Fedora Xfce or Xubuntu: Which is the best Linux desktop?

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Xfce doesn't get enough love. I believe one reason is that the desktop environment typically defaults to a mostly old-school look and feel. Although Xfce tries to be modern, it lives in the shadows of desktops like COSMIC , Budgie , and KDE Plasma .

For many who have yet to experience Xfce, one of the things you'll almost instantly discover is that it is one of the most flexible desktops on the market . There's almost nothing you can't do with it. If you like a traditional panel, you've got it. If you prefer a dock, Xfce can do it. Maybe a dock and a top panel? Sure. Two side panels? Heck, yeah. I've tweaked Xfce until it was like nothing I'd ever seen before on a PC desktop. This customization is fun.

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At the same time, because of that flexibility, Xfce can be a bit daunting. That's why I typically refer users to one of two different distributions that default to Xfce: Fedora Xfce and Xubuntu . Obviously, these two distributions have different bases (Fedora and Ubuntu). Along with those foundations, Xfce offers some subtle and some not-so-subtle differences.

But which one best represents Xfce? Let's dig in and find out.

Fedora Xfce has a layout that should be instantly familiar.

If you've been following my coverage of Fedora, you've probably spotted a particular trend: speed. Fedora has become a very fast Linux distribution , even with a more heavyweight desktop like GNOME.

When you consider how lightweight Xfce is, that speed is even more pronounced. But before you experience the speed, you'll see an Xfce layout that's somewhat MacOS-ish . On the Fedora Xfce desktop, you'll find a dock and a top panel. The application menu is at the top-left corner of the display, and the dock is dedicated to application shortcuts. This layout should be instantly familiar to most users.

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The dock also has an Application Finder, which serves the same purpose as the Apps icon on the MacOS dock. From that launcher, you'll notice how many apps are preinstalled on Fedora Xfce. There's the Assunder CD Ripper, Catfish File Search, Claws Mail, Firefox, a Firewall GUI, GParted, LibreOffice, and a fairly large assortment of utilities.