For the past week to two weeks I’ve done something I had’t done in years - I switched my default desktop environment in my GDM login screen. I’ve been logging into Xfce instead of my usual Gnome. There are basically three reasons why I’m loving Xfce over Gnome.

When asked what would happen if he decided to step away from coordinating kernel development, Torvalds said it certainly would not be the death of Linux.

A great deal is being made of the fact that Linux creator Linus Torvalds has switched from using the KDE desktop to using GNOME, something he did many months ago, and something he mentioned in passing during an interview last month.

The launch of gnome3.org is an exciting development, since it's the GNOME project's first major opportunity to tell the world about all the cool stuff that's going to be in the upcoming release. The site will evolve over the coming days and weeks to include additional information, new, rich content, and ways to try the new release: so look out for updates.

The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that Linux creator and Linux Foundation Fellow Linus Torvalds is one of three recipients to receive the prestigious C&C Prize in 2010.

Although I have some doubts that XFCE is "so very much lighter" than GNOME (GNOME 2.20 doesn't take too much memory if you don't start all kind of crap), it is still lighter, and in a few years there will be less and less antiquated computers who require extra-light window managers (Fluxbox, Openbox, Blackbox, WindowMaker, IceWM).

Xfce 4 is a fine example of how a full-blown Desktop Environment can be both feature rich as well as light weight. Xfce 4 is based on the GTK+ toolkit which immediately puts in in the same category as GNOME.

Unlike Ubuntu (which uses GNOME), Xubuntu uses the Xfce desktop environment. Xfce is a lightweight environment that, according to its creator Olivier Fourdan, “…loads and executes applications fast, while conserving system resources.” Xubuntu is really geared toward those using older hardware or who simply prefer a no-frills desktop without the gobs of eye-candy found in GNOME or KDE.

Most years, Linus Torvalds comes to Australia. He apparently likes the place, so the creator of the Linux kernel makes his way to the Australian national Linux conference in January. Torvalds is an excellent subject for an interview; he never evades a question, not even if he has a single word to offer as reply. And despite claiming to have a big ego, he is indeed very approachable.