Ubuntu now uses GNOME Desktop as default GUI experience. Full version requires 2GB disk space and includes additional software. GNOME Desktop Minimal needs only 800MB disk space. Vanilla GNOME offers stripped-down experience with no additional software
Desktop environments provide common interface elements like icons and toolbars. Different environments offer varying performance and hardware requirements. Ubuntu users can install multiple desktop environments simultaneously
XFCE offers lightweight performance and extensive customization options. It provides a user-friendly interface suitable for beginners. XFCE is known for stability and regular updates from the community
Ubuntu uses customized GNOME desktop with unique layout. Kubuntu comes with vanilla KDE Plasma experience. Desktop versions differ between LTS (5 years) and non-LTS (9 months)
Linux Mint offers three desktop environments: Cinnamon, MATE, and Xfce. All environments are based on GTK toolkit and are lightweight. Minimum 4GB RAM recommended for optimal performance
Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu, while Ubuntu is based on Debian. Linux Mint uses Cinnamon desktop with lower memory and CPU usage. Linux Mint's Software Manager is faster and lighter than Ubuntu's