I have used XFCE in the past on a server, a desktop and a laptop.

On the server it was great as it takes less memory to use. On the desktop it was the only one I could use that I knew how to install… that was back in June 2006, as I was just starting to use the Canonical products. On a Laptop using Ubuntu 8.10 though, I absolutely cannot use it.

I have configured it so much because I could not use the desktop environment at all. Turns out it only got worse as my sense of art and other things is not as good as the next person.

I loved XFCE when I used it on the desktop that I used and also on the server that I used, but on Ubuntu 8.10 on Ubuntu-Desktop I cannot use it.

I must have installed the desktop on the server and the desktop as I did not have to configure it at all… though I did configure later to make it look nicer. The fact that the task bar starts out after the install by floating on the desktop with one application launcher is not good enough by my standards and they are absolutely the lowest in my family. By the way the launcher was floating in the middle of the screen on the left side. I cannot have something like that happening on my screen.

Another thing that bugs me is that there is nothing on the taskbar to be able to open firefox right away. When I start the computer I open Firefox and browse the internet to check on my sites and other things like email, etc.

I guess what I am trying to say is I should have installed Xubuntu-Desktop instead. I do not like to have to configure a lot of stuff on start up, or during the time I have to use it. I will configure the internet if need be or add an application through synaptic and configure it, but for me to have to configure the menus, taskbars, and a whole bunch else, just bugs me.

I do thank the Developers of XFCE for their hard work and how much they put into this project as they do work hard on it. I just cannot use it without installing the Xubuntu Desktop because I need to have the taskbar setup and not in the middle of the screen floating. I do not mind putting a different background image on the desktop as that is normal for me to do every few weeks.

Ryan Orser.