From 0dca5097ad7e98c7297daa3841b9e2ac69479845 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Hyperling Date: Thu, 16 Jul 2026 12:26:51 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] Make Cinnamon the chosen desktop. --- .../posts/blog/20260715-farewell-debian.md | 24 +++++++++++++++---- 1 file changed, 20 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-) diff --git a/content/posts/blog/20260715-farewell-debian.md b/content/posts/blog/20260715-farewell-debian.md index 2bf5e49..8a22d27 100644 --- a/content/posts/blog/20260715-farewell-debian.md +++ b/content/posts/blog/20260715-farewell-debian.md @@ -58,13 +58,29 @@ Please ensure you are following this guide from an updated system. Installing la # apt update && apt upgrade ``` -## Changing Desktop Environments - `LXQt` +## Swapping Desktop Environments -The first thing needed is to drop `GNOME`, so its replacement will need installed. I chose to go with `LXQt` since it's a full-fledged DE with very minimal system requirements. Sounds great for battery life! +[[TBD The first thing needed is to drop `GNOME`, so its replacement will need installed. + +### Cinnamon + +After testing a few DE's, I ended up choosing Cinnamon to be my "polished" choice while I work on getting DWM to support things like volume and brightness control keys. It handles the trackpad gestures I'm used to and "just works" without being too bloated. + +I also chose to go with `lightdm` over `sddm` for simplicity plus I'm familiar with it. `sddm` seemed a little too fancy and did not have an aestetic I liked in the default configuration. I just want to log on to my system and be productive, not spend too much extra time beautifying it. + +```console +# apt install task-cinnamon-display lightdm +``` + +### LXQt + +Initially I thought to go with `LXQt` since it's a full-fledged DE with very minimal system requirements. Sounds great for battery life! Unfortunately it did not support basic trackpad gestures like two fingers to double click, special keys for brightness / volume, and felt a bit lacking in keyboard shortcuts like Super to open the Start Menu. + +I'd rather get my DWM working than have another DE which I need to learn and configure. I was more looking for something simple that didn't need any additional setup out of the box. It didn't seem bad, otherwise. Just more work than I was looking for. - {{% external-link "Source for this section : linuxcapable.com/how-to-install-lxqt-on-debian-linux" "https://linuxcapable.com/how-to-install-lxqt-on-debian-linux/" %}} -### Full Experience +#### Full Experience I went with the full desktop task since this was my first introduction to the DE and I wanted the full experience. Even with all its bloat, it still comes **nowhere near** the size of `GNOME`. @@ -72,7 +88,7 @@ I went with the full desktop task since this was my first introduction to the DE # apt install task-lxqt-desktop ``` -### Lean Experience +#### Lean Experience For a leaner approach which may not provide as full of an experience, the metapackage `lxqt` can be installed on its own.