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bdow

Member

Registered: 2026-09-06

Posts: 1  

What DE do you prefer to use on Devuan?

I'm running freia, migrated from forky quite recently, the random crashes i have no idea what they even are happening somewhat often, which was also the case on forky. Would you recommend any DE else? If so, please tell me about it!

Have a good one, thanks in advance. X3

Micronaut

Member

Registered: 2019-07-04

Posts: 274  

Re: What DE do you prefer to use on Devuan?

Using an experimental / development platform does have its hazards. I don't think the DE will make much difference. But I have tended to prefer Cinnamon. It's closer than XFCE is to the Windows desktop nearly everyone is used to, and lighter weight than overly fancy things like KDE.

delgado

Member

Registered: 2022-07-14

Posts: 296  

Re: What DE do you prefer to use on Devuan?

Random crashes are unusual and probably pointing to a hardware problem.

That was the case on my first computer, which had a defective cache-RAM-module. At the time, it was sitting in a dedicated slot for a tiny amount of faster RAM. Crashes were completely unpredicteable - time span between 15 minutes and a few day.

Since then, I tend to "reconnect" (pull out and press in again) RAM modules, when strange things happens.

DE:
Still on LXDE - just works for me.

Camtaf

Member

Registered: 2019-11-19

Posts: 567  

Re: What DE do you prefer to use on Devuan?

Nowadays, happy with XFCE.

(Used to regularly use Fluxbox beforehand).

Andre4freedom

Member

Registered: 2017-11-15

Posts: 269  

Re: What DE do you prefer to use on Devuan?

I'm very happy with Cinnamon, but I like XFCE too.

Calamity

Member

Registered: 2021-10-23

Posts: 95  

Website

Re: What DE do you prefer to use on Devuan?

I'm on XFCE currently as well, I also like LXQt and IceWM.

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skidicarus

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2026-09-01

Posts: 1  

Re: What DE do you prefer to use on Devuan?

XFCE on my laptop and KDE on my desktop. Haven't had any issues with either.

rolfie

Member

Registered: 2017-11-25

Posts: 1,504  

Re: What DE do you prefer to use on Devuan?

I started off with Mate desktop on ASCII and switched to Cinnamon on Beowulf which I am still using.

blackhole

Member

Registered: 2020-03-16

Posts: 243  

Re: What DE do you prefer to use on Devuan?

Which desktop were you using to start with?

You don't seem to be requesting assistance in diagnosing the crashes, so I assume that you have that in hand or are willing to live with it - or you presume that this desktop is the root cause?

In case you do want to diagnose the problem, we would need more details of the crashes, when they occur, what's running, etc? Also what crashes? Is there a kernel panic or does X just segfault for example?

Is your desktop running under X or a wayland compositor? In either case, hardware acceleration can be a factor and thus GPU drivers. You would need to provide a lot more in the way of details...

Failing all that, it could be a hardware issue, as suggested above.

Last edited by blackhole (2026-09-08 08:27:29)

yohno

Member

Registered: 2019-09-25

Posts: 24  

Re: What DE do you prefer to use on Devuan?

I am with Xfce4 with Openbox now on Freia. I have been with some difficulties from the net install iso's of Freia for Lxqt and Xfce4 since last week so I decided  to migrate from one of debian stable xfce4 iso's today. Now I am happy now.
Two or three weeks ago, I could install lxqt from the previous one but I have been keep failing to have the GOOD initial environment from both of net install iso's since last week. I started my linux journey from ascii with mostly openbox. No more i3!

Please provide the clear explanation of your problem and/pr issue so that some knowledgeable SMEs could provide you some better advice .....

Yoshi

PedroReina

Member

From: Madrid, Spain

Registered: 2019-01-13

Posts: 307  

Website

Re: What DE do you prefer to use on Devuan?

I settled on KDE many years ago. Although we as power users can use any DE (or just plain CLI), I have to facilitate things for the normal users I share computers with, and I find it easier to do with KDE. I remember using KDE kiosk, for example.

Valera

Member

Registered: 2026-01-25

Posts: 39  

Re: What DE do you prefer to use on Devuan?

My main DE is Enlightenment E27, then SonicDE, LXQT and XFCE. I would recommend SonicDE.

sgage

Member

Registered: 2016-12-01

Posts: 346  

Re: What DE do you prefer to use on Devuan?

Been on MATE since Jessie. I tried to like XFCE, but something about it puts me off. Same thing with KDE - I keep trying but it doesn't quite click. This is not some moral judgement, nor a judgement on technical merit. I think it's more simply my particular aesthetic sense, the combination of simplicity yet integration that hits some sort of sweet spot for me.

Mercury

Member

Registered: 2024-11-14

Posts: 46  

Re: What DE do you prefer to use on Devuan?

XFCE works well enough for me.

Many years ago I tried GNOME and found it so unfriendly and unintuitive that it nearly put me off Linux entirely. It was downright odd in how it appeared simple but nothing about it jelled with me, like a UI "uncanny valley".

I moved to KDE for a while and liked it well enough. It wasn't quite as simple but it knew what it wanted to be and did it well. Pretty to look at. I gave it up simply because I wanted something less resource-hungry.

XFCE isn't perfect but I found my groove with it and have been using it for a decade now. I stopped chasing perfection in favor of consistency.

Last edited by Mercury (Yesterday 21:40:29)

sgage

Member

Registered: 2016-12-01

Posts: 346  

Re: What DE do you prefer to use on Devuan?

Never heard Gnome described as a UI 'uncanny valley' experience - I completely agree! That is my reaction as well.

'I stopped chasing perfection in favor of consistency.'

My feeling exactly...