Julien Lavergne and the team have released lubuntu 12.04.
Download: http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/lubuntu/releases/12.04/release/
What is Lubuntu
Lubuntu is a flavor of Ubuntu based on the Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment (LXDE), as its default GUI. The goal is to provide a very lightweight distribution, with all the advantages of the Ubuntu world (repositories, support, etc.). Lubuntu is targeted at “normal” PC and laptop users running on low-spec hardware. Such users may not know how to use command line tools, and in most cases they just don’t have enough resources for all the bells and whistles of the “full-featured” mainstream distributions.
With many LXDE components, Lubuntu also uses well-known applications, such as Chromium, Openbox, Pidgin, to name a few. The Lubuntu project wiki contains more information on the project and the applications used available.
Unlike Ubuntu, Lubuntu 12.04 is not a LTS, this version will be supported for 18 months. However, a lot of work has been done to improve the stability of the system.
Features
* Based on the lightweight LXDE desktop environment.
* Pcmanfm 0.9.10, a fast and lightweight files manager using gio/gvfs.
* Openbox, the fast and extensible, default windows-manager of LXDE.
* Lightdm, using the simple GTK greeter
* Chromium, the open-source version of Google Chrome.
* … and, of course, based on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS.
See the complete list of current applications on https://docs.lubuntu.net/lubuntu_applications.html
Improvements since Lubuntu 11.10
* A new software-center, optimized to be lightweight, for easy installation and removal of applications from your system.
* New theme is used, and each previous themes are available in the repositories.
* Lightdm is used as the display manager with the default gtk greeter.
* Blueman is now used instead of gnome-bluetooth for managing bluetooth devices.
* A lot of bug fixes, especially on the panel and the file manager.
Releases notes and known issues
The release notes, with a list of known problems are available on https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PrecisePangolin/ReleaseNotes/Lubuntu
Thanks
A big thank to everyone involving in the development of this new great release : LXDE developers, Ubuntu developers, ISO testers, artwork and design people, social-network & blog writers, support & IRC keepers … It’s another success of a great team work 🙂
Links
- Website: lubuntu.net
- Documentation: docs.lubuntu.net
- Lubuntu on Facebook: facebook.com/lubuntudesktop
I am wondering what your complaint is about, as when looking at what Lubuntu LXDE is doing vs the other distros – the technical reasons for LTS are not as important? Q- How important is LTS for a simpler faster distro such as LXDE provides (when it is just a more GUI focused OpenBox, really)? Supporting LTS for 3-5 years does not make “all that much sense” for LXDE distro because not as much is going on compared to KDE or Gnome. With the more “heavy weight distros”, where you see huge changes over short periods of time, where those changes for an admin means WORK, a lot of work to keep up if on just an 18 month support cycle (vs LTS that gives you some comfort that upgrading for at least 3-5 years where you will not have to expend a lot of effort to upgrade a lot of system with a large number of GUI changes). Whatever changes you see coming from LXDE will be much smaller, and most likely will be much more comfortable changes that will be far less shocking to the user base (even a commercial user base where training on a new GUI can get expensive). Even when looking at an 18 month support cycle the Lubuntu changes should be almost transparent and easy to admin for…! LXDE is a light GUI that launches applications. The others, like KDE, Gnome, etc are doing a lot more with just the GUI making them more difficult to keep users trained on (meaning more expensive for a business to admin). The apps with Linux, are the apps (KDE or otherwise, and should over time see only the needed changes). Remember, you can run KDE or Gnome apps on the Lubuntu platform (I run both types of apps and like to launch them from Lubuntu better than if I were using then in either KDE or Gnome, etc). I love the fact that Lubuntu’s goal – is supporting backports for older CPU designs by keeping the 10.04 release as an even better than LTS release! Again, exactly why, for technical reasons, that you do need an LTS for Lubuntu? Please explain?
Hello, I switched to Lubuntu, because I wanted to have a light desktop, with no graphical “garbage”. I work at and with the computer and don’t need such an overload. So I was glad and happy with Lubuntu, but now I am asking myself, what goes wrong? My Lubuntu 11.10 tells me a new version of Ubuntu 12.04 LTS is available? And asks me whether I want to upgrade? Is that a wrong upgrade notice? And how can i upgrade to 12.04? Pls don’t tell me I’ve to install 12.04 from a CD or DVD! I searched for that topic in the wiki, but didn’t find any hint. Thks in advance for your help Ulf
Hey! I have recently switched to Lubuntu as well and ran into the same issue as you did. I did some googling and this is what i found: apparently, it is only a wrong distro name so your upgrade should be not problematic any more. https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/update-manager/+bug/990091
I’ve had the update manager pop up with a message asking me to upgrade to UBUNTU 12.04 (which isn’t Lubuntu) on looking into this through google, I find there is a lubuntu 12.04, so I start the upgrade. The upgrade manager tells me I need about 880 megs of downloads?! I’m on a borrowed WIFI connection, I can’t be downloading almost a gig of data! Is there a new 12.04 cd image? what’s the difference? Why would an update, upgrade take so much more download to get into my computer than downloading a whole ISO? Shouldn’t there be some things left alone that don’t need to be re-downloaded for an upgrade? Shouldn’t this mean, theoretically that the download for upgrade through the manager is only a part of the download for the whole distro, and thus much smaller? Yes, I installed a new chromium, and that will be updated too… But I see chromium is the new default browser anyway, if I was to just download a new iso to install that way. Wouldn’t it be good advice to let people know that the upgrade is better through a complete install disk, (which I can get from another location) rather than the update manager… -how about making a new cd install disk have the ability to properly upgrade an existing install without wiping the system…
Well, it is quite difficult to understand that a derivative made for making reuse of old PCs user friendly… still compel them to upgrade every year or so!
