Oh, Budgie, how I’ve adored you for such a long time.That’s right, I said it… I used the word “adore” with regard to a Linux desktop environment.Why would I? It’s just a collection of software and a UI that allows you to access and run whatever’s installed, right?Budgie is a bit more than that.I hate to use this term, but Budgie is a vibe.It’s quirky, it’s cute, it’s user-friendly, it’s reliable, and it makes me happy to use. Budgie is, in my opinion, the perfect Linux desktop. It’s almost like having a better-looking macOS UI with the power and flexibility of Linux.But what is it that makes Budgie so special?First off, it’s beautiful. No other Linux desktop can match the aesthetic of Budgie. What you’ll find with Budgie is a fairly typical layout (although with a bit more panache). You get a panel (which can easily be switched to Dock Mode in the Desktop Settings app), a top bar, and a desktop menu (Figure 1).Figure 1: This is the Budgie menu I prefer.On top of that, you get the Raven side panel, where notifications, calendar, and music controls live. Budgie is almost like Pantheon (from elementaryOS) with a dash of GNOME and KDE Plasma mixed in for good measure. All of this comes together to make a desktop that is refreshing, simple to use, and performs like a champ.I’ve used Budgie on several occasions (usually via Ubuntu Budgie — because I love how they’ve customized the desktop). For a couple of years, Ubuntu Budgie served as my default Linux distribution. Every time I’ve used Budgie, I think, “Yeah, I really need to stick with this one.” But then I wind up purchasing a new desktop PC from System76 that ships with Pop!_OS, and I’m back to where I started.That doesn’t mean my love for Budgie fades. In fact, it just makes me miss it all the more.A Bit of Budgie HistoryBudgie was started in 2014 by Ikey Doherty as the default desktop environment for a Linux distribution he created, called EvolveOS. He eventually renamed the distro to Solus with the intention of using various bits of the GNOME desktop to create a more lightweight version of the UI (while retaining all the usefulness of GNOME).In 2015, Doherty decided to do a full rewrite of the codebase using the Vala programming language and in 2016, Budgie was adopted as a Ubuntu spin, aptly named Ubuntu Budgie.In 2018, Doherty left the project and was replaced by Joshua Strobl, who then resigned from Solus in 2022, creating an organization called Buddies of Budgie. The goal of the organization was to continue Budgie development, while shifting its focus away from Solus and improving the experience across all distributions that default to Budgie.Budgie is now available on plenty of distributions, such as Manjaro Linux, RebornOS, EndeavorOS, Ubuntu Budgie, Archman Linux, Gentoo Linux, Debian, Deepin, and more. In some cases, it’s the default while in others it’s an option.Why I Adore BudgieFirst off all, the default layout of Budgie makes it clear that you’re in for a treat. It’s elegant, while also being sort of playful. But the thing that really draws me to Budgie is its flexibility. This is especially true for those coming from GNOME (where flexibility depends on extensions). Budgie is what happens when you take GNOME and give it the customization of KDE Plasma. If you know both of those environments, you know that combo would be pretty special.Well, that combo kind of exists in Budgie.If you want a panel, you got it. Is a dock more your speed? Budgie has your back. What about animations? Yep. Automatic tiling? Check. Widgets? Yessir. You’ll find Budgie has everything you need in a desktop environment, all rolled up into one beautiful package.And then there’s the stability. Other than when I did some early testing back in the Solus era, I’ve yet to experience a single problem with this desktop. It’s rock solid. Budgie also performs like it’s a lightweight desktop — similar to Xfce. To have a modern-looking desktop with so much style and still eke out that level of performance is a feat.There are also the little touches, such as the ability to drag an item from the desktop menu to the dock or the ability to easily switch the menu from a launcher to a more traditional style (Figure 2).Figure 2: If you prefer a more old-school menu, click the right icon at the top left corner of the menu.Of course, you also get window tiling, which makes it so much easier to organize your apps on the desktop. There’s even the option of using Ctrl+drag to tile a window into two-fifths of the screen and Alt+drag to tile it on three-fifths of the screen.Finally, one thing I’ve always loved about Budgie is that there never seems to be an end of the configurations I discover. You can dig deep into the Control Center or the Desktop Settings app and find new and exciting options that’ll make you think, “Why don’t other desktop environments have this?”Budgie is, by far, my favorite Linux desktop environment. It’s clean, highly configurable, user-friendly, and beautiful. If that sounds like a winning combination to you, I’d suggest you give Budgie a try.The post Linux Budgie Desktop: A Perfect Blend of Aesthetics and Power appeared first on The New Stack.