Will using KDE programs use too much system resources?

[Dotan Cohen]

On 4/28/06, Joe Klemmer <klemmerj at webtrek.com> wrote:
> On Fri, 2006-04-28 at 18:01 +0300, Dotan Cohen wrote:
>
> > I have switched to Xfce from KDE because I find KDE to slow on my
> > machine (1.5gHz P4, 256MB RAM). Xfce is a little faster, or at least I
> > feel this way though I haven't timed with a stopwatch. At least there
> > is no lag between typing and seeing text on the screen on Xfce.
>
>         Here's a quick, superficial answer.  Others with more in depth
> knowledge than I can flesh it out.
>
> > There are some KDE programs that I have come to rely upon, such as
> > Kopete and Kate. Will loading these programs use resources as if I was
> > on KDE? In other words, if I continue to use these programs, will I be
> > negating any benefit of Xfce over KDE?
>
>         Yes and no.  Loading them will also load the kde gunk which will stay
> loaded after the programs are closed but since the rest of the kde
> desktop isn't loaded it won't take up as much resources as it otherwise
> could.

Thanks, that's pretty much what I had suspected.

> > Also, if I have KDE open in F7 and Xfce open in F8, will I loose out
> > on the speed benefits of Xfce by the fact that KDE is open in F7?
>
>         Running two desktop environments will take up a lot more resources and
> running just one, no matter if it's xfce and twm.  Running xfce and kde
> will take use more than xfce and xfce but less than kde and kde or
> gnome.

Ah, so two KDE or two Xfce is more intensive than one! I just thought
that the stuff was running, so it could be displayed so many times.
Good to know.

> > I have only a very limited knowledge of how windows managers work, so
> > if there is a technical reason for a given answer, I'd like to know it
> > so that I can learn. From what I could google, if there is a drawback
> > to using KDE apps in Xfce, it is because of libraries being loaded.
> > But is this persistent after I close the app? Thanks.
>
>         The kde runtime gunk will stay loaded after you close the apps.  But if
> it's got nothing to do it won't be as bad as.

Gotcha. It's probably work it's way over to swap and stay there, no?

>         Everything is a trade off.  If you absolutely need Kopete and Kate and
> nothing else will do then the concern about resources is of secondary
> importance.

Well, I need Kate's fish:// protocol support, or something similar. As
for Kopete, I'll convince the better half to use something else!

> n'est pas?

Er, "Is that all?"?
Sorry, my Portugeese/Italian/Spanish isn't so good. If that's the
right question, then the right answer might be "Ce, grasias amigo!"

Dotan Cohen
http://song-lirics.com