Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Enlightenment VS Openbox

Compare Enlightenment VS Openbox and see what are their differences

Enlightenment logo Enlightenment

Enlightenment is not just a window manager for Linux/X11 and others, but also a whole suite of...

Openbox logo Openbox

Openbox is a highly configurable, next generation window manager with extensive standards support.
  • Enlightenment Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-29
  • Openbox Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-06

Enlightenment features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Enlightenment is known for being a lightweight window manager, which means it consumes fewer resources compared to other desktop environments, making it suitable for older or less powerful hardware.
  • Highly Customizable
    The environment offers extensive customization options, allowing users to tailor their user interface and experience according to their personal preferences.
  • Efficient
    Due to its focus on performance and efficiency, Enlightenment can be particularly fast and responsive, which enhances the user experience.
  • Aesthetic Design
    Enlightenment provides a modern and visually appealing design, giving users a unique and attractive desktop experience.

Possible disadvantages of Enlightenment

  • Limited Software Ecosystem
    Compared to more mainstream desktop environments, Enlightenment has a smaller ecosystem, which might result in less software being readily available or supported.
  • Learning Curve
    Due to its unique features and customization options, new users might face a steep learning curve when setting up and using Enlightenment.
  • Stability Concerns
    While generally stable, some users may encounter bugs or issues, particularly with certain configurations or updates.
  • Less Community Support
    As a less common desktop environment, Enlightenment may have a smaller community, which could impact the availability of tutorials, forums, and user support resources.

Openbox features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Openbox is a highly efficient window manager that requires minimal system resources, making it an excellent choice for older hardware or systems with limited resources.
  • Customizable
    Openbox offers extensive customization options, allowing users to tailor the look and feel of their desktop environment to their specific preferences.
  • Fast Performance
    Due to its lightweight nature, Openbox provides fast and responsive performance, resulting in quicker application launches and smoother overall desktop experience.
  • Comprehensive Keybindings
    Openbox supports complex keybindings, enabling power users to create efficient workflow setups through keyboard shortcuts.
  • Extensible
    Openbox can work seamlessly with other tools and additional software, allowing users to extend its capabilities with tools like panels, widgets, and additional plugins.

Possible disadvantages of Openbox

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Openbox requires a more hands-on approach and can be challenging for beginners to set up and configure due to its extensive customization options.
  • Limited Out-of-the-box Features
    Unlike full desktop environments, Openbox does not come with many built-in features, requiring users to install and configure additional software to achieve a fully functional desktop.
  • No Desktop Icons by Default
    Openbox does not support desktop icons natively, so users need to rely on additional tools like 'xfdesktop' or 'pcmanfm' to add this functionality.
  • Minimalistic Appearance
    While some users appreciate the minimalistic look, others might find it too bare-bones compared to more feature-rich environments like GNOME or KDE.
  • Manual Configuration
    Most customizations in Openbox require editing configuration files manually, which can be time-consuming and error-prone for users unfamiliar with text-based configurations.

Analysis of Enlightenment

Overall verdict

  • Enlightenment is a highly respected and efficient window manager and desktop environment.

Why this product is good

  • Enlightenment (enlightenment.org) is known for its modular architecture and rich features. It provides a lightweight, fast, and visually appealing desktop environment with advanced graphical effects and customization options. Its performance and low resource usage make it suitable for older hardware or systems with limited resources.

Recommended for

    Enlightenment is ideal for users who appreciate high customizability and want a visually appealing and resource-efficient desktop environment. It's particularly recommended for those with older machines or anyone interested in a unique alternative to mainstream desktop environments.

Analysis of Openbox

Overall verdict

  • Openbox is a great choice for users seeking a lightweight and highly customizable window management solution. Its performance benefits on lower-end hardware and flexibility make it a valuable tool for power users and enthusiasts alike.

Why this product is good

  • Openbox is a highly configurable and lightweight window manager for the X Window System. It's known for its speed and simplicity, allowing users to control their desktop environment efficiently. It provides a blank canvas for users wanting to customize their workspace, making it ideal for those who prefer a minimalist setup or have limited system resources. The configuration is done through plain text files, offering flexibility for advanced users who wish to personalize their user experience meticulously.

