Thursday, April 26, 2012

Ubuntu 12.04 vs Xubuntu 12.04 vs Kubuntu 12.04 vs Lubuntu 12.04: Results

Check out also my latest comparison:


As mentioned in my previous post, tonight I tested all the Ubuntu sisters on my PC from pen drive. Specifications of my HP PC are:

Processor: 2.4 Ghz Pentium 4, single core
RAM: 1 GB DDR
HDD: IDE 250 GB
Build: 2003

A tabular view of the results is given below:

Distro Xubuntu 12.04 LTS Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Kubuntu 12.04 LTS Lubuntu 12.04
Booting Time 5 min. 7 min. 7 min. 3 min.
Speed Immediately loads and fast Initially hangs but fast once loaded Initially hangs but fast once loaded Immediately loads and superfast
Feel Light, less RAM intensive and
requires very little RAM to run
CPU: 6-10%
RAM: 130 MiB
Moderate, requires higher RAM to run
CPU: 17-18%
RAM: 340 MiB
Light, requires RAM lower than Ubuntu but higher
than Xubuntu or Lubuntu
CPU: 3-10%
RAM: 235 MiB
Very light and requires the least RAM
CPU: 1-11%
RAM: 126 MiB

Desktop XFCE Unity KDE LXDE

Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash inbuilt Flash needs to be installed Flash needs to be installed Flash needs to be installed
Ease of Use Easy even for entry level Easy Difficult for Entry Level, mostly for Geeks
 but highly functional
Easy even for entry level
Eye candy Factor Less but looks good Real eye candy Eye candy Minimalistic but looks good
Extra software required Skype
VLC
Libreoffice
Cheese
Skype
VLC
Cheese
Adobe Flash
Gimp
Skype
VLC
Cheese
Adobe Flash
Skype
VLC
Cheese
Adobe Flash
Libreoffice
Gimp

LAN/Wifi Immediate Immediate Immediate Immediate

Lubuntu & Xubuntu are the lightest using around 130 MiB of RAM whereas Ubuntu uses about 3 times more and Kubuntu two times more. I posted a detailed comparison at http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in/2012/04/ubuntu-distros-ram-cpu-usage-of-ubuntu.html

Screenshots of each distro is given below. Remember, these are from as-it-is distros and not a single change is from my side. A short review for each, without going into technical nitty-gritty (which you can get from the respective websites, as hyperlinked below), along with the pictures to tell an end-user's story:

Xubuntu 12.04 LTS:

Looks like a typical linux distro, based on extremely light XFCE desktop and super fast. Those who have low RAM old systems, Xubuntu is for them. Also, those who hate Unity, Xubuntu can be a viable option for them. It comes with Adobe Flash & GIMP pre-installed, which is good. I installed Libreoffice along with Abiword and Gnumeric as Libreoffice offers more functionality. Repository wise no worry - all the Ubuntu softwares are available here.



Ubuntu 12.04 LTS

As usual the best looking linux distro and now the Unity interface has really improved and become fast. It is the most complete linux distro I have ever seen, although a bit on the heavier side than the other three in comparison here. A lot of new functionalities have been added, which I'll cover in a later post.



Kubuntu 12.04 LTS

A distro for the KDE lovers! Although a bit geeky but amazingly good looking distro. Those who prefer Windows XP would definitely like it. Software list is more-or-less complete and definitely lighter than Ubuntu. But I felt, it is slightly heavier than Xubuntu though almost equally fast on my low resource system.



Lubuntu 12.04

Lightest and fastest of them all. Unfortunately, it is not an LTS, as John pointed out in the comments section. That means, no 3 or 5 years support for it but only 18 months of support, just like a regular release. But, if you have a low resource computer, Lubuntu is perfect for you. It is more-or-less rich in pre-loaded softwares and you can install what-ever softwares you like from the Ubuntu repository. I have a 2003 P-4 1GB DDR RAM running on Lubuntu 12.04 without any hassles.




