Why only KDE, XFCe and Fluxbox

[LinuxSpring1]

MX comes with 3 desktop environment only KDE, XFCe and Fluxbox. Why was GNOME 2/3 or MATE left out? Was there any design reason or some steps that GNOME team took which do not make it appealing for what MX Linux is about? Or some other reason?

I am not looking to start a flame war over here. Just wanted to know the reasons. Do not want to challenge or cast doubt on the wisdom of choosing these 3 Desktop environments only.

[chrispop99]

Personal choice of the developers I guess.

There are a total of seven different versions now, and a team that consists entirely of volunteers, so developing, testing and maintaining another version would not be feasible.

Chris

[Freja]

I'm not joining to MX's system building, (Only Art/MX Looks Design)
This view is as one MX user.
Probably it's needs strongly focus to only 3 Desktop Environments.

So if MX have many many Desktop Environments,
Development (Adjust Desktop Environments settings,design,etc) will can't take perfect control,
They are will not reach to high-completeness.

To realize high-completeness, MX Dev team focusing on only 3 Desktop Environments. (I'm wrong?)

XFCE - Simple. The de facto standard of DE.
KDE - Mepis adopted KDE.
Fluxbox - Some MX users wants lightweight more than XFCE.

I think so, if I'm wronged, Please correct feel free!

[dolphin_oracle]

We started with Xfce only. we added KDE and fluxbox out of community and dev team member interest. We don't have much interest in adding gnome, mate, or anything else really. No particular problem with those desktops, but three is enough for our team to support.

[rokytnji.1]

I figure they were nice enough to make a Minimal Iso release.

Then one can fly to their hearts content.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/mx-lin ... X-Minimal/

Make your own.

[AVLinux]

I figure they were nice enough to make a Minimal Iso release.

Then one can fly to their hearts content.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/mx-lin ... X-Minimal/

Make your own.

Further to that...

The MX Developers have included MX Snapshot which is essentially a tool to roll your own version of MX exactly how you like it, and if you aren't comfortable with that the MX Forum has a complete section for custom Respins and there are several folks there who are very skilled with using MX Snapshot: @Senpai , @user-green @Joseph DeGarmo @rasat and others. These are people who have taken the time and care to make and share custom Respins with Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon and other common alternatives and although their Spins are not 'official' MX releases they contain all of the great MX Extras that make MX the amazing thing that it is. I would have no concerns at all about installing Respins by these folks, they are regulars on the forum and routinely answer questions and release updated and fixed ISO's of their work.

This way the MX Developers need only support their three official variants and by brilliantly sharing their build system people looking for alternatives are also looked after in a less official but still largely supported capacity. I personally don't know any other Distro Community that is so collaborative in this way and it is a testament to the generosity of the Development team.

[Artim]

I experimented with a Slackware derivative called SalixOS for a bit because I was scared of systemd. It was really fast and ultralight (Xfce) and I could not add any Gnome stuff to it. Someone on their forum said it's because Gnome depends on systemd. I wonder if that's maybe part of the reason... we can get Gnome stuff on MX because it "has" systemd but only uses it as a dependency for other stuff but not init. With the option to boot into systemd-init, you can do all the Gnome / MATE stuff you want.

[uncle mark]

Mx was originally conceived as a full featured but lightweight system to breathe life into old netbooks. Hence the use of XFCE. The vertical panel is one design decision that was made with that in mind. KDE was later developed and offered to those of us old Mepis heads who really really wanted our good ol' KDE back. (It's what brought me back into the fold.) As far as Fluxbox, I think that's just some old goof's hobby project. :-)

[Jerry3904]

For the record: the choice of Xfce and the vertical panel was mine at the very beginning because I liked both and wanted to create an OS for myself. That was before there was any thought about its future.

[LinuxSpring1]

XFCE - Simple. The de facto standard of DE.
KDE - Mepis adopted KDE.
Fluxbox - Some MX users wants lightweight more than XFCE.

I think so, if I'm wronged, Please correct feel free!

Fluxbox is more light weight than XFCE? I was under the impression that only LXDE was more light weight.

We started with Xfce only. we added KDE and fluxbox out of community and dev team member interest. We don't have much interest in adding gnome, mate, or anything else really. No particular problem with those desktops, but three is enough for our team to support.

Thanks @dolphin_oracle that helps.

I experimented with a Slackware derivative called SalixOS for a bit because I was scared of systemd. It was really fast and ultralight (Xfce) and I could not add any Gnome stuff to it. Someone on their forum said it's because Gnome depends on systemd. I wonder if that's maybe part of the reason... we can get Gnome stuff on MX because it "has" systemd but only uses it as a dependency for other stuff but not init. With the option to boot into systemd-init, you can do all the Gnome / MATE stuff you want.

@Artim one of my reasons for coming to MX Linux was not to use SystemD. I have nothing against it, it is just that systems with SystemD tend to be slow to boot and do not age well. That is not the case with SysVInit. I hope MX Linux continues to give the option to run non SystemD. Any chance of MX Linux giving an option to use runit too? Or do I have to go and get a Respin?

Mx was originally conceived as a full featured but lightweight system to breathe life into old netbooks. Hence the use of XFCE. The vertical panel is one design decision that was made with that in mind. KDE was later developed and offered to those of us old Mepis heads who really really wanted our good ol' KDE back. (It's what brought me back into the fold.) As far as Fluxbox, I think that's just some old goof's hobby project. :-)

@uncle mark Good old KDE is back. It is good that KDE did not go through the schism that GNOME went when it transitioned from GNOME 2 to 3. I also hope that as my system ages, MX and its lightweight attributes will help me in prolonging its use. Thus minimizing the impact both financially and ecologically. Hope to do more with less.

For the record: the choice of Xfce and the vertical panel was mine at the very beginning because I liked both and wanted to create an OS for myself. That was before there was any thought about its future.

It was an inspired choice @Jerry3904. It will help MX Linux.