Linux

The nice thing is, you can pretty easily run both and switch around. Just get a distro with one, and then it's usually just 1 or 2 commands to get the other as a choice on the login screen. KDE and Gnome apps are also largely compatible, regardless of desktop environment.

I've been using KDE mostly, it's just nice being able to customize it so easily without too much technical knowledge of the environment or hoping someone already made an extension for it like on Gnome. Then again, some may like the simplicity of shopping around for extensions and calling it a day, or later even editing the extensions.

Recently, for my tiny laptop I switched to gnome, it's also just pretty :)

@bpt11@sh.itjust.works KDE is more customizable and supports more things where as Gnome tries to keep things simple and cohesive in its theme. Ex: Gnome currently has some issues with supporting things like VR but that should be fixed soon. Both work well and have the option of including a suite of useful "default" apps (with KDE pushing the bounds of default). Comes down to what you like. FWIW I use KDE.

XFCE + xmonad

You are used to KDE and Gnome is very different But also KDE is buggy, I dont know how Steamdeck people make it better. If you chose Xfce, you will get a KDE similar desktop but more robust. Xfce can look modern with few efforts. MX Linux distro is a good example of a nice Xfce config.

If you're new, IMHO you should be looking at the distro as a whole, not the DE specifically. Yeah, if you find one you mostly like but want to try other similar distros, it's probably a good thing to stay with the same DE. However, it's not something to get hung up on as distros often tweak the DE.

And to answer your question, Cinnamon. After years of distro-hopping, I've spent most of the past decade on Linux Mint.

I use lxqt mostly beacause it's simple and moderately lightweight.

Check Bodhi Linux's Moksha Desktop. Pretty lightweight and does work

I use KDE for desktops/workstations and Gnome where I want more of a 10ft interface...like HTPC, or if I have a touchscreen device.

I used Gnome on my desktop and it was great! But after a while I just wanted to try something else, so I switched to KDE on my desktop and laptop which is also great. I technically have both installed but I mainly just use KDE plasma. I also recently switched to Wayland. For me at least both are equally good buy in different ways.

I use both: GNOME works better for a desktop, KDE Plasma works better for a laptop.

There are more than those 2 options for a Desktop Environment, by the way ;)

neither. i think i have cinnamon now on everything except the old junk that has peppermint (its xfce there) or is a console-only box or vm.

Any tips for 4k gaming on Plasma?

If i force system scaling, everthing looks great but games dont get to use the full 4k. If i go with app scaling the games look fine but some apps are blurry.

I figured out a halfway solution where i use no scaling and just made the fonts bigger, but some ui elements are still tiny, and steam doesn't scale at all.

Is there a way to disable system scaling for just selected applications?