-
Notifications
You must be signed in to change notification settings - Fork 17
GeckoLinux Editions
This is the first and most tested edition of GeckoLinux. It is the edition that the GeckoLinux creator personally uses on most of his machines for daily usage. The Cinnamon desktop environment is an intuitive and polished environment that is highly suitable for beginners and experienced Linux users alike. The principal disadvantage of Cinnamon is that it is developed first and foremost with Linux Mint in mind. While it does run very well on openSUSE, Cinnamon is not an official part of the main openSUSE Leap repositories, and as such is not subject to the same quality control process. Therefore occasionally minor bugs or issues with package upgrades could occur. Such issues are generally minor and quickly resolved. The Cinnamon desktop runs well on old and new computers and is not especially resource intensive. However it does work best with accelerated graphics, and may feel sluggish without them. Notable Cinnamon features include a searchable start menu, and slick dynamic management of virtual desktops with an "Expo" mode that is similar to the exposé mode in Mac OSX.
Another very polished and versatile variation of GeckoLinux is the XFCE edition. The XFCE desktop environment is an official part of openSUSE Leap, and as such it has passed through rigorous quality controls. The XFCE desktop is fast and lightweight on both old and new hardware. It is highly configurable, albeit lacking in flashy features. A notable feature in XFCE is the searchable Whisker menu, which should make Windows 7 users feel right at home.
The Plasma 5 edition of GeckoLinux harks back to openSUSE's roots in KDE support first and foremost. The GeckoLinux configuration of Plasma 5 tries to be very traditional and yet modern. It is configured to render Qt4 and Qt5 applications using the Numix GTK2/GTK3 theme. Application choices in this edition give preference to some of the powerful KDE options that exist, but they are not preferred in detriment to functionality if a superior GTK option exists. A lot of work has been done to provide unified theming and consistent font rendering across the board. Plasma 5 is not recommended for new Linux users, as its plethora of options and occasional instabilities and glitches can prove frustrating for many. A known bug in the Plasma 5 edition is its tendency to revert back to the default "Breeze" color scheme. If this happens, simply search for "color" in the start menu and set it back to "Numix".
The Gnome Shell environment is a highly polarizing desktop that generally provokes either strong negative or strong positive reactions in users. It is not recommended for most new Linux users. However, some Apple users and others with a strong preference for clean, slick interfaces may find it attractive. The Gnome Shell environment is fast and polished, albeit extremely limited in customization options. The Gnome Tweak tool has been provided out of the box to allow for configuration of certain options.