https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • Analytics
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud
    • Data Centers
    • Desktop
    • IoT
    • Mobility
    • Networking
    • Open Source
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Virtualization
    • Voice/Connectivity
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Best Practices
    • Business Models
    • Channel 101
    • Channel Programs
    • Channel Research
    • Digital Transformation
    • EMEA
    • Leadership
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Specialty Practices
  • MSSP Insider
    • Back
    • Business of Security
    • Cloud and Edge
    • Endpoint
    • Network
    • People and Careers
    • Training and Policies
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 501 Reports
    • MSPmentor Education
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Our Sponsors
    • From the Industry
    • Content Resources
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • Reports
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Awards
    • Back
    • European Partners 51 (EP 51) Awards
    • Excellence in Digital Services
    • MSP 501 Rankings
    • Top Gun 51
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Evolution
    • Channel Evolution Europe
    • Industry Events
    • Webinars
  • More
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Advertise on Channel Futures
    • Contact Us
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • Analytics
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud
    • Data Centers
    • Desktop
    • IoT
    • Mobility
    • Networking
    • Open Source
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Virtualization
    • Voice/Connectivity
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Best Practices
    • Business Models
    • Channel 101
    • Channel Programs
    • Channel Research
    • Digital Transformation
    • EMEA
    • Leadership
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Specialty Practices
  • MSSP Insider
    • Back
    • Business of Security
    • Cloud and Edge
    • Endpoint
    • Network
    • People and Careers
    • Training and Policies
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 501 Reports
    • MSPmentor Education
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Our Sponsors
    • From the Industry
    • Content Resources
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • Reports
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Awards
    • Back
    • European Partners 51 (EP 51) Awards
    • Excellence in Digital Services
    • MSP 501 Rankings
    • Top Gun 51
  • Events
    • Back
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Evolution
    • Channel Evolution Europe
    • Industry Events
    • Webinars
  • More
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Advertise on Channel Futures
    • Contact Us
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Digital Service Providers
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • CHANNEL PARTNERS ONLINE
 Channel Futures

Open Source


Xubuntu 10.10: Becoming More Unique

  • Written by Christopher Tozzi
  • August 16, 2010

The upcoming release of Ubuntu 10.10 promises a variety of new features for Ubuntu’s desktop and server editions. But it will also bring significant changes for Ubuntu’s lightweight cousin, Xubuntu.  Here’s a look at some of the most important updates for the Xfce-based Ubuntu variant, including several that will increase its independence from standard Ubuntu.

Admittedly, until I downloaded the Xubuntu alpha 3 release, it had been a while since I tried the distribution.  I used to run it on some lower-end machines, but I gave it up a couple years ago because the performance improvement over Gnome-based Ubuntu was not drastic enough to justify the features missing in Xfce, at least for me.

For a truly lightweight system, something like Lubuntu seemed more appropriate than Xubuntu.  After all, at its core, Xubuntu has traditionally retained a high level of dependence on Gnome, making it hard to distinguish in many respects from standard Ubuntu.

Maverick Xubuntu

I might have to change my view of the distribution after testing the Xubuntu 10.10 release, however.  While it’s still not the most resource-efficient system available, it has increased its independence not only from Gnome but also from the standard Ubuntu application stack, replacing many of Ubuntu’s stock programs with lightweight alternatives.

For starters, the Parole media player has replaced Totem, the standard music and video-playback application in most Gnome-based Linux distributions. Here’s a look:

Parole media player screenshot

For the most part, Parole looks and acts pretty similarly to Totem.  But it’s designed for Xfce, and thus helps Xubuntu stand out as a distribution of its own.

Another signification departure from regular Ubuntu is the replacement of Gnome’s task manager with Xfce’s own alternative, xfce4-taskmanager:

Xfce task manager

A task manager is a task manager, and there’s only so much that can be done to make it unique. But as with Parole, the fact that this is an Xfce-specific application helps Xubuntu carve a niche for itself distinct from the one that Ubuntu already fills.

Other notable applications that distinguish Xubuntu from Ubuntu include the Exaile music manager, Pidgin instant messenger and Orage calendar client, as well as Abiword for word processing.  In addition, Xubuntu’s crisp dark-blue artwork is a clear departure from Ubuntu’s purple theme.