Conclusion

Who's the winner? It depends. If you have an old, low resource computer (512 mb RAM, less than 1.5 Ghz processor), possibly Lubuntu and Xubuntu will win hands down.

If you have a modern computer, Ubuntu and Kubuntu would be the preferred distro. If you like eye-candies Ubuntu is a sure-shot choice. If you like functionality more and is a linux purist, one would prefer Kubuntu.

In essence, what I saw all the distros are really damn good. Much refined than 11.10 versions which came out. Somehow, I didn't like the 11.10 versions and felt that they were released somewhat uncooked with a lot of bugs. Especially Unity was a real pain and forced me to stick to Ubuntu Natty (11.04). Now, I guess it's the time for a change and 5 years of support from Canonical is too tempting to resist. I'll install either one of these four tomorrow evening.

I have decided which one to install - first Ubuntu, if unsuccessful - Xubuntu! My choice :).

Jun 11, 2012:

Please check my posts on Linux Mint, Bodhi Linux and Debian Squeeze as well before you decide which OS to install.

Oct 21, 2012:

Check out the comparison between Ubuntu 12.10 vs Kubuntu 12.10 vs Xubuntu 12.10 vs Lubuntu 12.10.

77 comments:

  1. Hi arindam

    Thanks for the informative articles. I run an old HP/Compaq NX6325 laptop with Xubuntu 10.04 LTS. Despite having 1GB RAM it's AMD Sempron is now too slow to run Win XP Pro, which it came with. It's good with Xubu 10.04 - and I have waited patiently for 12.04, which I downloaded last night. Sadly, Xubuntu 12.04 hangs part way through booting. Ubuntu 12.04 runs, but the machine is clearly underpowered for it.

    As you suggest, it's perhaps better to wait three months after a new release to allow time for all the initial bugs to be ironed out...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Webmaster:

      Did you change the grub to blacklist poulsbo? I too faced the same issue but once poulsbo is blacklisted on rebooting the OS loads pretty smoothly.

      Just check my blog entry:
      http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in/2012/04/solved-precise-pangolin-asus-eee-pc.html

      Please let me know if it helps.

      Delete
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      Delete
  2. Hi Arindam..thanks for such an informative post. Can you tell us the RAM usage of all the four Ubuntu distros at idle after a fresh login? It would be a good comparison and will help us to understand exactly which one is lighter and by how much. Thanks again..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Mohammed:

      Thanks for the suggestion. I compared the RAM & CPU usage of the 4 Ubuntu versions in this post
      http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in/2012/04/ubuntu-distros-ram-cpu-usage-of-ubuntu.html

      Lubuntu & Xubuntu are the lightest using around 130 MiB of RAM whereas Ubuntu uses about 3 times more and Kubuntu two times more.

      Delete
  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for this timely comparison of ubuntu flavours.

    I was considering either Lubuntu or Xubuntu and did some further testing.

    Computer: Intel Celeron 2.40 GHz with 1024 MB of RAM and a 250 GB hard drive.

    To get the amount of RAM used, after booting I opened a terminal window and used the "top" command. No other applications were opened.

    RAM_USED FLAVOUR

    684 MB Lubuntu 12.04 Live CD
    838 MB Xubuntu 12.04 Live CD

    262 MB Lubuntu 12.04 Installed onto Hard Drive
    362 MB Xubuntu 12.04 Installed onto Hard Drive

    Based on these results I chose Lubuntu since when installed it uses 100 MB less RAM at idle than Xubuntu.

    Regards,
    Curtis Gedak

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks gedakc for your comparison as well. Possibly processor speed makes some difference in the RAM used by the distros. However, what is apparent that Lubuntu uses far lower RAM than any of the Ubuntu clans. I too installed Lubuntu today for my PC as Unity was kind-of slowing it down. Thanks again for your wonderful comparison.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Like this post, specially the matrix comparison.

