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Xfce VS Cairo Shell

Compare Xfce VS Cairo Shell and see what are their differences

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Contents:
  1. » Base Details
  2. » Videos
  3. » Reviews
  4. » Alternatives

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.

Cairo Shell logo Cairo Shell

Cairo is a desktop environment for Windows.
  • Xfce Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-04
  • Cairo Shell Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-19

Xfce features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Xfce is known for its minimal resource usage, making it an excellent choice for older machines and systems with limited resources.
  • Fast Performance
    Due to its lightweight nature, Xfce provides fast and responsive performance, even on less powerful hardware.
  • Highly Customizable
    Xfce offers a high degree of customization, allowing users to tweak the desktop environment to fit their preferences.
  • Stable and Reliable
    Xfce has a reputation for being stable and reliable, reducing the likelihood of crashes and other issues.
  • Active Development
    The project benefits from an active community of developers and regular updates, which helps keep the desktop environment secure and up-to-date.
  • Good Balance
    Xfce strikes a good balance between functionality and simplicity, providing essential features without becoming bloatware.
  • Low Learning Curve
    Thanks to its intuitive interface, Xfce is relatively easy for new users to pick up and understand quickly.

Possible disadvantages of Xfce

  • Limited Eye Candy
    Compared to more modern desktop environments like GNOME or KDE Plasma, Xfce may appear less visually appealing due to fewer graphical effects.
  • Less Out-of-the-box Functionality
    While customizable, Xfce might require additional configuration and setup to provide some of the advanced functionalities available in other desktop environments.
  • Limited Applications
    Xfce does not come with as many pre-installed applications as some other desktop environments, potentially requiring users to spend additional time installing needed software.
  • Less Innovation
    Being conservative in its design, Xfce tends to be slower in adopting cutting-edge features or trends compared to other, more dynamic environments.
  • Fragmented Ecosystem
    Some may find the ecosystem fragmented because different distributions may package Xfce differently, leading to inconsistencies across different Linux distributions.

Cairo Shell features and specs

  • Customization
    Cairo Shell allows for extensive customization of the desktop environment, enabling users to tailor the user interface to their specific needs and preferences.
  • Efficiency
    The shell is designed to provide a more streamlined and efficient workflow by offering features like a customizable taskbar and better window management.
  • Aesthetic
    Cairo Shell offers a modern and visually appealing interface compared to the default Windows desktop environment, which might be more appealing to some users.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source project, Cairo Shell is free to use and benefits from community contributions, fostering continuous improvement and bug fixes.
  • Unified Search
    Cairo Shell includes a unified search feature, which makes it easier to locate files, applications, and web content quickly from a single search bar.

Possible disadvantages of Cairo Shell

  • Compatibility
    Cairo Shell might not be fully compatible with all software and system configurations, which can lead to stability issues or reduced functionality.
  • Learning Curve
    New users might experience a learning curve when transitioning from the default Windows interface to Cairo Shell, impacting productivity until they become accustomed to the new environment.
  • Performance
    On some systems, Cairo Shell might consume more resources than the default Windows interface, potentially impacting system performance, especially on older hardware.
  • Support
    As a community-driven project, professional support might be limited compared to commercial software, potentially making it more challenging to resolve issues.
  • Feature Parity
    Cairo Shell might lack certain features available in the default Windows interface or other third-party shells, potentially limiting its usability for some users.

Analysis of Xfce

Overall verdict

  • Xfce is considered a good desktop environment, especially for those who prioritize speed and efficiency over the latest visual effects. It successfully delivers a stable and traditional user experience while being highly customizable and lightweight.

Why this product is good

  • Xfce is a widely praised desktop environment for its lightweight and resource-efficient nature, making it an excellent choice for older hardware or systems with limited resources. It provides a clean, customizable, and user-friendly interface that balances simplicity and functionality. The modular design of Xfce allows users to choose only the components they need, further optimizing performance. Additionally, Xfce is known for its stability and reliability, contributing to its reputation as a solid choice for both novice and advanced users.

Recommended for

  • Users with older or less powerful computers
  • Individuals who value system performance and speed
  • People who prefer a simple and straightforward interface
  • Linux users looking for a reliable and stable desktop environment
  • Those who want a highly customizable desktop experience without sacrificing performance

Xfce videos

+ Add

Fully functional? - Xfce 4.14 First Impressions

More videos:

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

Cairo Shell videos

No Cairo Shell videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Xfce and Cairo Shell)

Xfce

Cairo Shell

Linux
100 100%
Linux
0% 0
Note Taking
0 0%
Note Taking
100% 100
Operating Systems
100 100%
Operating Systems
0% 0
Image Optimisation
0 0%
Image Optimisation
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 Xfce and Cairo Shell

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

Cairo Shell Reviews

We have no reviews of Cairo Shell yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Xfce should be more popular than Cairo Shell. 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.

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: almost 2 years 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 / about 2 years 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 / over 2 years 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: over 2 years 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: over 2 years ago
View more

Cairo Shell mentions (2)

  • Microsoft is turning Windows 11's Start Menu into an advertisement delivery system
    Back when I was an edgy teenager I tried every Windows desktop shell replacement available. My favorites were LiteStep and Emerge Desktop. I was there when Cairo Shell first emerged but has never tried a working version since I moved to other OSes before any usable version was out. I am now using Windows for work and I think it’s time to revisit these options. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • My first personal server
    Hyper-V Server 2019 gets my vote, with the Cairo Desktop it's a near unbeatable setup. Add the FoD pack, browser of your choice, Windows Admin Center for local management of the entire system including virtualized guests. It's a very robust enterprise grade server that requires NO LICENSE and ends up having a very nice GUI for a core server. Source: almost 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

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

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

VirtuaWin - VirtuaWin is a virtual desktop manager for the Windows operating system (Win9x/ME/NT/Win2K/XP/Win2003/Vista/Win7/Win10). A virtual desktop manager lets you organize applications over several virtual desktops (also called 'workspaces').

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

Dexpot - If you don't have Dexpot yet, the new update makes it a must-have tool for Windows, adding a ton of features to your desktop that you never knew you wanted.

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

V2 Cloud - Cloud Computing Made Easy: V2 Cloud. Increase Your Productivity, Reduce Costs and Manage Risks with Our No-IT Skills Required Solution.

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