[SOLVED] Linux distributions with 5+ years support

[Rooster2000]

I am searching a Linux distribution to replace my current Lubuntu 16.04 LTS. Basically I am happy with it on other aspects, but would like to get at least five-year support instead of three.

In five-year category there are some good alternatives, like Linux Mint (Xfce) and LXLE (LXDE). These would be also based on the *buntu -family that is somewhat familiar to me and would provide a light and simple desktop environment.

The only alternative in 5+ years category I have found so far is CentOS, which would have even 10 years support (7 yrs full + 3 yrs security). I would probably use Gnome desktop with it. That would be more resource hungry than Xfce and LXDE, but I guess I could consider it (and learning how to use Red Hat -based system) as a trade-off with longer update support.

Are there any other distributions that have a full (or security) support longer than five years? These distributions should be relatively easy to use.

[QDR06VV9]

I do not know how credible this site is but have look here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-term_support
I tend to stay with ubuntu-mate and Arch (Rolling) and debian now has a few rolling release's found here: http://fixmynix.com/debian-rolling-release-distribution-list/
Regards

[Rooster2000]

I would not like to have a distribution with rolling releases, but rather a stabile LTS which will be supported for long time without any major changes.

The list you provided contains three Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Trisquel, Linux Mint), all of which are supported for five years.

[QDR06VV9]

The list you provided contains three Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Trisquel, Linux Mint), all of which are supported for five years.
There may be one or two more that have have LTS support but there is no documentation on them ATM.
Just to inform Rolling release's have been very stable for myself and I have no intention of removing any of them. But I have an adventurous side to me that love's to see whats is always current
Kind Regards

[ajgreeny]

Just thinking aloud here, but does anyone know what the situation is if you install using the minimal install CD, then add, for example, xfce4 to get the xfce4 desktop; would that give you a system with 5 year support or would it be no different to installing Xubuntu, which of course uses the xfce4 desktop, but gives only 3 years support?

[QDR06VV9]

I have always heard to be that the ubuntu base gets the 5 year support but the XFCE bits are only 3 years.
Trying to find a link to support this though. here it is.

Let's clarify this. Traditionally Ubuntu proper has a 5yr LTS and will do again for 16.04. Most other flavours only apply for a 3yr LTS.
16.04 is our first properly official LTS and after some discussion with members of the Ubuntu Technical Board, we've decided to follow what most other flavours do which is a 3yr LTS.
What does this mean? We will support Ubuntu MATE 16.04 upto the 16.04.5 release. After that, the Ubuntu MATE bits won't get updates and fixes but the underlying Ubuntu base will. 



Source https://ubuntu-mate.community/t/why-can-t-we-get-5-years-support-for-16-04/5098/10

[mikodo]

Just thinking aloud here, but does anyone know what the situation is if you install using the minimal install CD, then add, for example, xfce4 to get the xfce4 desktop; would that give you a system with 5 year support or would it be no different to installing Xubuntu, which of course uses the xfce4 desktop, but gives only 3 years support?

I have always thought it would mean the same as personally choosing to run a Xubuntu LTS for five years. One would have the Ubuntu base supported but, would more and more loose Xubuntu library support. A lot of that happens anyways even during the official LTS support time-frame.

Isn't Kubuntu supported for 5 years in LTS. I cant remember.

My Xubuntu 14.01.1 support:



mikodo@mikodo:~$ ubuntu-support-status --show-all
Support status summary of 'mikodo':

You have 40 packages (2.3%) supported until February 2015 (9m)
You have 176 packages (10.0%) supported until May 2017 (3y)
You have 1484 packages (84.5%) supported until May 2019 (5y)

You have 0 packages (0.0%) that can not/no longer be downloaded
You have 56 packages (3.2%) that are unsupported

No longer downloadable:


