Want a Really Lightweight Desktop Linux Experience? Try a Window Manager
While there are minimalistic desktop environments, you can take it even further by just using a window manager. It manages windows and nothing else. Here's why it's worth a try.
What Is a Window Manager?
A window manager is a program that does just that, managing window behavior in the X Window System.
The X Window System, or X, isn't a complete graphical user interface system in itself. It really only knows how to paint the pixels on the screen. The window decorations, such as the title bar, the window button, or the close, maximize, and minimize buttons, are created by the window manager.
It's possible to run without a window manager, though difficult in practice. If you do, you'll find that you can't do much. You won't be able to move windows without something to click on. If you manage to kill your window manager, you'll often find yourself logged out or it might be restarted automatically.