Updated
Updated · ZDNet · Jul 21
ZDNET Picks Fedora Xfce Over Xubuntu for 2 Linux Desktop Options
Updated
Updated · ZDNet · Jul 21

ZDNET Picks Fedora Xfce Over Xubuntu for 2 Linux Desktop Options

1 articles · Updated · ZDNet · Jul 21

Summary

  • Fedora Xfce won ZDNET’s head-to-head comparison, with the review citing faster performance, a more efficient default layout and a smoother update process than Xubuntu.
  • Xfce’s lightweight design amplified Fedora’s speed advantage, while its MacOS-like setup — a top panel plus dock — was judged more familiar and practical for launching apps.
  • Fedora’s software experience was mixed at first: the dnfdragora app store crashed several times, but worked normally after a command-line update and reboot.
  • Xubuntu was credited with greater stability and a more modern-looking Ubuntu-style App Center, but its single-panel layout and more cumbersome upgrade flow counted against it.
  • The verdict positions Fedora Xfce as the better fit for users prioritizing speed, simplicity and a modern-feeling Xfce desktop, while Xubuntu remains the choice for those who prefer Ubuntu’s ecosystem.

Insights

ZDNET crowned Fedora the winner, but could the high-performance MX Linux actually be the superior Xfce experience for modern PCs?
Fedora Xfce boasts incredible speed, but is the 'conditionally perfect' distro worth the potential hardware headaches for average users?
If Fedora is technically superior, why does data show professional developers overwhelmingly prefer the slower, Snap-based Ubuntu ecosystem?