I have a comfortable workflow in Gnome, so I’ll see no need to switch away from it on my main.
Some time ago, I tried i3WM but only scratching the surface.
In 2022, for the sake of experimenting with and learning new things, I will set up a test system (with Xfce perhaps) and install and try some WM:s.
Workflow ion Gnome is overrated. You gotta get some KDE. 
I am using Cinnamon with Arc Dark and Papirus Icon theme.
I have a 12 years old PC and experimented with Gnome DE + Wayland and was super snappy. I was happy with the performance. However, I just don’t agree with the Gnome DE and it seems like you need some extensions to get basic functionality or things I expect in a DE. Plain Gnome is too vanilla for me and I just don’t want to deal with extra extensions. I just don’t agree with some of the design element. For example, why do I have to press super key or go to top left corner each time I want to switch to open apps or access new app? Also, what’s up with giant app icons in the activities menu? I am not blind or have poor eye sight. There should be an option to resize those icons.
So I am back on Cinnamon.
KDE is was laggy on my machine and XFCE was also good but too basic for me. Cinnamon is a nice sweet spot for me.
THAT wouldn’t be problem - a few minutes with conky, and I’d have a complete, indexed, multi-pane reference available. Unfortunately, that still doesn’t fix the memory problem!
IF I was going to try, then only the key combo to switch to workspace# would be needed, and I’d fill that workspace with conky ‘cards’ - but I don’t think it’s worth it unfortunately - I’ve already proven I can remember where the mouse is - and the rest of the memory is taken up with terminal commands!
Funny - I see it the other way around! I’d be interested to see what you thought was missing… for one thing I might have added something to cover it, and forgotten it isn’t built in…
Do you still have to kill desktop effects to avoid unwanted transparencies? Is there a place to find better titlebar ‘buttons’ yet? I kind of liked Cinnamon, but the menu access seemed lacking, and it was hard to make it look ‘my way’… (probably me, not it)
Sorry basic wasn’t the right term. One thing that really bothered me regarding XFCE was the icons on the panel. Wifi, volume and even the spacing seemed off and not consistent. Also, the spacing between apps in the whisker menu was too much. So I just moved onto Cinnamon. It seemed more polished to me. I only added weather applet. Rest is stock.
I missed hot corners so main reason to ditch xfce as there is no native app for it.
I didn’t follow your comment on transparency issue. Can you elaborate?
I am using xfce/i3 but started using cinnamon on my other computer and will see if I will stick to it.
I like the way gtk apps menus and icons look like and it’s a good compromise between gnome and kde. Plus it supports different fractional scaling on multiple monitors with different resolution.
If zoom screen sharing would work on kde I would probably use kde but it still not resolved for me. It just flashes and shows artifacts even on Intel graphics.
Is the zoom issue related to Wayland? I remember reading about it.
No it is on xorg. No idea what’s going on, on xfce and i3 wm no problem. Same on cinnamon, no probs. Must be some sort of kde desktop effects or renderer, although tried disabling effects without luck.
The transparency issue most often showed on yad apps - so in Welcome for instance, it had a big hole in it! Turning off effects cured it. It is mentioned a few times on here…
Icon sizes can be a bit variable on the XFCE panel, true enough - but the spacing (and the spacing in Whisker menu) are adjustable to your preference. Same with Thunar - I personally tweak the row AND column spacing there!
Hot corners, though - I have them (when I choose) from running Compiz in conjunction with XFCE (along with wobbly windows, scale, and the desktop cube) - but I don’t know another easy way of adding it. Just be glad there is one setup you like!
Oh yes there is weird artifacts in the Welcome menu and it only appears on desktop but if I open a file manager and bring back the Welcome app, it fixes.
Just be glad there is one setup you like!
[/quote] can’t agree more.
I’ll look into compiz. Thanks
I’m not sure I would try it today if I hadn’t been using it since about 2012. The development is split between 2 versions, and doesn’t seem to be quick anymore… luckily it is easily switched in and out if set up right! Definitely the ‘inspiration’ for all the desktop effects elsewhere (like KDE until very recently, and Cinnamon too I suspect) - there are probably still vids posted about all the effects that Beryl and then Compiz brought us…
(the biggest effect was the contrast with Windows Vista’s performance-killing minor effects tweaks!)
Aah understood. I remember trying the comipz way back and I thought cube 3D effect was super cool and showing off to my friends. Haha major throwback
Yeah - it certainly was impressive! Did you have the fishtank (with selectable number of fish swimming in it) for the middle of the cube? I’ve also seen ‘cubes’ with different number of faces for more unusual looks…
I just remember using the default settings. Now that I googled fish tank effect, that’s so cool!
The first thing I did on Zorin was switch the look to be more OSX-like. For me a good DE has the panel on top.
I don’t know about the rest of you (lots of ‘standards’ for different people after all) but I learned to read (and think) from top left to bottom right - the panel is on top, the buttons for close etc are on the left and OK/CANCEL are on the bottom right on the way off the window…
Just like Motif - and Amiga - and even TOS, Only Windows is odd out of the box…
I am so used to budgie now that I don’t think anything else will suit my workflow but I intend to try different DEs and maybe get into the tiling managers virtually at least.
I’ll be using Gnome, same as the previous years. Gnome workflow works the best for me and the new design guides will make apps look even better.
I might plunder to the Budgie side at some point when the new team has gotten to work 
I’ll be sticking with KDE Plasma in 2022.
The GTK based DEs will see a lot of changes this year. Budgie has flapped its wings and left the Solus nest, System76 is going Cosmic, and Mint is preparing its response to libadwaita too.