Recommended for

  • Advanced users looking for customization options
  • Users with older or less powerful hardware
  • Minimalists who prefer a robust yet simplistic interface
  • Linux enthusiasts who enjoy configuring their desktop environment
  • Developers and programmers who want a distraction-free workspace

Enlightenment videos

The Enlightenment [AP World History Review] Unit 5, Topic 1

More videos:

  • Review - APUSH Review: The Enlightenment
  • Review - Enlightenment Review
  • Demo - Enlightenment Desktop Environment Demo

Openbox videos

Get Rid Of That Bloated Desktop Environment And Install Openbox

More videos:

  • Review - Manjaro Openbox: First Impressions and Review
  • Tutorial - Openbox V8S Review- How to get Free TV!!!
  • Review - Open Box Review (Bx8 M-Audio Speakers) #Openbox #SpeakerReview
  • Review - Openbox A1 - Review
  • Review - OPEN BOX - @ikmultimedia TONEX #fyp #opening #openbox #review #guitar

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Enlightenment and Openbox)
Linux
32 32%
68% 68
Desktop Environments
63 63%
37% 37
Window Manager
25 25%
75% 75
Utilities
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Enlightenment and Openbox

Enlightenment Reviews

9 Best Linux Desktop Environments to Use in 2023
This Linux desktop environment acts as a rendering engine that can launch apps, manage the user interface, and even change system settings. The Enlightenment Foundation Libraries (EFL) are used to build an Enlightenment environment.
Source: geekflare.com
Top 10 Best Desktop Environments in 2020
Though you won’t see this desktop environment a lot, people who use it, don’t want to give it away for anything else. Enlightenment allows for very high configurability making it loved by the original Linux lovers.
The 12 Best Linux Desktop Environments
Enlightenment has grown so much, and now it includes a full desktop environment, wearable, TV, and mobile user interface platforms. This Linux desktop environment was started over a decade ago, and initially, it worked as a windows manager project for the x11 system. Enlightenment is not much reputed among Linux users. This Linux desktop environment’s art style is a little...
Source: linuxhint.com

Openbox Reviews

Top 10 Best Desktop Environments in 2020
People who’re deep into Linux, love Openbox’s simplicity. It’s extremely lightweight, and comes with only a text-based right-click menu that lists all your applications. The menu is customizable too, and you can add scripts or functions within the menu as a link.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Enlightenment seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 4 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Enlightenment mentions (4)

  • Enlightenment Desktop 0.25.0 released
    As for modern and sleek - isn't the default flat theme that's there now just that. It's what everyone wants? Flat? Sleek? Minimal shadows where needed for some borders/depth. Is the problem that it's dark? You can just select one of the light color palettes in the palette selector if that's what you want. Look at enlightenment.org and all the screenshots there now or just try the latest. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Enlightenment Desktop 0.25.0 released
    Don't give up too fast - it may be the thing you want exists and it just isn't where you expect it or there's a feature you just don't know is there. It may be it does something differently and it's odd at the start but then you get used to it and then suddenly you can't go back. This happened to people early in the E-0.17 rewrite where E would separate each screen and virtual desktops are switched separately per... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Enlightenment Desktop 0.25.0 released
    Hmmm... Not really. e uses about half the memory. I just updated the the about-enlightenment page on enlightenment.org with some numbers I took from an actual installed vm comparing e, xfce, gnome, kde, lxd, and lxqt. e is about 1/4 the mem of kde and even less than lxqt. You might find e is actually more customizable than kde if you dig into themes and how they work. They are sheer mountains of power if you want... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Follow-up to: I want Linux from Win as soon as I wake up, spent hours over the past days reading and watching videos about various Linux distros and have found 4 that might suit me. Also, I am afraid that my PC (Windows 10) might break down again, and I'd like to move to Linux before that happens.
    You could try Enlightenment, an old, forgotten gem. I use a distro designed for it (Elive Linux) but that's optional especially since the betas which are the only supported versions not using Debian Wheezy are using an "outdated-looking" (personally I like it) E16 desktop. Source: about 4 years ago

Openbox mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Openbox yet. Tracking of Openbox recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Enlightenment and Openbox, you can also consider the following products

Xfce - Xfce is a lightweight desktop environment for UNIX-like operating systems. It aims to be fast and low on system resources, while still being visually appealing and user friendly.

i3 - A dynamic tiling window manager designed for X11, inspired by wmii, and written in C.

dwm - dwm is a dynamic window manager for X. It manages windows in tiled, monocle and floating layouts. All of the layouts can be applied dynamically, optimising the environment for the application in use and the task performed.

KDE Plasma Desktop - Plasma Workspaces is the umbrella term for all graphical environments provided by KDE.

awesome - A dynamic window manager for the X Window System developed in the C and Lua programming languages.

IceWM - icewm home page . Bug Tracking. If you have a patch, a bug report or a feature request to submit, please do so at the icewm project page at SourceForge.