Sometimes you need to get the most out of an old PC. Other times you have a high-performance system and want to dedicate all of that power to the task at hand. Either way, keeping everything as slim as possible is key. When you install Linux, there’s not a whole lot that you can easily modify in order to cut down on crud—except for one thing: your desktop environment.
If you want a lightweight Linux desktop, you need to choose the right environment.
有時(shí)候，你想把閑置的舊電腦充分利用起來(lái)。有時(shí)候，你想擁有高性能的系統(tǒng)并且希望發(fā)揮它的全部性能用來(lái)處理手頭事物。無(wú)論哪種情景，保持內(nèi)容盡可能小是關(guān)鍵。安裝Linux時(shí)，除了減少一件事情之外，你沒有太多可以修改的東西：桌面環(huán)境。
如果你想要一個(gè)輕量級(jí)的Linux桌面，你需要選擇一個(gè)正確的桌面環(huán)境。
What Is a Desktop Environment?
A desktop environment is the interface you see on screen. It’s the panel across the top and bottom. It handles how you switch between apps and manage windows.
Some desktop environments come with niceties that require more system resources, such as animations and transparent windows. Others try to provide a lightweight Linux desktop with as little impact to system resources as possible.
什么是桌面環(huán)境？
一個(gè)桌面環(huán)境是指你可以在屏幕上看到的界面。它是頂部和底部的面板。 它處理關(guān)于你如何在應(yīng)用程序之間切換效果和管理視窗桌面。
某些桌面環(huán)境具有精美的外觀，但需要占用更多的系統(tǒng)資源，例如動(dòng)畫和透明窗口。 有的人則試圖提供一種輕量級(jí)的Linux桌面，讓它對(duì)系統(tǒng)資源的使用盡可能小。
The Best Lightweight Linux Desktop Environments
There are several desktop environments that don’t require much to run and to run well. Let’s look at some of your best options.
最常見的輕量級(jí)Linux桌面環(huán)境
這里有幾種桌面環(huán)境不占用很多系統(tǒng)資源就能很好地運(yùn)行。讓我們來(lái)看看一些適合你的最佳選擇吧。
Xfce
Xfce is the oldest of the popular lightweight Linux desktop environments. It uses the GTK+ toolkit, just like the more popular GNOME interface that serves as the default for Ubuntu and Fedora (two of the largest Linux-based desktops out there).
Xfce is an environment you can scale up or down to fit your tastes. You won’t find animations here, but if you like transparent windows, shadows, and similar niceties, you have the option.
Xfce hasn’t changed much over the years, so increased system requirements are often due to the size of default apps. Mozilla Firefox is more bloated than it was back in the day. Yet this will be true regardless of which lightweight Linux desktop environment you choose.
Xfce是流行的輕量級(jí)Linux桌面環(huán)境中最古老的。它使用GTK +工具包2，就像其他流行的GNOME界面一樣。它是Ubuntu和Fedora（兩個(gè)用戶較多的Linux的桌面）的默認(rèn)界面。
Xfce是一個(gè)你可以根據(jù)自己的需求放大或縮小界面的桌面環(huán)境。 但你不會(huì)在它找到過(guò)渡動(dòng)畫。如果您喜歡透明的窗口，陰影或類似的裝飾，那么是可以設(shè)置的。
Xfce多年來(lái)變化不大，因此對(duì)系統(tǒng)資源的要求通常是由于默認(rèn)應(yīng)用的大小所致，如Firefox瀏覽器3比過(guò)去更加腫。 但是，無(wú)論您選擇哪種輕量級(jí)Linux桌面環(huán)境，這都是正確的。
MATE
MATE is a fork of GNOME 2 that formed when GNOME was transitioning to version 3.0. If you’ve ever used a version of GNOME from before 2011, then you’ve essentially used MATE. Some things have changed, but the fundamentals remain the same.
MATE is slightly glossier than Xfce, but not by much. Back in the GNOME 2 days4, Xfce was considered a lightweight alternative. GNOME 3 has changed and added so much since then that the distance between Xfce and GNOME 2 seems much smaller.