    Two minor remarks for your article:
    - lubuntu 12.04 is not a LTS version
    - Lubuntu 12.04 is not suitable for entry level users like xubuntu and ubuntu (less gui configuration items, no auto-mount, etc.)

    thanks again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks John for pointing out. Unfortunately Lubuntu 12.04 is not LTS. And yes, I am using Lubuntu 12.04 in one of my PCs and it works very smoothly without any hassles. But, agreed - Xubuntu or Ubuntu are better for entry level users. However, users who want their OS to consume low on resource and be more on functionality - Lubuntu is great for them.

      Thanks again for liking my post.

      Delete
    2. Auto-mount is supported and its just as user friendly for entry level users as any other buntu though you may need to install more software from the repos re open office etc. Hardware support is the same.

      I use it as I have no requirement for bells and whistles. I use it on a core i7 4Gb of RAM and it flies allowing for system resources for VMs. I also have it installed on my brothers eee pc 1000 which makes it eminently usable despite its hardware. I can't recommend it enough.

      Delete
  7. Thanks for this, I'll install Lubuntu on my netbook in a minute then =)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thankfully most of even the low end PCs and laptops today can handle Ubuntu's resource needs with ease but Lubuntu is a life saver for old PCs but bear in mind, to deploy it, auto mount etc needs to be set or else it would be dysfunctional.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very rightly pointed out, Arup. Lubuntu is not perhaps for the Linux newbies. But, LXDE based distros have far lower power consumption that other distros. You can try out ROSA LXDE LTS as well. I found it really good.

      Delete
    2. Automount what? If your talking USB storage devices then ext3/4/FAT partitions mount fine. I can't comment for others.

      Why wouldn't lubuntu be for newbies? I think your putting people off unnecessarily. Its a great way to breath new life into old hardware. You get all the ubuntu hardware and community support as well as a lightweight system.

      Delete
  9. ubuntu 12.4 family is better then zorin os

    ReplyDelete
  10. It might be the most bloated but for me ubuntu 12.04 is the choice install

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yup, agreed. But, you can try out Linux Mint 13 Cinnamon or Mate editions. I am really impressed with its stability and performance.

      Delete
  11. I add some other info. I have a laptop with 993MB of RAM and two 1GHz CPU. Win 7 was way too slow, so I have tried some easy flavors of *ubuntu, I want to optimize for performance. I always work with skype and gmail open (1 tab of Firefox). With those programs launched I find:
    Ubuntu 12.04 --> CPU 9% to 55%; RAM 400MB
    Xubuntu 12.04 --> CPU 7% ; RAM 370MB
    Win 7 --> RAM ~993MB + swap

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Win 7 won't work well with anything less than 2 GB RAM. I guess you can try out Linux Mint 13 XFCE, by far the best XFCE Linux I have used. You can get it from here http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=2088

      Delete
  12. Just rebuilt a Windows XP machine (Pentium D dual core V//V). The Acer motherboard dies, so I bought one on ebay for $16, and swapped everything. Unfortunately XP would not boot (bios conflicts?). I had backed up the hard rive, and have access through a laptop, so I went ahead and installed Kubuntu 9.04 (CD I had lying around). It worked great. I picked up 2 x 2 Gb RAM (the motherboard appears to be limited to 4 Gb- 945G chip set). I then did standard upgrades to 10.04, then 12.04. So far everything is working well. I need to hook up some other devices, so I'll see how that goes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good to hear that Kubuntu worked for you well. Only concern is that Kubuntu won't be supported by Canonical down the line. However, 12.04 is LTS and would be supported till 2017. For KDE based distros, you can try out Linux Mint 13 KDE or PCLinuxOS as well. I am using PCLinuxOS for sometime, and it is really good!

      Delete
    2. Just DL the latest version via torrent, hardware support is typically better. Not sure why you would go down the update manager upgrade path as you seem to be describing.