Orage calendar client

Xubuntu default desktop

Of course, despite efforts to distinguish it from Ubuntu, Xubuntu still retains some Gnome dependencies. It ships with the Gnome games package and File Roller, for example, and uses Gnome VFS.  Nonetheless, it’s encouraging to see more uniqueness in the distribution, especially given the uncertain future of the Gnome-Ubuntu relationship as the release of Gnome 3.0 approaches.

Tags: Cloud Service Providers Digital Service Providers MSPs VARs/SIs Cloud Open Source

Related


  • EMEA
    Presenting the 2019 MSP 501 EMEA Edition
    We are pleased to honor the top 501ers in Europe, the Middle East & Africa.
  • Simplify
    Juniper Networks Expands SD-WAN Solution to Include SD-LAN
    The SD-LAN functionality goes hand in hand with Juniper's SD-WAN capabilities to simplify operations and increase savings for customers.
  • Big Sale
    Linux Foundation Offers Sale Prices on Open Source Training, Certifications
    With course prices slashed by up to 65%, open source training deals abound for channel partners.
  • AWS re:Invent Day 2 News Includes Highly Anticipated Outposts Release for Partners
    AWS CEO Andy Jassy took the wraps off a slew of announcements, while channel-friendly vendors gave updates too.

19 comments

  1. Avatar Vincent August 16, 2010 @ 3:38 pm
    Reply

    I’m not sure whether I personally consider change for the sake of change a good thing, but the actual reasoning behind some of the application changes (which are only being tried out up till now) is a lot more solid, IMHO.

  2. Avatar Grappa August 16, 2010 @ 5:37 pm
    Reply

    What’s up with two different speaker incons in notofication area?
    I am thinking one is for Xfce mixer, and the other one for pulse audio. That needs to be cleaned up

  3. Avatar Christopher Tozzi August 16, 2010 @ 5:45 pm
    Reply

    Grappa: I’m not sure what’s up with that. However, the screenshots were taken from a system that was originally Ubuntu and onto which I installed xubuntu-desktop…so this issue may not exist on a pure Xubuntu system.

  4. Avatar Grappa August 16, 2010 @ 5:54 pm
    Reply

    That might explain it.

    I still think Xubuntu does rely on pulse audio. Perhaps, it could do without it (in the name of lightness). I think of Xfce as more mature DE over Lxde. (Using article language) Xubuntu reminds me of Ubuntu’s cousin that went on a diet to be light, but decided to quit halfway through the diet.

  5. Avatar Christopher Tozzi August 16, 2010 @ 6:07 pm
    Reply

    “Ubuntu’s cousin that went on a diet to be light, but decided to quit halfway through the diet.” Great metaphor–I’d have said the same thing if I could have articulated it as well.

    Sometimes I think Xubuntu might be better presented not as a lightweight version of Ubuntu, but merely as one with an alternative desktop environment which happens to be a little lighter on resource usage than Gnome but whose chief value is an alternative desktop experience, not its resource consumption.

    I’ve never thought Xubuntu was fast enough to satisfy people who want a truly lightweight system, but I do find certain aspects of Xfce’s interface and way of doing things preferable to Gnome’s. If I switched to Xubuntu, it would be for the interface, not because it uses a bit less memory than Ubuntu.

  6. Avatar spc August 16, 2010 @ 6:19 pm
    Reply

    Xubutu is obese piece of crap. Wanna see proper light Xfce based distro – check Zenwalk.

  7. Avatar Gene Mosher August 16, 2010 @ 6:59 pm
    Reply

    The single thing which makes XFCE stand out is that its Panel Launcher icon can have its properties adjusted and within that capability anyone can add a large number of commands to each Launcher Icon.

    I have found this to be one of the most amazing things on any desktop.

  8. Avatar slumbergod August 17, 2010 @ 12:31 am
    Reply

    I use xubuntu because I prefer the interface over gnome. It feels like a more traditional desktop and behaves the way I like. I always replace most of the default applications with my own choices so that is a no brainer too. Sadly, 10.04 was poisoned with Pulse but I got rid of that crap easily enough.

    @spc – I tried zenwalk twice and neither time would it even boot for me. Then it appeared that their live version doesn’t install so you end up downloading a desktop edition as well. Finally, a HUGE convenience of xubuntu is that the ubuntu repos. That alone makes the decision to stick with xubuntu worthwhile.