MATE是GNOME 2的分支，它是在GNOME過(guò)渡到3.0版時(shí)形成的。 如果你曾經(jīng)使用過(guò)2011年之前的GNOME版本，那么您實(shí)際上是在使用MATE。 有些內(nèi)容已經(jīng)改變，但基本原理保持不變。
MATE比Xfce更華麗，但區(qū)別不是很大。 回到GNOME 2 4主流的時(shí)期，Xfce被認(rèn)為是一種輕量級(jí)的替代方案。 到了GNOME 3時(shí)期，發(fā)生了變化并增加了很多新優(yōu)化，以至于Xfce和GNOME 2之間的距離似乎要小得多。
LXQt (Formerly LXDE)
A few years ago, LXDE was considered the lightest graphical desktop environment around. It launched in seconds and only used a couple hundred megabytes of RAM. You could revive a Windows XP machine with an interface that felt very similar.
LXDE is so light that the Raspberry Pi makers used this code to create Raspbian, the device’s official operating system.
LXDE uses GTK+ 2, which is now very dated code. The lead developer took issue with GTK+ 3 and decided to switch to Qt instead. He combined his efforts with the RazorQt team to create LXQt, to replace LXDE which is being discontinued.
LXDE and LXQt use interchangeable components with very few dependencies (background components required for software to function). A lightweight app with many dependencies can still slow your system down; this is why the apps you run matters nearly as much as your choice of desktop environment.
LXQt(以前的LXDE)
幾年前，LXDE被認(rèn)為是最輕量的圖形桌面環(huán)境。它在幾秒鐘內(nèi)啟動(dòng)，僅使用了幾百兆的RAM。你可以用這個(gè)與Windows XP相似的桌面環(huán)境使得XP機(jī)器重獲新生。
因?yàn)長(zhǎng)XDE非常輕巧，以至于樹莓派(Raspberry Pi)的制造商使用此代碼來(lái)創(chuàng)建該設(shè)備的官方操作系統(tǒng)Raspbian操作系統(tǒng)。
LXDE使用GTK + 2，它現(xiàn)在是非常過(guò)時(shí)的代碼。 首席開發(fā)人員對(duì)GTK + 3產(chǎn)生了疑問，并決定改用Qt。 他與RazorQt團(tuán)隊(duì)共同努力創(chuàng)建了LXQt，以取代即將停產(chǎn)的LXDE。
LXDE和LXQt使用具有很少依賴性的可互換組件（軟件運(yùn)行所需的后臺(tái)組件）。具有許多依賴關(guān)系的輕量級(jí)應(yīng)用程序仍會(huì)降低系統(tǒng)速度；這就是為什么你運(yùn)行的應(yīng)用程序幾乎與你選擇的桌面環(huán)境一樣重要的原因。
Head-to-Head Comparisons
Need help deciding between any two of the above desktop environments? If you want the most lightweight desktop, it’s hard to beat LXQt or LXDE. But there are reasons many people prefer one of the alternatives. Here are things to keep in mind when comparing two of these interfaces directly.
正面互相對(duì)比
需要幫助在上述桌面環(huán)境任意兩者之間的抉擇？如果你想選擇最輕量的桌面，那么很難在LXQt和LXDE之間決出勝負(fù)。對(duì)于這兩個(gè)選項(xiàng)，人們鐘情于自己的選擇都有各自合理的理由。這里提供參考的對(duì)比選項(xiàng)當(dāng)你想直接對(duì)比這些桌面環(huán)境中兩者的差異時(shí)。
LXQt/LXDE vs. Xfce
LXQt and LXDE are lighter than Xfce, but that’s only part of the story. Put bluntly, LXDE looks basic. With enough effort, Xfce can feel like a more modern desktop environment. The primary difference between LXQt and Xfce is that LXQt uses Qt rather than GTK+. If you prefer GTK+, you’re better off using Xfce.