      Delete
  13. This is a helpful post and thanks for sharing your experience with us.
    I have a Hp G7000 laptop 2,50 RAM build circa 2007, previously running vista. I tried Ubuntu but it was a resource hog, also tried "Maya" but it wasn't quite satisfied, following your advices here maybe Xubuntu would work like a charm, eh?
    PS: I'm a newborn in the linux world. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Xubuntu is really good in terms of resource utilization. Please try Linux Mint XFCE as well, you may like it more!

      Delete
  14. Many many thank you, i was looking for a description like this very good job.

    ReplyDelete
  15. i have tried all 4 of these distros along with openSUSE and i gotta say for some unknown reason i just fell in love with Kubuntu i think maybe its because of all the customizations i was able to make on it hahaha although i know openSUSE is also a KDE distro i found myself loving Kubuntu alot more if i could choose a second a distro that was as just wonderful as Kubuntu i would pick Xubuntu with which a little tweaking i made it felt like i was using good ol' gnome before gnome shell....and im a noob to linux still so im still trying to find which distro is best for me but so far Kubuntu take the cake for me =) Ubuntu seem to buggy and alittle harder for my taste too when here it says its easier than Kubuntu maybe im just weird lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Having used OpenSUSE KDE for sometime, I feel, it has lost its edge to Ubuntu and Fedora. Kubuntu is good but it keeps on reminding me of Windows XP and all the pain I went through with it! Hence, I prefer XFCE much more than any other desktop. Xubuntu worked well for me for quite sometime till I shifted to Linux Mint 13 XFCE. I am pretty happy with my Linux Mint XFCE - amazingly fast, responsive and easy to use! Just like good old Gnome 2 :).

      I agree, Unity has made Ubuntu a bit buggy. Possibly my apathy with anything looking like Windows made me to write that statement :D

      Delete
  16. I pLan to reuse my old PC ,which currently holds windows XP, by using Linux on it. The config of my PC are
    512 mb ram (DDR 1)
    80 GB hard Disk
    2.4 ghz P4, 32 bit
    I mainly want to use it for net and downloading
    Kindly advice which one will be better suited taking in the spes Ubuntu 12.10 or Xubuntu 12.10 or Lubuntu 12.10

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hello!
    I have a medium laptop (core i3, 6gb ddr3), and I'm using Ubuntu 12.10 64bits on it. But sometimes I feel that it's a little laggy (and the temperature reaches 75º celcius sometimes). Does Xubuntu have 64bit version to recognize my 6gb ram? And what do you think replacing Ubuntu for Xubuntu, even my laptop is not so old? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Xubuntu has a 64-bit version and it works well with my 8GB RAM laptop. Actually Unity in Ubuntu 12.10 is a bit buggy, if you go back to gnome fallback mode, Ubuntu 12.10 works real nice and faster. Please give it a shot. If it doesn't work you can install Xubuntu 12.10.

      Delete
  18. for old laptops and desktops use antix http://antix.mepis.com/

    ReplyDelete
  19. Nice article.

    But.... ^^

    Do you think unity is more eye-candie? I use Kubuntu since 10.04. I was starting as a noob, so the only reason was that it looked better (for me). My girlfriend is using KDE as well. I can assure you she's not a geek at all. (I placed everthing she needs at the desktop ;)

    Today I installed unity on another notebook. It looks fantastic. But I want to touch all that symbols, not clicking on them. Love to see it on a tablet ot phone. (I know it is possible even nowadays on android phones. I installed Debian + LXDE which is working. But it is a very hacky wayto go)

    Back to KDE vs. Unity: I showed my fresh installation to my girlfriend, she still prefers KDE...

    For Desktop-PC's and Notebooks my oscar goes still still to Kubuntu. For mobile devices I'ld love too see a fully supported unity.

    Regards.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,
      Thanks for liking it. My primary contention is the kind of resources that Unity uses - you can very well install a docky/cairo dock and have the same purpose fulfilled without spending much additional resources in, say, a Xubuntu or a Lubuntu. Hence, I could never like Unity sidebar in 12.04. However, with 12.10 I see noticeable improvements and hope they are going to make Unity use less CPU and RAM in future releases.

