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'''Xubuntu''' ({{pron-en|zuːˈbuːntuː}} "zoo-BOON-too") is a [[Canonical Ltd.]] recognized, community maintained derivative of the [[Ubuntu (operating system)|Ubuntu]] [[operating system]], using the [[Xfce]] [[desktop environment]].<ref name="XubuntuAbout">{{cite web|url = http://www.xubuntu.org/about|title = What is Xubuntu?|accessdate = 2009-02-10|last = [[Canonical Ltd.]]|authorlink = |year = 2008}}</ref><ref name="XubuntuGlossary">{{cite web|url = http://www.xubuntu.org/glossary|title = Glossary|accessdate = 2009-02-10|last = [[Canonical Ltd.]]|authorlink = |year = 2008}}</ref><ref name="Derv">{{cite web|url = http://www.ubuntu.com/products/whatisubuntu/derivatives|title = Products|accessdate = 2009-10-15|last = [[Canonical Ltd.]]|authorlink = |year = 2009}}</ref>
'''Xubuntu''' ({{pron-en|zuːˈbuːntuː}} "zoo-BOON-too") is a [[Canonical Ltd.]] recognized, community maintained derivative of the [[Ubuntu (operating system)|Ubuntu]] [[operating system]], using the [[Xfce]] [[desktop environment]].<ref name="XubuntuAbout">{{cite web|url = http://www.xubuntu.org/about|title = What is Xubuntu?|accessdate = 2009-02-10|last = [[Canonical Ltd.]]|authorlink = |year = 2008}}</ref><ref name="XubuntuGlossary">{{cite web|url = http://www.xubuntu.org/glossary|title = Glossary|accessdate = 2009-02-10|last = [[Canonical Ltd.]]|authorlink = |year = 2008}}</ref><ref name="Derv">{{cite web|url = http://www.ubuntu.com/products/whatisubuntu/derivatives|title = Products|accessdate = 2009-10-15|last = [[Canonical Ltd.]]|authorlink = |year = 2009}}</ref>

⚫
The Xfce desktop environment is intended to use fewer system resources than the default [[GNOME]], but at least for the beta of Xubuntu 9.10 this did not seem to be the case. Testing concluded that Xubuntu 9.10 beta's RAM usage was actually greater than Ubuntu's 9.10 beta with GNOME.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.linux-mag.com/cache/7520/1.html|title = Lubuntu: Floats Like a Butterfly, Stings Like a Bee|accessdate = 2009-10-19|publisher = Linux Magazine|date = 9 September 2009}}</ref> Subsequent reviewers have noted the same issues, such as Doru Barbu writing on [[Softpedia]] saying "while Xubuntu is often represented as a lightweight distro, it actually fails to run on older hardware"<ref name="Barbu01Sep09"> {{Cite news|url = http://news.softpedia.com/news/First-Lubuntu-Test-ISOs-Available-120608.shtml|title = First Lubuntu Test ISOs Available|accessdate = 14 November 2010|last = Barbu|first = Doru|authorlink = |year = 2009|month = September| work = Softpedia}}</ref>. Damien Oh of Make Tech Easier noted in May 10, "So what about Xubuntu? isn’t it supposed to be the lightweight equivalent of Ubuntu? Sadly, that is a thing of the past. The truth is, the supposed lightweight equivalent is not lightweight at all. While Xubuntu is using the lightweight XFCE desktop environment, it had been bugged down by several heavyweight applications and also the integration with GNOME desktop also makes it lose its advantage."<ref name="Oh06May10"> {{Cite news|url = http://maketecheasier.com/lubuntu-review-a-lightweight-ubuntu-variant/2010/05/06|title = Lubuntu Review: A Lightweight Ubuntu Variant|accessdate = 14 November 2010|last = Oh|first = Damien|authorlink = |year = 2010|month = May| work = Make Tech Easier}}</ref> In January 2010 OMG Ubuntu noted, "Xubuntu – the current “lightweight” choice – is not as slender a distribution as people tend to think. Recent benchmarks show it to be just as “demanding” as regular Ubuntu – sometimes even more so!"<ref name="OMG18Jan10"> {{Cite news|url = http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2010/01/lubuntu-10-04-alpha-1-visual-overview/|title = Lubuntu 10.04 Alpha 1 – Visual Overview|accessdate = 14 November 2010|last = Sneddon|first = Joey|authorlink = |year = 2010|month = January| work = OMG Ubuntu}}</ref>