Unsupported:
backintime-common backintime-qt4 boot-repair boot-sav boot-sav-extra
clamtk encfs fancontrol glade2script grub2 grub2-splashimages
gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly hplip-gui keepassx libdate-calc-perl
libdate-calc-xs-perl librlog5 libsword-common libsword9 links links2
linux-headers-3.13.0-85 linux-headers-3.13.0-85-generic
linux-headers-3.13.0-86 linux-headers-3.13.0-86-generic
linux-headers-3.13.0-87 linux-headers-3.13.0-87-generic
linux-image-3.13.0-85-generic linux-image-3.13.0-86-generic
linux-image-3.13.0-87-generic linux-image-extra-3.13.0-85-generic
linux-image-extra-3.13.0-86-generic
linux-image-extra-3.13.0-87-generic lm-sensors lxpolkit mbmon meld
menu network-manager-openvpn network-manager-openvpn-gnome
python-gtksourceview2 python3-keyring python3-secretstorage
rdiff-backup sane smplayer smplayer-themes smplayer-translations
smtube system-config-lvm xcalib xiphos xiphos-data xmbmon xsane
xsane-common

Supported until February 2015 (9m):
fuse-dbg libbasicusageenvironment0 libbit-vector-perl
libboost-serialization1.54.0 libcarp-clan-perl libchromaprint0
libcrystalhd3 libdirac-encoder0 libdvbpsi8 libebml4 libfuse-dev
libgnutls28 libgroupsock1 libhogweed2 liblivemedia23 libmatroska6
libpcre3-dev libpcrecpp0 libproxy-tools libreoffice-style-galaxy
libresid-builder0c2a libselinux1-dev libsepol1-dev libsidplay1
libsidplay2 libssh2-1 libtar0 libtsan0 libusageenvironment1 libvlc5
libvlccore7 libzvbi-common libzvbi0 thunderbird-locale-en
thunderbird-locale-en-us vlc vlc-data vlc-nox vlc-plugin-notify
vlc-plugin-pulse

Supported until May 2017 (3y):
apt-offline audacious audacious-plugins audacious-plugins-data
blueman brltty-x11 catfish desktop-base espeak exo-utils gigolo
gnome-desktop-data gnome-system-tools gnome-themes-standard
gnome-themes-standard-data gnumeric gnumeric-common gnumeric-doc
gstreamer1.0-libav gtk-theme-config gtk2-engines-pixbuf liba52-0.7.4
libaacs0 libass4 libaudclient2 libaudcore1 libavcodec54
libavresample1 libbinio1ldbl libbluray1 libbs2b0 libcairo-perl
libcddb2 libchamplain-0.12-0 libchamplain-gtk-0.12-0 libcue1
libdc1394-22 libdca0 libdigest-crc-perl libdirectfb-1.2-9 libenca0
libexo-1-0 libexo-common libexo-helpers libfaad2 libgarcon-1-0
libgarcon-common libgdome2-0 libgdome2-cpp-smart0c2a libglib-perl
libgoffice-0.10-10 libgoffice-0.10-10-common libgsf-1-114
libgsf-1-common libgstreamer-perl libgtk2-notify-perl libgtk2-perl
libgtk2-trayicon-perl libgtkmathview0c2a libguess1 libintl-perl
libkate1 libkeybinder0 liblink-grammar4 libmodplug1 libmowgli2
libmp3lame0 libmpeg2-4 libmpg123-0 libnet-dbus-perl liboobs-1-5
libots0 libpango-perl libpostproc52 libquvi-scripts libquvi7
libschroedinger-1.0-0 libsidplayfp libtagc0 libthunarx-2-0
libts-0.0-0 libtumbler-1-0 libtwolame0 libunique-1.0-0 libva-x11-1
libva1 libwv-1.2-4 libx264-142 libxcb-xv0 libxfce4ui-1-0
libxfce4ui-2-0 libxfce4ui-common libxfce4ui-utils libxfce4util-bin
libxfce4util-common libxfce4util6 libxfcegui4-4 libxfconf-0-2
libxml-twig-perl libxml-xpathengine-perl libxvidcore4 light-locker
light-locker-settings lightdm-gtk-greeter
link-grammar-dictionaries-en lxsession-data menulibre mousepad
mplayer2 mugshot myspell-en-us orage parole pavucontrol pidgin
pidgin-data pidgin-libnotify pidgin-otr plymouth-theme-xubuntu-logo
plymouth-theme-xubuntu-text python-support python3-pexpect
python3-psutil ristretto shimmer-themes synaptic
system-tools-backends thunar thunar-archive-plugin thunar-data
thunar-media-tags-plugin thunar-volman tsconf tumbler tumbler-common
xbrlapi xchat xchat-common xchat-indicator xfburn xfce4-appfinder
xfce4-cpugraph-plugin xfce4-dict xfce4-indicator-plugin
xfce4-mailwatch-plugin xfce4-netload-plugin xfce4-notes
xfce4-notes-plugin xfce4-notifyd xfce4-panel xfce4-places-plugin
xfce4-power-manager xfce4-power-manager-data
xfce4-quicklauncher-plugin xfce4-screenshooter xfce4-session
xfce4-settings xfce4-systemload-plugin xfce4-taskmanager
xfce4-terminal xfce4-verve-plugin xfce4-volumed xfce4-weather-plugin
xfce4-whiskermenu-plugin xfce4-xkb-plugin xfconf xfdesktop4
xfdesktop4-data xfwm4 xubuntu-artwork xubuntu-community-wallpapers
xubuntu-default-settings xubuntu-desktop xubuntu-docs
xubuntu-icon-theme xubuntu-wallpapers

