Gnomie Plaszer from our chat room writes:

Hey, Chris! I’ve been using Ubuntu for almost a year and I have learned how to use all three of the most popular desktop environments (GNOME, KDE, and XFCE), and I’ve decided to spread some of my knowledge on how to choose and get used to a desktop environment.

1. Don’t go into Linux assuming that your desktop environment of choice won’t matter. Every desktop environment developer has different views on how things should work. When it comes to ease of use, KDE and GNOME are on equal ground, but KDE is far easier to customize than GNOME.

2. Before choosing your desktop environment, assess your needs and knowledge. If you’re from the Windows world, KDE will make you feel fairly comfortable, while Mac users may feel more comfortable in GNOME.
3. Don’t switch your desktop environment unless you’ve given it a fair chance. If you switch your desktop environment before giving it a fair chance — you’ll probably wind up hating the next desktop environment you choose.
4. Don’t think of desktop utilities as alien concepts. Desktop utilities exist in every OS’s UI. To illustrate this concept more clearly, If you have used Windows and are now using KDE as your desktop in Linux, don’t think of Dolphin as “Dolphin.” If you think of Dolphin as Explorer, you’ll be completely fine and will be less hesitant to use Dolphin.
5. Explore your desktop environment. Doing simple things like changing your background or desktop theme never destroyed your system on Windows or the Mac. There’s no reason it should do so on GNOME, KDE, or XFCE. Take a look around.