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GNUstep VS Xfce

Compare GNUstep VS Xfce and see what are their differences

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Contents:
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  2. » Videos
  3. » Reviews
  4. » Alternatives

GNUstep logo GNUstep

GNUstep is a mature Framework, suited both for advanced GUI desktop applications as well as server...

Xfce logo 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.
  • GNUstep Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-21
  • Xfce Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-04

GNUstep videos

+ Add

PureDarwin Xmas | Community Version of Mac OS Core. GNUStep

Xfce videos

+ Add

Fully functional? - Xfce 4.14 First Impressions

More videos:

  • Review - Debian 10 XFCE Review
  • Review - Xfce Desktop Overview

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GNUstep and Xfce)

GNUstep

Xfce

Linux
8 8%
Linux
92% 92
Window Manager
20 20%
Window Manager
80% 80
Operating Systems
5 5%
Operating Systems
95% 95
Desktop Environments
12 12%
Desktop Environments
88% 88

User comments

Share your experience with using GNUstep and Xfce. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

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

GNUstep Reviews

We have no reviews of GNUstep yet.
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Xfce Reviews

9 Best Linux Desktop Environments to Use in 2023
XFCE is compatible with a wide range of Linux distros. Xfce does not offer sophisticated modifications, yet it is the most performance-oriented desktop environment. It’s a compact desktop environment with a comprehensive user interface. XFCE can be installed on a variety of UNIX systems. It has been reported to compile on Ubuntu, NetBSD, Solaris, Cygwin, OpenBSD, and macOS...
Source: geekflare.com
The 8 Best Ubuntu Desktop Environments (22.04 Jammy Jellyfish Linux)
Cinnamon desktop is another fork of the GNOME desktop. It has a rather conservative design and is similar to Xfce. It is uncomplicated to learn and from this reason might be a good choice for someone who is new to Linux.
Source: linuxconfig.org
Top 10 Best Desktop Environments in 2020
Lightweight and Low-resource can be considered the same, but in this case, there’s a difference. XFCE is a lightweight desktop environment even with a whole lot of built-in customizations and UI perks. LXDE, on the other hand, is a DE that is built to be as low-resource as possible. You certainly can add animations, but they need to be downloaded separately.
Source: www.journaldev.com
The 12 Best Linux Desktop Environments
At first look, Xfce looks a bit older and boring, but we assure you that your mindset will change after unpacking it because it is one of the best Linux lightweight desktop environments available. Xfce is becoming one of the most reliable choices, but it has a comparatively small team for development that results in late updates. Nowadays, many users think that Xfce is an...
Source: linuxhint.com
The Best Desktop Environments For Linux (We Tested Them So That You Don’t Have To)
Xfce is light on resources but proves to provide a feature-rich user experience. If you need a performance-centric desktop environment without needing advanced customizations, Xfce is a great choice to go with.
Source: itsfoss.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Xfce should be more popular than GNUstep. It has been mentiond 19 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.

GNUstep mentions (2)

  • The Linux GUI toolkit situation, or why Electron (or similar) is sadly the future.
    I agree with your other comment that a single UI that looks 100% "native" everywhere is a pipe dream. I don't know why certain people keep chasing that rainbow. As someone else noted, "native" isn't even really defined on Linux. For example, I use Window Maker, which has a very different UI than GNOME and KDE—it's not based on GNUstep but has a similar look and integrates well with it. On Linux there are people... Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Hacker News top posts: Dec 13, 2021
    GNUstep: Open-source, Object-oriented, Cross-platform Development Environment\ (71 comments). Source: over 2 years ago

Xfce mentions (19)

  • distro hopping
    Pick up your Desktop Environment based on your computer's specs, NOT on your visual preferences. (HINT: XFCE consumes way less system resources than GNOME and KDE). Source: 6 months ago
  • Lightweight dev tools.
    It’s a bit of an interesting challenge and has forced me to re-examine some of my tool usage. I started by a minimal install of Debian “bookworm” with the XFCE Desktop Environment which chews through much fewer resources than the default GNOME 43 based environment (although more than LXDE - but there still has to be room for aesthetics). - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • I Still Use Windows 95 (archived, 2008)
    Luckily you can get an efficient, clean Desktop Environment that works well and is actively developed: Xfce ( https://xfce.org/ ) I think you will like it. It has a very early-2000's feel IMO. - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
  • best lightweight linux distro for old laptop and gaming
    Well, it depends. It was better experience than FreeBSD 7.2 that's for sure. :) It was running Xorg with https://i3wm.org, a web-server, XMPP-server, PostgreSQL, few bots and dovecot / postfix (e-mail server). It was doing fine routing internet for 2PCs and a WiFi router for 10 years until its HDD died. For gaming... erm... I was able to play something like Theme Hospital or Syndicate Wars in dosbox. You have to... Source: about 1 year ago
  • Only one of the four XFCE4's desktop/workspace got hung and now I can't use wallpaper
    Another resource for help might be xfce.org. It's a low traffic site, but responsive. Source: about 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing GNUstep and Xfce, you can also consider the following products

LXDE - Why will you like it? Less resource needs. You can use it on your less-pricey embedded board or salvaged computer. Component-based design. Don't want something in LXDE, or you don't want to use LXDE but only part of it?

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

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

Window Maker - Window Maker is a free and open-source window manager for the X Window System

LXQt - The LXQt team is proud to announce the release of qtermwidget and qterminal, both in version 0. 8. 0. Read more..

Openbox - Openbox is a highly configurable, next generation window manager with extensive standards support.

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