      For Kubuntu, there are plenty of KDE centric applications which require some expertise to use. If someone is using general Linux apps like Cheese, Thunderbird, Pidgin, etc. in Kubuntu then possibly it's full potential is not being utilized. KDE, as a whole, is very self sufficient in terms of applications and it has an app for any purpose you mention. Further, it is very customizable and you can make it look like whatever you desire too. But, if you think of Ubuntu 12.04 with Unity, there is not much an user can do in terms of customization. Hence, my comment on expertise level.

      Anyway, KDE looks like Windows and I have seen newcomers to be more comfortable with KDE than Gnome. It is actually a matter of preference and comfort level. And irrespective of level of Linux expertise, it is preferable to continue using the desktop environment one likes most :).

      Regards,
      Arindam

      Delete
    2. Yeah, that's the point "it is preferable to continue using the desktop environment one likes most". Any person with geeky ambitions will try different ditros and stuff anyway.

      Keep on.

      edit:
      Have you ever changed KDE to Netbook style: quiet similar to Unity as well ;)
      Yust mentioning look and fell, of course.

      Delete
    3. ...just mentioning look and feel...

      soooory for thatt

      Delete
  20. Replies
    1. I thought Fluxbuntu didn't release any version after 9.04. Is there any version of Fluxbuntu in 2012?

      Delete
  21. I have soon netbook where is dual core prosessor and 1 GB of ram. I dont even think to keep the windows 7 starter in it, and going to but one of the ubuntu variants in it. What would be the better, xubuntu or lubuntu? Or is there any other distros that are light and ready after install?

    Btw, thanks for the article, good and informative.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you like KDE, you can give Linux Mint 14 KDE a shot. It works wonderfully well on my Asus 1101HA EeePC with 1.38 Ghz Intel Atom processor & 1 GB RAM. Linux Mint is Ubuntu derivative and complete with all applications and codecs installed and works like a charm out of the box. Please give it shot.

      On your main question, I guess, both Xubuntu and Lubuntu would work wonderfully well on your machine. Of course, Lubuntu will be faster to use. As you mentioned, Win7 requires at least 2 GB RAM to run well and your machine won't support Win 7.

      Delete
  22. Well done for taking the time to review the distros. For what it's worth I've been using lubuntu for 18 months now and could not be happier. Super speedy boot and all the functionality and hardware compatibility that comes with an ubuntu distro. I've tried xubuntu but for me was not much of an improvement over stock ubuntu in terms of cpu/RAM usage. My virtual machines also run much quicker as well as my host is using significantly less resources.

    For anyone trying to get a few more years out of an older machine or like me has an up to date machine but values speed over eye candy, then I'd recommend lubuntu.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree completely. Lubuntu is outstanding on machines with limited resources.

      Delete
  23. Hi... have reading this article... somehow i interested with Lubuntu (for fast boot up time) but seem Ubuntu more eye candy...

    well my Mini-PC spec:
    - AMD E350
    - 4Gb Ram DDR3
    - 40Gb HDD

    Note: Windows and Mac User (Newbie on Linux OS)

    Which linux Distros should i try? base on zero experience with linux? base on my Mini PC spec?

    Well this PC mainly use browsing, Chatting (msn, YM, skype) if possible, Downloading

    Thx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Atsul:

      Given your Mini-PC specs, Ubuntu 12.04.1 should be a good choice for you. If you find it slow, you can give Lubuntu a shot. But, Ubuntu is a lot more user-friendly for the newbies.

      Thanks,
      Arindam

      Delete
  24. XUBUNTU 12.04 lts was the only ubuntu that worked on my none pae dell latitude d800

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Xubuntu consumes about 50% less resources than Ubuntu and will run comfortably on your laptop. It is actually good option for low resource machines, unable to run Ubuntu/Kubuntu.

