The maintainers have started to upload the packages

Sep 22, 2014 07:50 GMT  ·  By

The Debian developers decided a while ago that they were going to adopt Xfce instead of GNOME as the default desktop, but that doesn't mean that users won't be able to find all the GNOME packages in the repositories.

When Xfce was chosen over GNOME a few months ago, not everyone was happy with that decision. In fact, there still are a few very vocal opponents of that particular decision, but the distribution powers on and it looks like Xfce will become the new default.

Being the default desktop usually means that a host of the desktop environments will be available in the repos, although it's not guaranteed that users will be able to find all the latest packages. That is especially true for Debian, which is not known for harboring all the bleeding edge items when it comes to software.

Latest GNOME 3.14 to arrive in Debian Testing

Debian Testing or Debian 8 is the upcoming version in the Debian ecosystem, although there is no precise launch date known for the system. The Debian maintainers and developers have decided to push all the packages from the GNOME 3.14 branch, which is still under development, in the official repos. The progress is slow and it will take a while to be completed, but in the end we will have the latest 3.14 branch available for download.

It's unknown whether this process will be done in time for the official GNOME 3.14 release, which is just in a few days’ time, but it seems highly unlikely. The Debian maintainers are known to take their time, especially with new packages that can be considered bleeding edge.

GNOME 3.14 or Xfce

It will be an interesting battle of the desktops, although the actual developers of those applications won't be doing anything in this regard. The two sides in the Debian world that are proposing different desktop experiences are still raving on about which is one is the best, but the true test will begin after the official launch, and only then will we see just how popular Xfce or GNOME DEs are among the Debian users.

Until then, you can take a look at the upcoming GNOME 3.14 RC Live CD that was just made available. It's just something to give you a taste of what's to come. Also, you can download Debian 8 Beta 1 and see what the fuss is all about, but this is not a Live image and you will have to install it.