Hey there, folks! I’m about to do my first Linux install and I’m trying to figure out which DE I wanna use. I’m not concerned about how analogous the DE is to any other OS because I’m willing to learn and develop a new workflow. From a performance and overall compatibility perspective, does either GNOME or KDE outshine over the other for this? This is specifically considering the latest non-beta/stable versions of each. Does the Anaconda installer work in the KDE spin of Fedora, or is the install process different altogether? I know Fedora’s default is GNOME, does this make for any less stability with KDE?
Edit: I appreciate all of your comments, thank you for taking the time to write them! Initially I was really interested in GNOME for its minimalist design, but it seems KDE can be altered for a similar form without needing to rely much on third party pieces because of how much is already built into it. Although I’m certain the GNOME DE is a really nice one, I think I’m gonna give it a go with KDE simply because it has three customizability already out-of-the-box and it seems to be slightly lighter weight. Of course, there’s no reason to ever settle and it’s likely I’ll try GNOME at some point instead. Thank you! :)
Both GNOME and KDE are first-class DEs in Fedora - stability is a non issue. You can install both if you want and select your choice at the login screen to just switch back and forth. The only thing you might want to keep in mind is that both have their own prpgrams, like file managers for example, so you’ll have two programs for the same task.
Performance is a wash, really, with a halfway modern setup. Your browser will be consuming way more resources than the desktop by far.
Compatibility is also a non issue nowadays, both implement the Freedesktop standard and are fully compatible with each other.
I’m pretty sure that the installer is the same for all major spins.
Hope you have fun with Fedora!