Xubuntu vs. Lubuntu? Xfce vs. LXDE?
Printable View
Xubuntu vs. Lubuntu? Xfce vs. LXDE?
Xfce! :popcorn:
Lubuntu!
Lubuntu - really Lightweight.
Thread moved to Recurring Discussions.
404
Until last week I would have said XFCE, too, but I revisited Lubuntu and it has improved a lot since I tried it last 2 years ago. Right now Lubuntu seems to be more snappy and I prefer PcManFM over Thunar (mainly because it looks more smooth with the "elemetaryish" GTK theme, but also because it has multi panel view and search in version 1.1)
The choice also depends on your hardware. Xubuntu is light and Lubuntu is ultra-light.
I use Lubuntu and installed xubuntu-desktop into it
in order to get more tools to tweak the system. I also installed Libre-office to get a more powerful office suite than Abiword and Gnumeric.Code:sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop
I really like the good performance of Lubuntu with high definition video.
I'd install Xubuntu on my mom or dad's computer (Linux novices). I'd install Lubuntu on my machine.
Based on my initial impressions:
XFCE = Pretty darn solid and super configurable. We use XFCE on our Ubuntu machines at work, however the XFCE theme was heavily modified in-house to more heavily resemble a Windows 7/OSX environment for ease of use.
LXDE = I have a very soft spot for LXDE because I feel it is disturbingly light and quick to use. If I'm not going to be using a no-GUI Ubuntu Server esque distro, or the regular Unity desktop, LXDE is the next stop for me.
I think both are very solid, but when it comes to how I utilize them, they have different places. XFCE is ugly out of the gate. The whole bottom dock thing feels half baked to me in conjunction with the top taskbar (just my 2c here). LXDE is something that looks more ready to go the second the installation is done. Sure, XFCE is certainly operable, but I think LXDE just offers an additional +1 in that department. Both environments have surprised me with their small footprint, but depending on what I need often dictates which I go with.
If I just want a very basic but super light and easy to use environment, LXDE is it. If I want a light environment with a decent array of configurable options, XFCE is the ticket. If I was installing a system for a relatively basic user who has been long time Windows user, Lubuntu would get my vote.