  9. Avatar Elder-geek August 17, 2010 @ 3:29 pm
    Reply

    I prefer XFCE over GNOME as well. I wish they would not imitate gnome in having a panel at both the top and bottom of the screen. It is also possible to have classic dock apps with XFCE.

    One of the reasons for sticking with Ubuntu is the size and depth of their repositories and ppa’s. Things that I like having around include finch, radiotray, minitube, recorditnow, wmbutton, wmmsg, wmauda, wmcalc, wmix, wmcube, gringotts, zim, exaile, and hnb. There are more, but that is what I can think of off the top of my head. Back when I was a slacker I would loose 2 or 3 days compiling software. To move to ZenWalk I will have stuff to custom compile PLUS the learning curve of doing things the ZenWalk way.

  10. Avatar Jared Hecker August 18, 2010 @ 9:40 am
    Reply

    It is Xubuntu’s Ubuntu underpinnings that slow it down. For comparison, compare the current stable Debian release with XFCE against Xubuntu. The performance difference is noticeable. As much as I like Ubuntu, if my home workstation were not a dual-core monster (when I bought it) with 8GB of RAM, I would in all likelihood run straight Debian. I’m sorry to say this, but Ubuntu is clearly the Vista of the Linux world – pretty, convenient, smart about hardware but *bloated* and nowhere near the speed champion in responsiveness.

  11. Avatar azurehi August 18, 2010 @ 11:56 pm
    Reply

    I am using Salix 13.1.1 xfce and find it very fast, easier to use than Zenwalk

  12. Avatar The Wine Curmudgeon August 19, 2010 @ 2:13 pm
    Reply

    Ubuntu is the Vista of Linux? Not quite. I switched from Vista to Linus about 18 months ago, have used Ubuntu and Xubuntu and have toyed with Mint, Debian and Fedora. On its worst days, Ubuntu/Xubuntu don’t even come close to Vista. I have been able to run Xubuntu on a 512 machine without any sluggishness at all.

  13. Avatar Marie August 23, 2010 @ 9:41 pm
    Reply

    I choose Xubuntu for the desktop, speed, and apps, not necessarily for less RAM usage. My recommendations for Xubuntu Developers (feel free to pass this along): Make XFCE two-panel layout similar to the way Zenwalk does it with dock-like Zenpanel. Add Facebook plug-in to Pidgin like Mint. Replace slow Firefox with speedy Chromium-stable. Add lightweight Pino social client. It is more stable than Gwibber and not Gnome dependent. Replace Ristretto with lightweight Gpicview. Ristretto renders images too small. Gpicview works great in XFCE. Add a decent menu editor, as Gnome’s menu editor does not work in Xubuntu! Replace bloated Thunderbird with Sylpheed. Less of a priority, but could add Cheese webcam, firewall gui gufw, and OpenJDK. Exhaile, Xfburn, Xchat, GIMP (or mtpaint??), and Parole are all good choices that should still be included. I would replace Gnome office with OpenOffice like Mint XFCE does. OO seems to be running faster these days in XFCE. Abiword does not save ODT files that can be opened in OO correctly either. To save Xubuntu from slow death, some of these suggestions need to take place. I like that Xubuntu has access to the Software Store, but without all of the unnecessary stuff Ubuntu sometimes has. Lubuntu may be lighter, but it is less customizable and is still a buggy Beta.

  14. Avatar Christopher Tozzi August 23, 2010 @ 10:50 pm
    Reply

    Marie: you make a lot of good points. I’d especially like to see AbiWord replaced by OpenOffice Writer. AbiWord is nice but it unfortunately just doesn’t enjoy the attention that OO gets.

  15. Avatar Icaria August 24, 2010 @ 8:41 am
    Reply

    Describing Xubuntu as a lightweight alternative to Ubuntu is being a bit generous. Also, as much as I think Parole is promising, it’s also painfully incomplete. And the new Xfce task manager is frustrating at a basic level, due to the fact that it’s got a completely inconsistent UI. The top pane is neither a menubar, nor a toolbar and it contains completely passive informational widgets (the graphs), which belong at the bottom of the window. Gnome-system-monitor may get a little laggy with it’s ciaro graphs but it’s a far easier and more useful application, which doesn’t eschew UI conventions for no discernible reason.

