I've been exploring whether it's possible to solely use Window Managers (WMs) and skip Desktop Environments (DEs) altogether. My journey began with Linux Mint Cinnamon, which I found lacking after a week of use. I ventured into customizing it, inspired by what I saw on r/unixporn, and tried setting up i3, but I struggled and eventually switched to Arch with Hyprland, which I really enjoyed. I even experimented with some customization. Now I have a separate distro just for gaming (CachyOS), and although I'm using KDE Plasma here, I find myself confused about customizing it. I'm curious if sticking only to WMs is a good way to deepen my Linux knowledge. Do many of you exclusively use WMs? Also, any tips or guides for customizing KDE Plasma would be great! (By the way, English isn't my first language, so I apologize if my wording isn't perfect.)
5 Answers
I run ratpoison as my WM directly on Xorg, and it works great without a DE. It's all about personal preference!
Try out Fluxbox; it's a WM that behaves like a DE! As for KDE, it can be hard to customize drastically, but there's a lot of stuff available through the KDE store. If you're set on ricing KDE, check out this guide: [YouTube Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OuaCXWSXFE).
Plenty of folks, myself included, use only WMs. It can be more challenging to set up, but if you know what you're doing, a WM can be just as powerful, if not more so, than a DE!
Absolutely, it's totally fine to operate with just WMs. Many distributions allow you to choose between different WMs or DEs, often without needing to switch distros. You're not limited at all!
Using a DE or just a WM doesn't really impact your Linux learning experience. If you feel more comfortable with Hyprland, stick with it!
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