Ask HN: LXDE (Mint) or Xfce (XUbuntu)
1. I have a relatively old laptop (Pentium Dual-Core, T4200); 2. Its memory is OK(-ish): 4GB; 3. I never cared about eye candy and fluff, I always wanted the snappiest response available with zero visual effects; 4. I've narrowed down my choices to Xfce4 or LXDE (Ubuntu, respectively Mint);
Has anyone gone from one to the other? Which one has provided you with a better experience overall (meaning here not only the Desktop layer, but also the patches and general stability of the respective distribution)? I've tried both and have settled on Xubuntu because it runs faster (particularly on my Netbook) and provides a solid non-Unity experience. Mint is pretty nice too, but I generally recommend it to people who are new to Linux because it comes with more software out-the-box, looks a bit flashier, and seems to be a bit more familiar to people coming from Windows. I can't comment on XUbuntu, but I went from LXDE to Debian+Xfce and finally settled on Debian+OpenBox. If you're really only interested in Xfce vs. LXDE, I'd go with Xfce -- but only because it should be less of a memory hog & I doubt you'll miss much from its heavier cousin. Honestly though, either would probably work fine. Or hey, give OpenBox a crack. :) (Be warned I'm a keyboard junkie, so my love of OpenBox might be tainted by that :) Between the customizable shortcuts + menu & some of my own stuff [http://tomlee.co/code/ginvoke] I rarely have a reason to reach for the mouse outside of the browser.) I have to parrot this suggestion. Xfce is nicer than LXDE, and OpenBox on it's own is better than both once you pick the apps you want to go with it. Hm, I've already looked at OpenBox and quite liked it. Maybe I should take it for a longer spin. XFCE4 on a netbook.. 2gb RAM, Atom... Works awesome and really is my run around, using it alot. xfce is a great DE