  16. Avatar Ubuntu 10.10 «Maverick Meerkat» (y sus variantes) alcanzan l September 3, 2010 @ 12:43 pm
    Reply

    […] Xubuntu 10.10: Becoming More Unique | WorksWithU (workswithu.com) […]

  17. Avatar Ton October 7, 2010 @ 7:07 am
    Reply

    Were can I download XUBUNTU 10.10

  18. Avatar Christopher Tozzi October 7, 2010 @ 4:58 pm
    Reply

    Ton: cdimage.ubuntu.com/xubuntu/releases/10.10/rc/

  19. Avatar Leonard Gingrich February 5, 2011 @ 2:47 pm
    Reply

    I use Xubuntu on my 8year old Gateway because the Ubuntu or Kubuntu since Lucid are completely unusable with my video chip. Xubuntu works marvelously on my computer and is fast. Thanks Xubuntu team and Mighty Mouse XFCE team!

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Report: Hybrid Cloud Once Again Outpacing Public Counterparts
  • CompTIA Report Cites Top 10 IT Trends to Watch in 2020
  • Bitglass: 'A Lot of Companies Are Putting Their Data at Risk'
  • Infrastructure Automation Benefits — Myth or Meaningful?

Galleries

Images: Channel Evolution Europe Featuring Avant, 8×8, Sophos, CenturyLink, More

December 5, 2019
view all

From the Industry

The Importance of Strengthening Your Cyber Security Culture

December 4, 2019

Don’t Let Lack of HIPAA Compliance Make Your Business Sick

December 4, 2019

Using ADR to Help Secure Your Business First

December 4, 2019
view all

Webinars

From MSP to MSSP: Seizing the Managed Security Opportunity

December 17, 2019

Agents Can Sell Managed Services. Here’s How.

December 17, 2019
view all

White Papers

Secrets to Sustainable Growth – for MSPs, by MSPs

December 4, 2019

Why Managed Security Presents A Golden Opportunity for MSPs

November 26, 2019

The Ultimate Guide to On-Site Managed Services

November 26, 2019
view all

Events

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

March 9, 2020 - March 12, 2020
view all

Videos

FASTCHAT: Why an MSP Needs to Extend Detection and Response Beyond Endpoint Security

October 22, 2019

Ingram Micro: It’s Up to Our MSP Partners to Keep Clients ‘Out of the Headlines’

October 14, 2019

Liongard: Here’s How We ‘Roar’ for the MSP Community

October 14, 2019
view all

Twitter

ChannelFutures

.@Fortinet buys #SOAR provider @CyberSponse. #cybersecurity dlvr.it/RL9VSp

December 12, 2019
ChannelFutures

.@pulsewayapp has launched a new cloud backup product as part of their existing #RMM solution. Find out more.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

December 12, 2019
ChannelFutures

At #AISummit, an expert discussed how #blockchain could restore trust in digital marketing. and efforts to monetize… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

December 12, 2019
ChannelFutures

.@Pulsesecure and #Nozomi Networks integration provides Pulse's zero trust protection for native, unified IT/OT… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

December 12, 2019
ChannelFutures

.@IngramMicroInc promoted Paul Bay and three others. dlvr.it/RL6Flb https://t.co/Zb5Q07xqsQ

December 11, 2019
ChannelFutures

.@watchguard report shows old Equifax vulnerability was top network attack target in Q3. #cybersecurity… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

December 11, 2019
ChannelFutures

.@Cisco's five-year plus R&D efforts for the next internet include #Cisco Silicon One technology and the 8000 Serie… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

December 11, 2019
ChannelFutures

.@Netsurion announces integration with @itglue for improved #MSP capabilities. #cybersecurity… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

December 11, 2019

MSSP Insider

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Channel Partners Online

Want more? Find more channel news and analysis on our sister site, Channel Partners.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Online
  • Channel Partners Events
  • MSP 501
  • MSSP Insider
  • IoT World Today
  • Webhostingtalk

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy
  • Terms
Copyright ©2019 Informa PLC. Informa Telecoms & Media Limited is a company registered in England and Wales with company number 00991704 whose registered office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG. VAT GB365462636. Informa Telecoms & Media Limited is part of Informa PLC.
✕

channel futures Logo

Want to stay updated? Sign up for our Channel Futures newsletters today.

Websites are now required by law to gain your consent before applying cookies. We use cookies to improve your browsing experience. Parts of the website may not work as expected without them. By closing or ignoring this message, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
X