he was running Lubuntu and not Debian, but he still feels like this is the place to come complain.

[Anzhr]

I dislike bananas, guavas and raw tomatoes.

Flame War!

%$%##$@%$#&$&$

[tuxracer]

No flame war from me. This is General Discussion. I think I posted under the appropriate section. Craig continues to make unfair accusations. It's user testimonial and experiences and that is mine. It's a fact that LXDE hasn't made any strides on the features that are lacking.

I don't see why there's enthusiasm for this DE. It's good for older computers but I thought XFCE was good for that? Not any more?

I posted I used the LXDE in Debian and Ubuntu (Lubuntu). So, it was used on a Debian install, too. I don't even care for Ubuntu much anymore. It is moving away from Debian to a greater extent as I understand it. That wasn't the point, though.

Anyway, if everyone who replied likes LXDE, that's fine. All about choice, right? I feel that LXDE is moving way too slow and there are better choices available.

I never said it wasn't working either. I said the setup and appearance is really poor. Scroll bars that are barely visible and keyboard layouts that must be set up MANUALLY still among other issues.

Anyway, have fun with the LXDE if it is your cup of tea. I think it's overrated.

Edit: I probably should have asked for assistance to see if I could do anything about the scroll bars (it's annoying, trying to find it all the time) but it would be a pain to re-install (not sure that would help). My laptop has issues with the optical drive so I would probably need a usb stick to install. Furthermore, it's just a pet peeve for me that no one has improved the keyboard layout utility (no GUI) and other things. I suppose one could install one from Gnome and add dependencies (one shouldn't need) but whatever.

Nevermind my posts on this topic then. Remove or ignore. I was ranting... good day.

[anticapitalista]

I agree with the op that lxde is overrated.

I hate lxde, and cannot see why anyone who wants a light environment would choose it over any wm such as fluxbox, icewm, openbox, wmii, dwm, awesome (a misnomer IMO) and ratpoison to name a few.

For those that want a DE, xfce base on Debian (and its derivatives) is a much better option. More features, better integration and just as light.

Having said all that, if lxde is your cup of tea, then use and enjoy it. I'm sure you will

[mvdan]

You should try Knoppix on a DVD. Its LXDE is absolutely wonderful. I am now enjoying Fluxbox, and it is pretty similar.

[secipolla]

You aren't being reasonable, anti. Putting aside tastes.
1) Xfce isn't even close in terms of low resource usage as LXDE. This is a fact, I have both.
2) LXDE is as low resource as most of the standalone WMs. It has a very good panel and menu (let's not start talking about even getting a reasonable menu in any of those WM you cited).
3) It has proper start and logout scripts. This is something even long time users of standalone WMs keep hitting their head on the wall to have working properly.
The three points above make a light environment accesible to everyone. Not only for people who would take the pains or even be able to set up something themselves, so that's the main point of LXDE.
Besides that it's actually a small collection of light applications that can be used separately.
A nice task manager, a very good and very lightweight file manager (I know you have trouble with pcmanfm but I use the git version in Debian and, for instance, it automounts my thumbdrives and I don't need to dig some hack to make that work), a simple session manager, a light music player and a very good panel and menu system. Besides its libs that are lightweight alternatives for GNOME's.

[dmhdlr]

What a thread title.

Perhaps XFCE > LXDE would have been more productive.

Anyway, MORE FLOSS is better than less FLOSS. Even the half-thought gesture counts!

[gerry]

I tried LXDE. My problem with it was that Debian does not manage to get my screen resolution right unaided. Usually you can depend on a gui in your desktop environment to do it- with LXDE this is true, except that you have to do it every time you boot.
Got rid of it, just use icewm now.

[Magnusmaster]

I didn't have problems with LXDE. It doesn't have much features, but it works wonders in an old computer.

[anticapitalista]

secipolla, maybe I was a bit harsh and too personal in my tastes.

Certainly, lxde is not the worst DE and for new users with old boxes, it is a good start as most of the basic stuff needed is there.

I can only compare lxde/xfce on Debian sid (via antiX) and lxde RAM usage was 62MB compared to xfce 78MB on a box with 3GB available. However, when tested in VirtualBox with RAM set to 256MB, the difference between lxde RAM usage and xfce was not so great, about 5MB difference.

The panel is obviously much better than the one in fluxbox, but icewm's panel can be easily configured to run quick start apps.
The logout stuff in lxde looks just like the one in xfce, it may even be the same, I don't know. But there is no login manager (at least not in Debian) so you have to use slim or gdm. Slim is nice and light, but gdm has more to offer if your RAM is up to it and you have multi-user, multi-language set up.

I don't really like the options lxde chooses for me as well even though they are light, functional and work well enough. I just prefer others. (The same applies to xfce). As you know secipolla, I prefer Rox to pcmanfm, as a filer and for setting the desktop.

I guess what I'm saying is that if I were to choose a desktop environment (I wouldn't as I prefer wm), I would choose xfce-basic install over lxde. You get more with an increased price in RAM use worth it IMO.
For a sort of lxde set up, I prefer a wm plus the added bits that don't exist the secipolla mentions, and the apps of my choice rather than lxde itself.

Anyhow, good luck to the lxde developers. They are certainly helping to make linux more user-friendly without excessive bloat.

[emariz]

I can only compare lxde/xfce on Debian sid (via antiX) and lxde RAM usage was 62MB compared to xfce 78MB on a box with 3GB available.

On this laptop, Gnome uses 70 MB of RAM upon start. On the desktops at the office, it uses less than 55 MB of RAM. A comparison of average RAM usages might be more relevant than a comparison of RAM usages upon start. And even that might not lead to a useful (particular) conclusion, because the default applications from each desktop environment offer very different feature sets.

[Joel]

That's what a love from Debian, you can make your own Desktop..

I have Fluxbox with lxmenu and both are good con-existing

Of course, if you have the time to learn and type more