Supported until May 2019 (5y):
accountsservice acl acpi-support acpid adduser alsa-base alsa-utils
anacron app-install-data app-install-data-partner apparmor apport
apport-gtk apport-symptoms apt apt-transport-https apt-utils
aptdaemon aptdaemon-data aspell aspell-en at-spi2-core avahi-autoipd
avahi-daemon avahi-utils base-files base-passwd bash bash-completion
bc bind9-host binutils bluez bluez-alsa bluez-cups brltty
bsdmainutils bsdutils busybox-initramfs busybox-static bzip2
ca-certificates clamav clamav-base clamav-freshclam colord
command-not-found command-not-found-data compiz compiz-core
compiz-gnome compiz-plugins-default console-setup coreutils cpio cpp
cpp-4.8 cracklib-runtime crda cron cryptsetup cryptsetup-bin cups
cups-browsed cups-bsd cups-client cups-common cups-core-drivers
cups-daemon cups-filters cups-filters-core-drivers cups-ppdc
cups-server-common dash dbus dbus-x11 dc dconf-gsettings-backend
dconf-service debconf debconf-i18n debianutils desktop-file-utils
dh-python dialog dictionaries-common diffstat diffutils dmidecode
dmsetup dmz-cursor-theme dnsmasq-base dnsutils doc-base docbook-xml
dosfstools dpkg e2fslibs e2fsprogs ecryptfs-utils ed efibootmgr eject
enchant espeak-data ethtool evince evince-common
evolution-data-server-common file file-roller findutils firefox
firefox-locale-en fontconfig fontconfig-config fonts-dejavu-core
fonts-droid fonts-freefont-ttf fonts-kacst fonts-kacst-one
fonts-khmeros-core fonts-lao fonts-liberation fonts-lklug-sinhala
fonts-lyx fonts-nanum fonts-opensymbol fonts-sil-abyssinica
fonts-sil-padauk fonts-takao-pgothic fonts-thai-tlwg
fonts-tibetan-machine fonts-tlwg-garuda fonts-tlwg-kinnari
fonts-tlwg-loma fonts-tlwg-mono fonts-tlwg-norasi fonts-tlwg-purisa
fonts-tlwg-sawasdee fonts-tlwg-typewriter fonts-tlwg-typist
fonts-tlwg-typo fonts-tlwg-umpush fonts-tlwg-waree
foomatic-db-compressed-ppds friendly-recovery ftp fuse gawk gcc
gcc-4.8 gcc-4.8-base gcc-4.9-base gcc-4.9-base:i386 gconf-service
gconf-service-backend gconf2 gconf2-common gcr gdb gdisk genisoimage
geoip-database gettext gettext-base ghostscript ghostscript-x gimp
gimp-data gimp-help-common gimp-help-en gir1.2-appindicator3-0.1
gir1.2-atk-1.0 gir1.2-atspi-2.0 gir1.2-freedesktop
gir1.2-gdkpixbuf-2.0 gir1.2-glib-2.0 gir1.2-gmenu-3.0
gir1.2-gst-plugins-base-1.0 gir1.2-gstreamer-1.0 gir1.2-gtk-3.0
gir1.2-gudev-1.0 gir1.2-javascriptcoregtk-3.0 gir1.2-notify-0.7
gir1.2-packagekitglib-1.0 gir1.2-pango-1.0 gir1.2-soup-2.4
gir1.2-vte-2.90 gir1.2-webkit-3.0 gir1.2-wnck-3.0 gksu
glib-networking glib-networking-common glib-networking-services
gnome-accessibility-themes gnome-calculator gnome-disk-utility
gnome-icon-theme gnome-icon-theme-full gnome-icon-theme-symbolic
gnome-keyring gnome-menus gnome-mines gnome-settings-daemon-schemas
gnome-sudoku gnome-system-monitor gnome-user-guide gnomine gnupg