Better install good old windows XP: It’s eleven years old but, supported until 04/2014, still more hassle free than a brand new Lubuntu?
Well, Lubuntu may not have a team that size close to Ubuntu base, but if you have to focus on something, please focus on LTS: For a distribution that targets old hardware, that make even more sense (few drivers for brand new hardware to bakport) than for Ubuntu… and having to upgrade so much is a concern for users.
Look distribs that target corporate environments: RHEL and so on… and their support time!
Don’t expect casual users to do what sysadmins don’t want: Upgrade so often!
I really like Lubuntu; I am using Lubuntu 11.10 in a Laptop, but I see the bigger problems with the distribution have not been solved in 12.04, so there is not enough incentive to upgrade.
– Suspend mode does not work. You choose “suspend”, and then you cannot wake up the computer again … or apparently it wakes up, but you see the screen black no matter what you do. Hibernate does not work, but this is actually is a problem with all Ubuntu distributions.
– Battery life is not optimized. Allegedly, this distribution is “less resource hungry and more energy-efficient”, but actually battery life is worse than the main distribution of Ubuntu with Unity!!! My CPU was having a very high temperature and I tried all the tips in the Ubuntu forums, but nothing worked until I installed Jupiter and choose the “performance on demand” mode of this program.
I hope Lubuntu developers could pay attention to these problems. Perhaps, they could develop LXDE based software for power management to avoid gnome or xfce dependencies on this matter 🙂
These kind of issues might depend on a lot of factors as well as on the hardware you use. I suggest you join the lubuntu mailing list to discuss it in detail: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/Lubuntu-users
Hello!
I just bought a Netgear WNA100 USB Wireless-N dongle. I just wanted to congratulate you folks for getting Linux to the point where someome like me can just plug a wireless adapter like that, and have it to install without a hitch. THAT’S what I EXPECT from an OS!
And now, a question: How do I restore the themes and look included in Lubuntu 11.10 to 12.04? I like THEM *BETTER*…
Your help would be deeply appreciated.
73 DE N4RPS
Rob
Hello!
I just bought a Netgear WNA100 USB Wireless-N dongle. I just wanted to congratulate you folks for getting Linux to the point where someome like me can just plug a wireless adapter like that, and have it to install without a hitch. THAT’S what I EXPECT from an OS!
And now, a question: How do I restore the themes and look included in Lubuntu 11.10 to 12.04? I like THEM *BETTER*…
Your help would be deeply appreciated.
73 DE N4RPS
Rob
I have tested and liked Lubuntu, mainly because what it means in terms of packages, stability, etc., to be a Debian/Ubuntu derivative. For netbooks and older hardware, is also recommendable.
I think to be a LTS is good, since upgrades are much less complicated. It not uncommon to damage the system when doing dist-upgrade, and the user ends up doing a full re-installation of the system, what is painful for anyone. In this sense, I’ll keep advising Lubuntu to become LTS, accompanying Ubuntu’s releases.
Im looking forward to recieving a copy of this from a friend soon. Looks perfect for my old PC so i can finally ditch windows XP. Looks neat and tidy and very responsive my only quarm is that its my first ubuntu based OS so may take a bit of adapting but il pick it up quickly. Thanks guys.
I have had trouble using Flash or Shockwave plugins on the Chromium browser on this new addition of Lubuntu. I realize that Adobe is phasing out support for Linxu. However, Gnash and Lightspark do not seem to work with anything aside from YouTube videos. Even if the plugins are reinstalled, the Chromium broswer either crashes or does not recognize them. Is a fix coming?
Un grazie a Lubuteam per il lavoro svolto.
By Fabio Triestino user
I love Lubuntu.
For so long I was told how less bloated Debian, the “Universal Operating System”, is compared to the ‘buntu’s”, but compared to Lubuntu, Debian is slower and boots slower.
I used to want Debian but after so many problems with wireless I have to ask, “Why?” especially since Lubuntu is so fast and works.
“Wireless & Wine” – the two reasons I reject the “Universal Operating System”
It doesn’t matter if I have all the non-free firmware installed, or if I can see my networks, the “Universal Operating System” would always pop up an excuse for why I can’t connect, “bad password” “bad this” “bad that” when it wasn’t even true.
The Wine package has been layed to rest. The “Universal Operating System” won’t touch it.
Lubuntu allows me to tweak what I want to tweak. Unlike the “Universal Operating System”, I don’t have to tweak it to get it to perform its most basic functions.
Pcmanfm wants to show me two instances of a removable usb in the lft pain. It mounts the usb automatically.
That makes it stranger in that I have deliberately set the preferences to not automount anything.
I am going to replace gnome-disks with palimsest and see if that helps, though I don’t know why it would.
If that doesn’t work I’ll try replacing pcmanfm with thunar.
If that doesn’t work I’m going to have to go back to that bloated xfce version of Mint Debian.
I used Windows XP on my old laptop and it gives me a long hang everytime I reboot. When I switched to ubuntu, this changed, but still hangs when flash is playing. Now, lubuntu is what I am using. So fast, so stable, so clean, so easy to use, so light. The five “so’s ” just stop me from using other OS.