Gnome is a popular desktop environment for Linux Operating Systems.
Gnome can be found in many Linux distributions as the primary or “default” environment.
Using Gnome, KDE, or any other Desktop Environment can be said to be of personal preference.
I have used both Gnome and KDE and both are wonderful. But I won’t recommend one over the other. I think it’s up to you, the curious and adventurous user, to experiment and see which one you like best.
Let’s not forget that Linux is all about “choice” and—in concept—offers 2 (well… at least 2 anyway) awesome methods of trying out a particular distribution before you install it to your hard drive.
- Live CDs: Live CDs are available for most distributions. Many Linux installation CDs actually provide you with the “Live” experience first, (where your CD/DVD Drive does all the work, leaving your current Operating System untouched) and then provide either icons or menu choices to click when you are sure you are ready to install it.
- As a Virtual Machine: This is considered somewhat advanced for new users of Linux. It requires some setup, and basically allows one to run a 2nd Operating System in an application window (as a “Guest”) while your main computer acts as the “Host” –providing the disk space, RAM, and other system resources required to run the Virtual Machine application.