gparted gpgv grep groff-base grub-common grub-gfxpayload-lists
grub-pc grub-pc-bin grub2-common gsettings-desktop-schemas
gsettings-ubuntu-schemas gsfonts gstreamer0.10-alsa
gstreamer0.10-nice gstreamer0.10-plugins-base
gstreamer0.10-plugins-base-apps gstreamer0.10-plugins-good
gstreamer0.10-pulseaudio gstreamer0.10-tools gstreamer0.10-x
gstreamer1.0-plugins-base gstreamer1.0-plugins-good
gstreamer1.0-pulseaudio gstreamer1.0-tools gstreamer1.0-x
gtk2-engines-murrine gucharmap gvfs gvfs-backends gvfs-bin
gvfs-common gvfs-daemons gvfs-fuse gvfs-libs gzip hardening-includes
hdparm hicolor-icon-theme hostname hplip hplip-data
humanity-icon-theme ifupdown im-config indicator-application
indicator-messages indicator-power indicator-sound info
init-system-helpers initramfs-tools initramfs-tools-bin initscripts
inputattach insserv install-info intltool-debian iproute iproute2
iptables iputils-arping iputils-ping iputils-tracepath irqbalance
isc-dhcp-client isc-dhcp-common iso-codes iw kbd kerneloops-daemon
keyboard-configuration keyutils klibc-utils kmod krb5-locales
language-pack-en language-pack-en-base language-pack-gnome-en
language-pack-gnome-en-base language-selector-common
language-selector-gnome laptop-detect less libaa1 libaccountsservice0
libacl1 libamd2.3.1 libapparmor-perl libapparmor1 libappindicator1
libappindicator3-1 libapt-inst1.5 libapt-pkg-perl libapt-pkg4.12
libarchive-extract-perl libarchive-zip-perl libarchive13 libart-2.0-2
libasan0 libasn1-8-heimdal libasound2 libasound2-data
libasound2-plugins libaspell15 libasprintf-dev libasprintf0c2
libasyncns0 libatasmart4 libatk-bridge2.0-0 libatk-bridge2.0-0:i386
libatk1.0-0 libatk1.0-0:i386 libatk1.0-data libatkmm-1.6-1 libatomic1
libatspi2.0-0 libatspi2.0-0:i386 libattr1 libaudio2 libaudit-common
libaudit1 libauthen-sasl-perl libautodie-perl libavahi-client3
libavahi-client3:i386 libavahi-common-data libavahi-common-data:i386
libavahi-common3 libavahi-common3:i386 libavahi-core7 libavahi-glib1
libavc1394-0 libavformat54 libavutil52 libbabl-0.1-0 libbind9-90
libblas3 libblkid1 libbluetooth3 libbonobo2-0 libbonobo2-common
libbonoboui2-0 libbonoboui2-common libboost-date-time1.54.0
libboost-system1.54.0 libbrlapi0.6 libbsd0 libburn4 libbz2-1.0
libc-bin libc-dev-bin libc6 libc6-dbg libc6-dev libc6:i386 libcaca0
libcairo-gobject2 libcairo-gobject2:i386 libcairo2 libcairo2:i386
libcairomm-1.0-1 libcamd2.3.1 libcamel-1.2-45 libcanberra-gtk3-0
libcanberra-gtk3-module libcanberra0 libcap-ng0 libcap2 libcap2-bin
libccolamd2.8.0 libcdio-cdda1 libcdio-paranoia1 libcdio13
libcdparanoia0 libcgmanager0 libcgmanager0:i386 libcholmod2.1.2
libclamav6 libclass-accessor-perl libclone-perl libcloog-isl4
libclucene-contribs1 libclucene-core1 libclutter-1.0-0
libclutter-1.0-common libclutter-gtk-1.0-0 libcmis-0.4-4
