It is not that easy to choose which DE you want to use, or, alternatively, whether you want to use just a WM. If you're a beginner and don't want to mess with configuration via text files, use a DE.
Here goes the story about my journey to find the right option (so you can skip this part). Out of all that WMs and DEs mentioned in previous post, I tried all (and some more) except Ion. Now I'm using Openbox, and if it wasn't the case, I'd be using IceWM again. It is not, that I don't like DEs, but they're slow and they give you bunch of things you don't actually need. They eat your computer's resources just to look nice and modern. If you need that than go for it. I like performance better than the look. Out of all DEs I liked KDE3.5 the most, but unfortunatelly it is thing of the past now. There is a team that is still (maybe not anymore) maintaining KDE3.5 packages, called Trinity DE. I tried that too. I was so happy, but it's hard to keep it from upgrading to KDE4. When KDE3.5 died, I started to like GNOME2. At first I didn't like the appearance of it and was still using KDE(4) (ok, I was fascinated by the new look), but then I realised it can be better, faster, with less fan activity and even more customisable. So I started to use GNOME2 until GNOME3 came up. Gnome Shell looks nice, but it's too heavy and slow for me, plus I don't like that dash thing and also its panel and notification/systray area. Then, out of curiosity, I tried different WMs. I was using twm some time, and also I had IceWM installed. I didn't like the look and behaviour of it, but when I find out how to configure it, I realised how great it is! And really! I was using it for a quite a long time. Then I bought myself a new laptop (I was happy that I don't have to buy expensive computer full of high-tech components) and again I wanted to try some DE on it. I installed XFCE (had some experience with it earlier). I was surprised by how it developed into a really good DE. I wasn using it for a short period of time and then I switched back to WM. This time it was Openbox, which I'm still using.
Now a couple of suggestions. If you have a computer with low skills and you want a full DE, consider using Xfce. If you have a better computer and you're into modern look of your OS, then take a look on GNOME Shell, KDE4, Cinnamon or MATE. I don't want to tell that Xfce can't look great. It can!
As I already wrote, Cinnamon and MATE were developed for Linux Mint distribution and they are both forges of GNOME.
The best way to choose between DE is to see it in action and decide which one you like the most. You can do that in few ways.
1. Install them all into your system and during each login you can easily choose which DE you want to use for that session. That option is really good for experiencing work with several different DEs, but there is something I really don't like about it. As I already mentioned, each DE will install you its default file manager, terminal emulator, DM, WM, control panel, internet browser, instant messanger, music player, burning tool, video player and so on and so on. With more than one DE installed, you'll have many unnecessary programs.
2. Install one, try it, uninstall it with all of its components, install the other one, try it, uninstall it.... I've never tried that, but it should work.
3. Maybe your friend has a DE you want to try. Ask him to show you and let you try it!
4. Find screenshots and videos of desired DE on the internet. The simpliest way is to type it in Google, or even better, YouTube.
5. If you have more than one computer, you can install different DE on each of them.
If you want to have just a WM, then the best option is to install all which you want to try and try them. They will just install some libraries, but won't install any programs.
WMs are really lightweight (especially tiling ones), but for someone who used to do things by clicking they are harder to configurate. Of course you can use them just as they are installed, but then you won't have many nice things.
For the cunfiguration of some WMs, you'll have to wait my another post.
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