As mentioned above, the default desktop environment for Xubuntu is Xfce, one of the top three Unix and Linux desktop and development platforms. In the words of Olivier Fourdan, the creator of the Xfce desktop environment, "Xfce is a lightweight desktop environment for various *NIX systems. Designed for productivity, it loads and executes applications fast, while conserving system resources."
Because of this emphasis on conserving system resources, Xubuntu is an ideal candidate for old or low-end machines, thin-client networks, or for those who would like to get more performance out of their hardware.
Another leading UNIX and Linux desktop is GNOME. Gnome is the default desktop environment of the Ubuntu project. Xubuntu users are able to easily install and use the Gnome desktop on their system. To get a working install of Ubuntu on a Xubuntu system, install the ubuntu-desktop package. Once ubuntu-desktop is installed, you can choose to use either an Xfce or Gnome desktop environment.
A third leading UNIX and Linux desktop is KDE. The Kubuntu project offers Ubuntu users an alternative choice to the Xfce or Gnome desktop environments. Thanks to the efforts of the Kubuntu team, users can also install and use the KDE desktop on their system. To get a working installation of Kubuntu, just install the kubuntu-desktop package. Once kubuntu-desktop is installed, you can also choose to use the KDE desktop environment when logging in to your computer.