Xubuntu
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![]() Xubuntu 9.10 | |
Developer | Canonical Ltd. / Ubuntu Foundation |
---|---|
OS family | Unix-like |
Working state | Current |
Source model | Free and open source software |
Initial release | 1 June 2006 |
Latest release | 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) / October 10, 2010 |
Kernel type | Monolithic Linux kernel |
Userland | GNU |
Default user interface | Xfce |
License | Mainly the GNU GPL / various others |
Official website | www.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 portmanteau 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]
The Xfce desktop environment is intended to use fewer system resources than the default Ubuntu GNOME desktop. The Xubuntu developers claim that the minimum RAM Xubuntu can be run on is 128 MB, with 256 MB of RAM strongly recommended.[5]
Testing conducted by Martyn Honeyford at IBM in January 2007 on Xubuntu 6.10 concluded that it "uses approximately 25MB less application memory, and also eats significantly less into buffers and cache (which may imply that there is less file activity) than Ubuntu."[6]
Later testing showed that Xubuntu was at a disadvantage to Debian Xfce. Tests were conducted by DistroWatch on a Dell Dimension 4500 desktop machine, with an Intel 2 GHz processor and 384 MB of memory in April 2009, that compared Xubuntu 9.04 against an Xfce desktop version of Debian 5.0.1. These showed that Xubuntu used more than twice the RAM as Debian in simple tasks. Xubuntu also ran out of RAM doing everyday tasks, indicating that 384 MB of RAM was inadequate. The review concluded "It was obvious I had already run out of RAM and was starting to use swap space. Considering I wasn't doing very much, this was rather disappointing".[7]
Testing conducted on a later version, Xubuntu 9.10 beta, in September 2009 showed similar results. The tests, conducted by Linux Magazine, concluded that Xubuntu 9.10 beta's RAM usage was actually greater than Ubuntu's 9.10 beta with GNOME.[8]
Subsequent reviewers have noted the same issues. Doru Barbu writing on Softpedia in September 2009 said "while Xubuntu is often represented as a lightweight distro, it actually fails to run on older hardware"[9]. 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!"[10] Damien Oh of Make Tech Easier noted in May 2010, "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."[11]
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.[12][13]
In November 2009, Cody A.W. Somerville stepped down as the project leader and made a call for nominations to help find a successor.[14] 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.[15] 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.[16]
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.[17]
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 [18][19] |
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 | |
11.04 | Natty Narwhal | 28 April 2011 | October 2012 | Future release |
Applications
The Xubuntu CD includes application software for the average user including:[20][21]
- Abiword - word processor
- Catfish - desktop search
- Common Unix Printing System - printer utility and PDF creator
- Evince - PDF reader
- Firefox - web browser
- GIMP - graphics editor
- Gnumeric - spreadsheet editor
- Mousepad - text editor
- Orage - calendar
- Parole - Music and Video player.
- Pidgin - internet messenger
- Thunderbird - e-mail client
- XChat - IRC
- Xsane - scanner utilities
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.[22][23]
Once installed, Xubuntu can run with 192 MB RAM, but 256 MB RAM is strongly recommended.[22]
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.[24][25] This variant has not seen an update since its last version, 8.10.[citation needed]
- 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.[26][27]
- PC/OS
- A derivative of Xubuntu whose interface was made to look like BeOS.[28] a 64 bit version was released in May 2009.[29] In 2010 PC/OS moved to more unified look to its parent distribution and a GNOME version was released on March 3, 2010.[30]
- UserOS Ultra
- A minimal Xubuntu variant was produced for Australia's PC User magazine.[31]
See also
References
- ^ Canonical Ltd. (2008). "What is Xubuntu?". Retrieved 2009-02-10.
- ^ Canonical Ltd. (2008). "Glossary". Retrieved 2009-02-10.
- ^ Canonical Ltd. (2009). "Products". Retrieved 2009-10-15.
- ^ a b Somerville, Cody (2008). "Xubuntu/Specifications/Intrepid/StrategyDocument". Retrieved 2009-02-10.
- ^ Canonical Ltd (2010). "Get Xubuntu". Retrieved 24 December 2010.
- ^ Honeyford, Martyn (2007). "Reduce your Linux memory footprint". Retrieved 24 December 2010.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (help) - ^ DistroWatch (2009). "Xubuntu 9.04 vs Debian 5.0.1 Xfce". Retrieved 24 December 2010.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (help) - ^ "Lubuntu: Floats Like a Butterfly, Stings Like a Bee". Linux Magazine. 9 September 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
- ^ Barbu, Doru (2009). "First Lubuntu Test ISOs Available". Softpedia. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
{{cite news}}
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ignored (help) - ^ Sneddon, Joey (2010). "Lubuntu 10.04 Alpha 1 – Visual Overview". OMG Ubuntu. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
{{cite news}}
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ignored (help) - ^ Oh, Damien (2010). "Lubuntu Review: A Lightweight Ubuntu Variant". Make Tech Easier. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
{{cite news}}
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ignored (help) - ^ Smart, Chris (2009). "Another day, another Ubuntu derivative". Retrieved 2009-05-21.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (help) - ^ LXDE (2009). "Lubuntu? LXDE Meet up with Mark Shuttleworth in Berlin". Retrieved 2009-05-21.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (help) - ^ "Xubuntu Project Lead: Call for Nominations".
- ^ "Xubuntu/Meetings/Archive/Minutes/2010-01-10". Retrieved 2010-03-29.
- ^ Shuttleworth, Mark (2004-10-20). "Ubuntu 4.10 announcement". ubuntu-announce (Mailing list). Retrieved 2008-08-19.
{{cite mailing list}}
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ignored (|mailing-list=
suggested) (help) - ^ "DevelopmentCodeNames - Ubuntu Wiki". Wiki.ubuntu.com. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
- ^ Xubuntu 9.04 Release Notes - Other Section on Ports https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Xubuntu/JauntyJackalope/Final
- ^ Get Xubuntu 9.04 - http://xubuntu.org/get
- ^ DistroWatch (2008). "Xubuntu". Retrieved 2009-02-10.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|month=
ignored (help) - ^ Canonical Ltd. (2008). "Glossary". Retrieved 2009-02-10.
- ^ a b Canonical Ltd. (2008). "Minimum system requirements". Retrieved 2009-02-10.
- ^ Canonical Ltd. (2008). "Low-spec computers (Xubuntu)". Retrieved 2009-02-10.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (help) - ^ Eeeuser.com (2008). "eeeXubuntu". Retrieved 2009-02-10.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (help) - ^ Pirate Bay (2008). "eeeXubuntu 7.10 r3". Retrieved 2009-07-21.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (help) - ^ DistroWatch (2009). "OzOS". Retrieved 2009-07-21.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (help) - ^ CafeLinux.org (2007). "OzOS". Retrieved 2009-07-21.
{{cite web}}
: Text "apt:foo" ignored (help) - ^ PC/OS (2009). "Welcome to PC/OS". Retrieved 2009-02-10.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (help) - ^ DistroWatch (2009). "Distribution Release: PC/OS 10 "Open64 Workstation"". Retrieved 2009-07-21.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (help) - ^ PC/OS (2010). "PC/OS OpenWorkstation 10.1 GNOME Released". Retrieved 13 April 2010.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (help) - ^ PC User (2008). "March 2008 : Notebook Mega Test". Retrieved 2009-02-10.
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External links
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