==Name==
==Name==
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{{quote|provide an easy to use distribution, based on Ubuntu, using Xfce as the graphical desktop, with a focus on integration, usability and performance, with a particular focus on low memory footprint. The integration in Xubuntu is at a configuration level, a toolkit level, and matching the underlying technology beneath the desktop in Ubuntu. Xubuntu will be built and developed autonomously as part of the wider Ubuntu community, based around the ideals and values of Ubuntu.<ref name="Strategy" /> }}
{{quote|provide an easy to use distribution, based on Ubuntu, using Xfce as the graphical desktop, with a focus on integration, usability and performance, with a particular focus on low memory footprint. The integration in Xubuntu is at a configuration level, a toolkit level, and matching the underlying technology beneath the desktop in Ubuntu. Xubuntu will be built and developed autonomously as part of the wider Ubuntu community, based around the ideals and values of Ubuntu.<ref name="Strategy" /> }}

⚫
While the Xfce desktop environment is intended to use fewer system resources than the default [[GNOME]] desktop, testing conducted on Xubuntu 9.10 beta showed that this did not seem to be the case. Testing concluded that Xubuntu 9.10 beta's RAM usage was actually greater than Ubuntu's 9.10 beta with GNOME.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.linux-mag.com/cache/7520/1.html|title = Lubuntu: Floats Like a Butterfly, Stings Like a Bee|accessdate = 2009-10-19|publisher = Linux Magazine|date = 9 September 2009}}</ref> Subsequent reviewers have noted the same issues. Doru Barbu writing on [[Softpedia]] said "while Xubuntu is often represented as a lightweight distro, it actually fails to run on older hardware"<ref name="Barbu01Sep09"> {{Cite news|url = http://news.softpedia.com/news/First-Lubuntu-Test-ISOs-Available-120608.shtml|title = First Lubuntu Test ISOs Available|accessdate = 14 November 2010|last = Barbu|first = Doru|authorlink = |year = 2009|month = September| work = Softpedia}}</ref>. Damien Oh of Make Tech Easier noted in May 10, "So what about Xubuntu? isn’t it supposed to be the lightweight equivalent of Ubuntu? Sadly, that is a thing of the past. The truth is, the supposed lightweight equivalent is not lightweight at all. While Xubuntu is using the lightweight XFCE desktop environment, it had been bugged down by several heavyweight applications and also the integration with GNOME desktop also makes it lose its advantage."<ref name="Oh06May10"> {{Cite news|url = http://maketecheasier.com/lubuntu-review-a-lightweight-ubuntu-variant/2010/05/06|title = Lubuntu Review: A Lightweight Ubuntu Variant|accessdate = 14 November 2010|last = Oh|first = Damien|authorlink = |year = 2010|month = May| work = Make Tech Easier}}</ref> In January 2010 OMG Ubuntu noted, "Xubuntu – the current “lightweight” choice – is not as slender a distribution as people tend to think. Recent benchmarks show it to be just as “demanding” as regular Ubuntu – sometimes even more so!"<ref name="OMG18Jan10"> {{Cite news|url = http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2010/01/lubuntu-10-04-alpha-1-visual-overview/|title = Lubuntu 10.04 Alpha 1 – Visual Overview|accessdate = 14 November 2010|last = Sneddon|first = Joey|authorlink = |year = 2010|month = January| work = OMG Ubuntu}}</ref>


==History==
==History==

Revision as of 14:26, 14 November 2010

Xubuntu
Xubuntu 9.10
DeveloperCanonical Ltd. / Ubuntu Foundation
OS familyUnix-like
Working stateCurrent
Source modelFree and open source software
Initial release1 June 2006
Latest release10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) / October 10, 2010 (2010-10-10)
Kernel typeMonolithic Linux kernel
UserlandGNU
Default
user interface		Xfce
LicenseMainly the GNU GPL / various others
Official websitewww.xubuntu.org

Xubuntu (Template:Pron-en "zoo-BOON-too") is a Canonical Ltd. recognized, community maintained derivative of the Ubuntu operating system, using the Xfce desktop environment.[1][2][3]

Name

The name Xubuntu is a combination of Xfce and Ubuntu. Xfce originally was an abbreviation for XForms Common Environment, while Ubuntu means "humanity towards others" in the Zulu and Xhosa languages. Combined as Xubuntu it does not have any specific new meaning.

