dreamer wrote: Mon Jun 30, 2025 7:59 am
Let's say you only have 2 GB of RAM and want to use a browser and LibreOffice etc. Then it is better to use a window manager than a complete DE. Pcmanfm-Qt handles the deskop in LXQt so it isn't a good idea to get rid of it. If you remove Thunar from XFCE you will likewise run into problems. A window-manager-only setup is better if RAM is limited.
If you want transparency you need a compositor. Either Openbox (insert favorite wm) with Compton/Picom or as I prefer Xfwm. This will also add to your RAM usage.
Thanks! I became really fond of WM-only setups, and for a while did use picom, until I found out how to make both tint2 and conky transparent without a compositor. Pretty cool.
I've still got MX 23.6 with Xfce, MX 21.3 (?) with Xfce and perhaps IceWM and JWM, and MX 23.6 F-box edition with IceWM, JWM, Openbox, LXDE, and LXQt. I like how things work in both JWM and Openbox (once I got beyond its weirdness of its autostart stuff).
And I actually have one of those low-RAM computers -- an HP Stream 13, 2GB soldered in, "32"GB "SSD" (NOT!) also soldered in, but plugged in a 128 GB SD card that is mounted for /home. It's set up with IceWM atop the MX F-box edition. I tested out lots of different apps to find good ones with decent features that were very light, so I use dunst, parcellite, xfe, lxterminal, audacious, Brave browser (I did an extensive forum writeup on that selection as well as some others for the HP), devmon (vs udiskie), and avoid putting anything in the tint2 system tray that involves a python launcher. These setups are lean and mean.
I could run with either LXDE or LXQt, but at this point, I don't think I'll bother any further. I DO want to try UKUI at some point. I did try i3 but couldn't (yet?) get the hang of it.
Okay, I guess this thread is done. Thanks, all!