LXQt/LXDE 和Xfce
LXQt和LXDE比Xfce輕，但這只是一部分。 坦率地說(shuō)，LXDE看起來(lái)很基礎(chǔ)。 通過(guò)足夠的折騰，Xfc也e可以看起來(lái)像一個(gè)更現(xiàn)代的桌面環(huán)境。 LXQt和Xfce之間的主要區(qū)別在于LXQt 使用Qt而不是GTK +。 如果您更喜歡GTK +，最好使用Xfce。
LXQt/LXDE vs. MATE
LXDE is lighter than MATE, but MATE is a more feature complete desktop. Newcomers may find that MATE is easier to grasp. While neither desktop is hard to use, MATE presents apps and information in a way where less technical knowledge is required to find your way around.
Again, with LXQt vs MATE, the primary different again comes down to Qt vs GTK+. What kind of apps do you prefer? If you prefer Qt software and you want a lighter desktop, then LXQt is a no-brainer.
LXQt/LXDE 和 MATE
LXDE比MATE更輕量，但MATE是一個(gè)功能更完善的桌面。新手可能會(huì)覺得MATE更好掌握。盡管兩種桌面都不難使用，但MATE只需較少的技術(shù)知識(shí)就能找到所需的方式來(lái)展示應(yīng)用和信息。
同樣，關(guān)于LXQt vs MATE，主要區(qū)別再次歸結(jié)為Qt vs GTK +。您喜歡哪種應(yīng)用？ 如果您更喜歡Qt軟件并且想要更輕便的桌面，那么LXQt無(wú)疑是明智之舉。
Xfce vs. MATE
Out of the box, MATE has a few more bells and whistles5 than Xfce, but it’s also a little less customizable. You might find that it feels a little bit more put together. Xfce uses fewer resources, but this advantage begins to erode as you install and run apps that depend on GNOME libraries. Really, when it comes to MATE vs Xfce, you’re kind of splitting hairs.
Xfce和MATE
MATE開箱即用，比Xfce華麗一些，但因這樣可定制性也略差一些。你可能會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)這兩個(gè)放在一起比較有點(diǎn)不必要。Xfce使用較少的資源，但是當(dāng)你安裝和運(yùn)行依賴GNOME庫(kù)的應(yīng)用程序時(shí)，這種優(yōu)勢(shì)開始減弱。確實(shí)，當(dāng)比較MATE與Xfce時(shí)，它們各自的特色讓給你感到難分伯仲。
Your Lightweight Linux Desktop Could Be Even Lighter
If you know your way around Linux, then you can build your own system using whatever components you want. Rather than installing a full-blown desktop environment, you can opt for a window manager. Openbox and fluxbox are two options. If you want to try a tiling window manager, consider i36, Xmonad7, and awesome8. Then there’s dwm, which is more of a jack of all trades.
But there’s only so much you can do. LXQt uses Openbox, and you will be hard pressed to find lighter background components than the ones LXQt provides. So your machine won’t get much lighter unless you stick entirely to the terminal. The most straightforward option for less technical or busy users is to install a lightweight Linux desktop distribution.
你的輕量Linux桌面或許可以更輕
如果您了解Linux的使用方法，則可以使用所需的任何組件來(lái)構(gòu)建自己的系統(tǒng)。你可以選擇窗口管理器，而不是安裝完善的桌面環(huán)境。 Openbox和fluxbox是兩個(gè)選項(xiàng)。 如果您想嘗試平鋪窗口管理器，請(qǐng)考慮使用i3，Xmonad和Awesome(不是王自如的表情)。
但是，您只能做很多事情。 LXQt使用Openbox，將很難找到LXQt提供的背景組件更淺的背景組件。因此，除非你完全操作在終端上，否則機(jī)器的重量不會(huì)減輕很多。對(duì)于技術(shù)含量較低或忙碌的用戶，最直接的選擇是安裝輕量級(jí)的Linux桌面發(fā)行版。
Reference
[1] 原文：The Best Lean Linux Desktop Environment: LXDE vs. Xfce vs. MATE
[2] GTK介紹
[3] 火狐瀏覽器（Firefox）與谷歌瀏覽器區(qū)別在哪里？
[4] 你是否分得清back in the day和back in the days
[5] Bells and whistles 華而不實(shí)的東西
[6] i3 窗口管理器入門