Goals

Xubuntu's goals are to:

provide an easy to use distribution, based on Ubuntu, using Xfce as the graphical desktop, with a focus on integration, usability and performance, with a particular focus on low memory footprint. The integration in Xubuntu is at a configuration level, a toolkit level, and matching the underlying technology beneath the desktop in Ubuntu. Xubuntu will be built and developed autonomously as part of the wider Ubuntu community, based around the ideals and values of Ubuntu.[4]

While the Xfce desktop environment is intended to use fewer system resources than the default GNOME desktop, testing conducted on Xubuntu 9.10 beta showed that this did not seem to be the case. Testing concluded that Xubuntu 9.10 beta's RAM usage was actually greater than Ubuntu's 9.10 beta with GNOME.[5] Subsequent reviewers have noted the same issues. Doru Barbu writing on Softpedia said "while Xubuntu is often represented as a lightweight distro, it actually fails to run on older hardware"[6]. Damien Oh of Make Tech Easier noted in May 10, "So what about Xubuntu? isn’t it supposed to be the lightweight equivalent of Ubuntu? Sadly, that is a thing of the past. The truth is, the supposed lightweight equivalent is not lightweight at all. While Xubuntu is using the lightweight XFCE desktop environment, it had been bugged down by several heavyweight applications and also the integration with GNOME desktop also makes it lose its advantage."[7] In January 2010 OMG Ubuntu noted, "Xubuntu – the current “lightweight” choice – is not as slender a distribution as people tend to think. Recent benchmarks show it to be just as “demanding” as regular Ubuntu – sometimes even more so!"[8]

History

Xubuntu was originally intended to be released at the same time as Ubuntu 5.10 Breezy Badger, 13 October 2005, but the work was not complete by that date. Instead the Xubuntu name was used for the xubuntu-desktop metapackage available through the Synaptic Package Manager which installed the Xfce desktop.

The first official Xubuntu release, led by Jani Monoses, appeared on 1 June 2006, as part of the Ubuntu 6.06 Dapper Drake line, which also included Kubuntu and Edubuntu.

Cody A.W. Somerville developed a comprehensive strategy for the Xubuntu project named the Xubuntu Strategy Document. As of early 2009 the document is currently awaiting a second reading by the Ubuntu Community Council.[4]

In February 2009 Mark Shuttleworth agreed that an official LXDE version of Ubuntu, to be named Lubuntu, will be developed. The LXDE desktop uses the Openbox window manager and, like Xubuntu, is intended to be a low-system-requirement, low-RAM environment for netbooks, mobile devices and older PCs and will compete with Xubuntu in that niche.[9][10]

In November 2009, Cody A.W. Somerville stepped down as the project leader and made a call for nominations to help find a successor.[11] Lionel Le Folgoc was confirmed by the Xubuntu community as the new project leader on 10 January 2010 and requested the formation of an official Xubuntu council.[12] As of late March 2010, discussions regarding the future of Xubuntu's governance and the role a council might play in it are still ongoing.

Releases

Xubuntu versions are released twice a year, coinciding with Ubuntu releases. Xubuntu uses the same version numbers and code names as Ubuntu, using the year and month of the release as the version number. The first Xubuntu release, for example, was 6.06, indicating June 2006.[13]

Xubuntu releases are also given code names, using an adjective and an animal with the same first letter e.g.: "Dapper Drake" and "Intrepid Ibex". These are the same as the respective Ubuntu code names. Xubuntu code names are in alphabetical order, allowing a quick determination of which release is newer, although there were no releases with the letters "A" or "C". Commonly, Xubuntu releases are referred to by developers and users by only the adjective portion of the code name, for example Intrepid Ibex is often called just Intrepid.[14]

Colour Meaning
Red Release no longer supported
Green Release still supported
Blue Future release
Version Code Name Release date Supported Until Remarks
5.10 Breezy Badger 13 October 2005 13 April 2007 xubuntu-desktop package only available
6.06 LTS Dapper Drake 1 June 2006 June 2009 First official Xubuntu release - Long term support
6.10 Edgy Eft 26 October 2006 25 April 2008
7.04 Feisty Fawn 19 April 2007 19 October 2008
7.10 Gutsy Gibbon 18 October 2007 18 April 2009
8.04 LTS Hardy Heron 24 April 2008 April 2011 Long term support
8.10 Intrepid Ibex 30 October 2008 April 2010
9.04 Jaunty Jackalope 23 April 2009 October 2010 PowerPC images made available [15][16]
9.10 Karmic Koala 29 October 2009 April 2011
10.04 LTS Lucid Lynx 29 April 2010 April 2013 Long term support
10.10 Maverick Meerkat 10 October 2010 April 2012

Applications

The Xubuntu CD includes application software for the average user including:[17][18]

Xubuntu includes Synaptic Package Manager which allows users to download additional applications from the Xubuntu repositories.

