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How important is a DE to you?
(lemmy.world)
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this post was submitted on 02 Feb 2026
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That's what I'm trying to do, have a very minimal interface and handle as much as possible with keyboard while still having a usable system with only the minimum necessary GUI. It's going to take a lot of unlearning/learning. I don't want to rely on pointer as much. And I get that this is not for everyone, I'm already test-driving Niro since it's closer to my Gnome work flow and may be a learning curve with a bit less friction that Hyprland or Swey.
I tried the last Cosmic, but found it lacks some of my wokflow parts, such as infinite auto-generated virtual desktops. Plus, Cosmic is still pointer first.
If you're looking for something minimal, Sway is the right choice. oh, and also if you come from i3 ig.
I ended up with Niri + DMS. I'll test drive it for a week or so, but if it's anything like today's experience (didn't really go too deep because, we'll, work), it looks like I'm going to like it. So far the experience is not too different than Gnome, just that my computer feels a bit snappier and the tiling, after configuring it to my taste is amazing.
That is...not mininal as you said you were trying to achieve.
But it is still quite good.
No it isn't minimal if by minimal you mean 0 bars, docks and even menus. However, when coming from Gnome, Cinnamon or Plasma, this is the very definition of minimal in my mind.
My intent is to force myself to move away from the "common" way that most of us are using today to interact with our computers. In my mind this will force me to:
1.- start moving away from the mouse and go back to the keyboard.
2.- point one will force me to commit keybinds to memory without getting stuck because I don't have an easily available way to just use the pointer and click on something if I'm in a hurry and forget how to open it at that precise moment, which I can guarantee will happen a lot. (I've become mentally lazy with how easy it is to commit information to an app instead of to memory, which makes me fear for how detrimental this has been to my cognitive capacity).
3.- declutter my interface even more than I did with Gnome. I believe that, once my desktop is configured the way I want it, regardless of the interface, it should just get out of the way entirely while still looking pretty, sort of like a pet dog, (not a Husky, I have one of those and they do NOT get our of the way unless they choose to).
4.- bragging rights over time (nothing wrong with that, right?)
5.- finally, I want to keep learning how to use different environments by being hands on with their configuration files, as opposed from this 'click here, then click here' streamline.
Having said that, I believe you are correct, I used the word 'minimal' in the wrong context, and I am sorry if I confused some by using that term, English is like my 5th language or something, lol. And I did look at Sway like you suggested, it does look like what I want my end game to be, but I do not think I'm ready to be there yet without regularly thinking about slamming my laptop on the wall, it's going to be a few moons before I'm ready for that step.