      Delete
  25. I have same UBUNTU LTS 12.04 on dual boot gateway dt10g dual core 3ghz intel and an athlon 2100.you get a nicer tool bar on the left with a faster machine.getting to snap on/off is another matter

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Possibly you can give a shot to Xubuntu or Lubuntu. I found them to be better in performance and customization than actual Ubuntu.

      Delete
  26. Great article and comparison. Still running Ubuntu 10.04LTS but recently got a new system which I hope to setup soon. RAM isn't an issue but I have tested Xubuntu in a VM and like it's clean interface compared with Unity on Ubuntu. Haven't done any other research yet but the big thing I need working which I haven't tested in Xubuntu is VMware Workstation. Hope it works and if so, I'll definitely be making Xubuntu my OS of choice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Xubuntu 12.04 LTS runs well on my machine and is one of the most efficient distros of the Ubuntu family. I am pretty happy with its performance - no worries there. Hardware detection is also good, webcam, touchpad, proper screen resolution, wifi and lan detection - it does everything perfectly!

      Plus, the kind of customization you can do in Xubuntu, is not possibly with Ubuntu Unity.

      Delete
  27. ubuntu vs kubuntu
    http://thefreshgeek.blogspot.com/2013/02/ubuntu-vs-kubuntu-1210-vs-xubuntu-1210.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is sick! You created a lame article and just copied my table, incl. the 20-30% CPU utilization for Ubuntu :). Anyway, I later changes it to 1-10%. Given the table is copied from my article, please change the CPU utilization for Ubuntu 12.10 in your copied article as well.
      http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.com/2012/10/ubuntu-1210-vs-kubuntu-1210-vs-xubuntu.html

      Delete
  28. Hello Opensource Master,
    I have Dell Inspiron 5010 Laptop Configuration
    {RAM 4GB
    HDD 500GB
    Processor INTEL I3
    CPU Intel
    }
    I am planning to install KUBUNTU Will it run properly on
    this configuration, Please suggest me;
    Thank You
    Kakade Kailas

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kailas:

      Thanks for the complement :). Given your laptop specs, any Linux distro will work on it, including Kubuntu. My recommendation is Kubuntu 12.04.2 LTS, it is supported till Apr 2017.

      Thanks,
      Arindam

      Delete
  29. I'm a die-hard Microsoft guy into Cisco networking and I needed a workstation to do GNS3 network simulations on Linux and run VirtualBox, plus learn BASH shell etc. Your article helped a great deal. I was trying to set up this lab on an 2004 IBM Z PRO 6221 with a 3 GHZ Xeon processor, 4 GB of RAM, with an older NVIDIA Quadro AGP style video card.

    Just look on the 'net, NVIDIA cards have lots of driver problems and are a nightmare to get working in Ubuntu/Debian based distros. I tried Mint 14 Cinnamon, Ubuntu with Unity, then Gnome Shell, heck even Fedora (Red Hat based and too advanced for me right now.) There were missing menus, no buttons, odd looking panels, lots of crashing etc. Writing to the X config file didn't work, instead giving me wonderful 600 by whatever 'old school' resolution (I guess you may call it the xorg file, see I'm not too good with Linux jargon yet.)

    Finally Xubuntu 12.04 LTS worked perfect for me and even detected the correct NVIDIA driver, told me so upon login and auto-updated it, bang. Yes it is fast, is a long term release unlike some, doesn't lag like Unity, easy to use and good for Windows people getting into Linux. I would love to get Linux certified, it's a burning desire for me. But to get your new Linux system customized quick, up and running just how us GUI raised folk like it, a GUI that just works like XFCE is a timesaver. I also recommend Xubuntu to people who had a bad Ubuntu or Unity experience. But I couldn't have known to try out Xubuntu without reading your article though. Props

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Greg:

      Great to know your story. I am glad that my article was helpful to you. Big motivation boost for me, undoubtedly!

      Yup, Xubuntu is one of my favorite distros and XFCE is one of my favorite desktops. It is light, easy to use and I like it's no nonsense appeal. Xubuntu works really well for too. I am happy that Xubuntu worked for you. Indeed, finding drivers for old Nvidia graphic cards is quite difficult.