System requirements

Xubuntu can be installed with one of 2 CDs, both of which require at least 1.5 GB of hard drive space. Installing with the Desktop CD requires 192 MB of RAM, while the Alternate CD, which uses a text-based installer, requires 64 MB of RAM, and also allows access to additional options for the installation.[19][20]

Once installed, Xubuntu can run with 192 MB RAM, but 256 MB RAM is strongly recommended.[19]

Derivatives

Xubuntu has been developed into several new versions by third-party developers:

eeeXubuntu
A variant of Xubuntu for the storage-constrained Asus Eee PC.[21][22]
OzOS
An e17-from-SVN Linux distribution based on a severely stripped down version of Xubuntu. Focused on Enlightenment, e17, compiled directly from SVN source. Easy update of e17 is made from SVN updates, by a click on an icon or from CLI using morlenxus script.[23][24]
PC/OS
A derivative of Xubuntu whose interface was made to look like BeOS.[25] a 64 bit version was released in May 2009.[26] In 2010 PC/OS moved to more unified look to its parent distribution and a GNOME version was released on March 3, 2010.[27]
UserOS Ultra
A minimal Xubuntu variant was produced for Australia's PC User magazine.[28]

See also

References

  1. ^ Canonical Ltd. (2008). "What is Xubuntu?". Retrieved 2009-02-10.
  2. ^ Canonical Ltd. (2008). "Glossary". Retrieved 2009-02-10.
  3. ^ Canonical Ltd. (2009). "Products". Retrieved 2009-10-15.
  4. ^ a b Somerville, Cody (2008). "Xubuntu/Specifications/Intrepid/StrategyDocument". Retrieved 2009-02-10.
  5. ^ "Lubuntu: Floats Like a Butterfly, Stings Like a Bee". Linux Magazine. 9 September 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
  6. ^ Barbu, Doru (2009). "First Lubuntu Test ISOs Available". Softpedia. Retrieved 14 November 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  7. ^ Oh, Damien (2010). "Lubuntu Review: A Lightweight Ubuntu Variant". Make Tech Easier. Retrieved 14 November 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  8. ^ Sneddon, Joey (2010). "Lubuntu 10.04 Alpha 1 – Visual Overview". OMG Ubuntu. Retrieved 14 November 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  9. ^ Smart, Chris (2009). "Another day, another Ubuntu derivative". Retrieved 2009-05-21. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  10. ^ LXDE (2009). "Lubuntu? LXDE Meet up with Mark Shuttleworth in Berlin". Retrieved 2009-05-21. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  11. ^ "Xubuntu Project Lead: Call for Nominations".
  12. ^ "Xubuntu/Meetings/Archive/Minutes/2010-01-10". Retrieved 2010-03-29.
  13. ^ Shuttleworth, Mark (2004-10-20). "Ubuntu 4.10 announcement". ubuntu-announce (Mailing list). Retrieved 2008-08-19. {{cite mailing list}}: Unknown parameter |mailinglist= ignored (|mailing-list= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "DevelopmentCodeNames - Ubuntu Wiki". Wiki.ubuntu.com. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
  15. ^ Xubuntu 9.04 Release Notes - Other Section on Ports https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Xubuntu/JauntyJackalope/Final
  16. ^ Get Xubuntu 9.04 - http://xubuntu.org/get
  17. ^ DistroWatch (2008). "Xubuntu". Retrieved 2009-02-10. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  18. ^ Canonical Ltd. (2008). "Glossary". Retrieved 2009-02-10.
  19. ^ a b Canonical Ltd. (2008). "Minimum system requirements". Retrieved 2009-02-10.
  20. ^ Canonical Ltd. (2008). "Low-spec computers (Xubuntu)". Retrieved 2009-02-10. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  21. ^ Eeeuser.com (2008). "eeeXubuntu". Retrieved 2009-02-10. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  22. ^ Pirate Bay (2008). "eeeXubuntu 7.10 r3". Retrieved 2009-07-21. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  23. ^ Distrowatch (2009). "OzOS". Retrieved 2009-07-21. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  24. ^ CafeLinux.org (2007). "OzOS". Retrieved 2009-07-21. {{cite web}}: Text "apt:foo" ignored (help)
  25. ^ PC/OS (2009). "Welcome to PC/OS". Retrieved 2009-02-10. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  26. ^ DistroWatch (2009). "Distribution Release: PC/OS 10 "Open64 Workstation"". Retrieved 2009-07-21. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  27. ^ PC/OS (2010). "PC/OS OpenWorkstation 10.1 GNOME Released". Retrieved 13 April 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  28. ^ PC User (2008). "March 2008 : Notebook Mega Test". Retrieved 2009-02-10. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
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