KDEmod=unstable? + What WM/DE would you reccomend for me

Hi guys. I don't want to start a flame war, please.
I am using Arch with KDEmod and I have the impression that this combination is a lot less stable than my previous Ubuntu+Gnome+Compiz (mind you, I am NOT running compiz on Arch anymore). I don't know if this is attributable to KDE or to KDEmod or to Arch - I am currently installing Gnome on Arch in order to check that.
Anyways. Annoyed by the quirks of KDE (like random Konqueror crashes, improper handling of removable media, showing pop-ups like kdesu in the background etc.) I think it's high time I tried some lightweight WM. I've only used Gnome and Fluxbox for a long enough time to have an opinion on them - I am waiting for your opinions.
What I am looking for:
1) Simplicity - I'm fed of Gnome/KDE running a bazillion services I've never asked for and then randomly crashing them
2) Beauty - what kept me from trying lightweight options so far was that they all seem to look plain ugly (judging from screenshots). I never managed to get my Fluxbox to look the way I wanted. Do you know any WMs with really good themes?
3) Stability - compiz is not an option: no more crashes please!
4) An elegant way to manage my open windows - I love the Expose effect but I am not sure if I can get it to work without compositing (actually I'm using the old and unmaintained Kompose to avoid compiz and still have that in my KDEmod). I also love docks (FYI: yes, I am a former Mac user ). I like avant-window-navigator, e.g., but it doesn't run without compositing (and the Arch package is a mess anyway - when I find the time to examine it I'll contact the maintainer).
So: waiting for your opinions.

alex_anthony wrote:If you're using GNOME right now, you could try the Metacity compositor. (In gconf-editor)
and could you have a Qt WM? I don't think so - you can use QT in any WM as is, Qt manages whats in the window, the WM sorts out borders etc
Isn't KWin written in Qt?
Anyway. I've tried GNOME w/ Metacity. It's working pretty nice. I've always had the feeling that GNOME's way is the way to go, not KDE's: no bloat, no revolution, just steady improvement.
Openbox is way to problematic - e.g., when I used the template autostart.sh Openbox would crash on every start. Sometimes the buttons in GTK apps were unusable.
staple wrote:kde 4 is really light on resources. i'm not sure what more you could want from a traditional DE
You don't know, so I'll tell you: it's stability I want. I really like the new technologies in KDE4 but I'm not a teenager using his computer to play (when I was I didn't care for stability). I need a reliable desktop experience. And I'm not using KDE4 until it stops crashing every 10 minutes.
Edit: I've re-read your post and it is actually the same thing you said, isn't it.
Last edited by JeremyTheWicked (2008-06-11 18:35:25)

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TJNickerson wrote:
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TJNickerson wrote:
Oh, and as for screen resolution, I was thinking 15 inch, due to the fact that this will most likely be my primary computer at college. Is that a good call as well?
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