      Thanks again for liking my article!

      Arindam

      Delete
  30. Well Done! Bravo & real kudos to you Arinam (& friends/allies) for this uniquely rich thread. Been going through OS Hell for months with Ubuntu 12.04 on an old Dell with only a 2 Ghz CPU & less than .5 GB RAM + less than 60 GB HD. Yikes! right? So, I finally stumble desperately into your somewhat globally open discussion and find a ray of hope. I'm an artist into doing business to survive & thrive - so i'm EXTREMELY grateful for the great revelations & practical comments shared by all you guys. Instead of wrestling with a huge bdownload & gnarlier install of an older Debian for this dinosaur Dell, i will try Xubuntu (so i can get back to my real Work & pain-free email & web research ASAP (without the regular hangs & cashes & losses suffered with Ubuntu 12.04). Muchas Gracias from your non-Geek Bro - M - PS: I remember the Ubuntu of 2006 being an amazingly friendly, agile, easy to use alternative for professionals who wanted out of MS-Windows Hell. Sadly, that is no longer available & it's taken me months to find this thread. Sigh...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Michael for liking the discussion in here. Yes, I agree with you, Ubuntu has evolved so much that it no longer supports older hardware. Xubuntu and Lubuntu with lighter XFCE and LXDE/Openbox desktops on the other hand works reasonably well on them. Also, I am very impressed with Archbang - it runs superfast on my Pentium 4 desktop (2.2 Ghz) with 1 GB RAM and 10 times faster than a Xubuntu/Lubuntu on the same hardware. You can try it out as well.

      Regards,
      Arindam

      Delete
  31. I have a new, powerful laptop with an AMD graphics card, i5 processor and 4gb of RAM. I have been using Ubuntu for quite some time, but when, recently, I test-drove Xubuntu on my friend's desktop I absolutely loved it! But I have heard that Xubuntu is mainly for older computers and netbooks. Can I run it to its fullest potential on my newer laptop? I really like Xubuntu.

    Thanks for the informative review! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Deepanjan

      Absolutely yes! I am running Linux Mint XFCE on my core i7 with 8gb RAM and 2GB nvidia graphics. It runs faster than any other distro and with compiz I create dazzling effects unthinkable in Ubuntu with not so customizable Unity DE. XFCE is very customizable and works like a charm on any system. Even in Ubuntu you can install xfce by sudo apt-get install xfce and enjoy the benefits without requiring to install a new distro.

      Regards,
      Arindam

      Delete
  32. i wana ask, how about openbox on ubuntu 12.04 LTS, i have install it through terminal and log out and then login using openbox condition but why i get an error? why the windows didn't work? need help :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Benyamin:

      Can you please check if you followed the steps correctly as mentioned in this blog:
      http://ndever.net/articles/linux/install-openbox-ubuntu-1304-1310

      Regards,
      Arindam

      Delete
  33. I like Kubuntu 12.04,I have a 2012 Njoy Desktop PC,I don t install it because a bug with my netowrk board (RealTek Semiconductor RTL8168/8111 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet NIC) and I have Kubuntu 12.04.4 LTS on a USB Stick (2.0) and runs fine in live with this problem,not display Facebook,youtube and others really well,only google is displayed really well (old UI),how I repair this problem?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Mihai:

      If I understand correctly, you're having difficulty in accessing facebook and YouTube. Can you please check if Adobe flash plugin is installed correctly? Else, please install flash plugin from Ubuntu repositories and it may help your case.

      Regards,
      Arindam

      Delete
  34. I use LXLE - derived from lubuntu - on my old netbook acer intel atom with 1 Gb RAM,
    It run fast and easy to update any software i need..

    Btw, thanks for this article since my friend keep asking me which lighter between Lubuntu and Xubuntu

    warm greeting
    from
    Indonesia

    ReplyDelete
  35. Thanks for sharing, nice post!

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