MEPIS Community Forum

I'm a fan of Mepis, but not a big fan of KDE. I like lighter desktops and for some reason the font rendering in KDE looks rather bad to me, noticed it in Mepis and Kubuntu. So I'm wondering is there a way to install Xfce in Mepis 11 and get rid of KDE? With Ubuntu 11.10 I installed the Kubuntu desktop, didn't like it and removed it, but it left terrible font rendering behind, I removed the font config file and got back the nice Ubuntu font rendering. Just curious if I can get Xfce instead of KDE in Mepis, and if anything can be done about the font rendering.
Thanks.
KBD

Well you can start by installing xfce from the repos and see how it looks for you. Then there are a couple of threads on the topic that discuss how to remove KDE if you want to (you have to install gdm first, if I remember correctly--but look it up).

I'm a long time MEPIS lover and like you KBD, not a big fan of KDE or any other heavy desktop environment. I've been using Xfce as a replacement for KDE since I first started using MEPIS.

Just open Synaptic and search for xfce, select the meta package for installation (and any recommended packages.) This will get you started using Xfce, you will be able to select this DE from the KDE login in manager.

I've never removed KDE from a MEPIS system just because Xfce is the primary desktop. I would leave well enough alone unless the KDE packages are causing conflicts or problems.

The current version of Xfce is 4.8 however the version you will install from the Squeeze repositories is 4.6. When a 4.8.1 version of Xfce is released I will build from source on my MEPIS 11 system.
MEPIS is usually quite stable / reliable from the first RC candidate, with Xfce I prefer to wait for the point release. (This is not in anyway intended as criticism of the Xfce development team.)

I'll try to stay "tuned" to this thread as time (life) permits ... if you should have any other questions.

I would be curious to know how many MEPIS lovers use Xfce as their primary desktop.

Tom

"The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live." --Author Unknown

Well, I'm using KDE and Fluxbox in Mepis 11, but only Xfce in SalineOS. I also still use Mepis 8, and I have both KDE 3 and Xfce there. But overall, I don't really have a "primary" desktop, I guess. I've got a bunch of different ones I use in different distros.

I agree about not trying to remove KDE; just add Xfce and use that instead, if you want.

Thanks guys! I will leave KDE alone and just add Xfce. Mepis was the first Linux I ever used, so particularly fond of it. I have lost my fondness for KDE though, and prefer Xfce and LXDE now. Love the stability of Mepis.
KBD

The debian-desktop project also hosts a backported Squeeze-compatible xfce 4.8:

http://www.debian-desktop.org/doku.php

I gotta try that

Thanks. That older Xfce is a challenge and quite unpolished compared to the newer version. I'm actually liking KDE on Mepis better than I remember. It is light and fast compared to KDE on other distros.
KBD

I was able to get a basic install on my spare M11 partition adding the repo in Synaptic
then using konsole as root:Very fast for sure, will see about the rest.

That's a good question. Since the introduction of KDE4 and Unity there seems to be more Xfce and LXDE topics at the debian-centric forums I visit, and kubuntu's Trinity version seems to have generated some interest. Even the Mepis Xfce and LXDE community re-spins are still attracting attention; despite the fact that they are "oldstable" with an older kernel.
I'd venture a guess that Mepis11 Xfce/LXDE/Trinty re-spins put up at LinuxTracker would be well received as well as help refresh interest in Mepis.