libcogl-common libcogl-pango15 libcogl15 libcolamd2.8.0 libcolord1
libcolord1:i386 libcolorhug1 libcomerr2 libcomerr2:i386
libcompizconfig0 libcrack2 libcroco3 libcrypt-passwdmd5-perl
libcryptsetup4 libcups2 libcups2:i386 libcupscgi1 libcupsfilters1
libcupsimage2 libcupsmime1 libcupsppdc1 libcurl3 libcurl3-gnutls
libdaemon0 libdatrie1 libdatrie1:i386 libdb5.3 libdbus-1-3
libdbus-1-3:i386 libdbus-glib-1-2 libdbusmenu-glib4
libdbusmenu-gtk3-4 libdbusmenu-gtk4 libdconf1 libdebconfclient0
libdecoration0 libdee-1.0-4 libdevmapper-event1.02.1
libdevmapper1.02.1 libdigest-hmac-perl libdjvulibre-text
libdjvulibre21 libdns100 libdotconf0 libdpkg-perl libdrm-intel1
libdrm-nouveau2 libdrm-radeon1 libdrm2 libdv4 libdvdnav4 libdvdread4
libebook-contacts-1.2-0 libecryptfs0 libedataserver-1.2-18 libedit2
libegl1-mesa libegl1-mesa-drivers libelf1 libelfg0
libemail-valid-perl libenchant1c2a libencode-locale-perl libept1.4.12
libespeak1 libestr0 libevdocument3-4 libevent-2.0-5 libevview3-3
libexif12 libexpat1 libexpat1:i386 libexttextcat-2.0-0
libexttextcat-data libfarstream-0.1-0 libffi6 libffi6:i386
libfftw3-single3 libfile-basedir-perl libfile-copy-recursive-perl
libfile-desktopentry-perl libfile-fcntllock-perl libfile-listing-perl
libfile-mimeinfo-perl libflac8 libfluidsynth1 libfont-afm-perl
libfontconfig1 libfontconfig1:i386 libfontembed1 libfontenc1
libframe6 libfreerdp1 libfreetype6 libfreetype6:i386 libfribidi0
libfs6 libfuse2 libgail-3-0 libgail18 libgbm1 libgcc-4.8-dev libgcc1
libgcc1:i386 libgck-1-0 libgconf-2-4 libgcr-3-common libgcr-base-3-1
libgcr-ui-3-1 libgcrypt11 libgcrypt11:i386 libgd3 libgdbm3
libgdk-pixbuf2.0-0 libgdk-pixbuf2.0-0:i386 libgdk-pixbuf2.0-common
libgegl-0.2-0 libgeis1 libgeoclue0 libgeoip1 libgettextpo-dev
libgettextpo0 libgfortran3 libgif4 libgimp2.0 libgirepository-1.0-1
libgksu2-0 libgl1-mesa-dri libgl1-mesa-glx libglade2-0 libglamor0
libglapi-mesa libglib2.0-0 libglib2.0-0:i386 libglib2.0-bin
libglib2.0-data libglibmm-2.4-1c2a libglu1-mesa libgmp10
libgnome-bluetooth11 libgnome-keyring-common libgnome-keyring0
libgnome-menu-3-0 libgnome2-0 libgnome2-bin libgnome2-common
libgnomecanvas2-0 libgnomecanvas2-common libgnomeui-0
libgnomeui-common libgnomevfs2-0 libgnomevfs2-common
libgnutls-openssl27 libgnutls26 libgnutls26:i386 libgomp1
libgpg-error0 libgpg-error0:i386 libgphoto2-6 libgphoto2-l10n
libgphoto2-port10 libgpm2 libgrail6 libgraphite2-3
libgraphite2-3:i386 libgrip0 libgs9 libgs9-common libgsm1
libgssapi-krb5-2 libgssapi-krb5-2:i386 libgssapi3-heimdal
libgssdp-1.0-3 libgstreamer-plugins-base0.10-0
libgstreamer-plugins-base1.0-0 libgstreamer-plugins-good1.0-0
libgstreamer0.10-0 libgstreamer1.0-0 libgtk-3-0 libgtk-3-0:i386
libgtk-3-bin libgtk-3-common libgtk2.0-0 libgtk2.0-bin
libgtk2.0-common libgtkhtml-4.0-0 libgtkhtml-4.0-common
libgtkhtml-editor-4.0-0 libgtkmm-2.4-1c2a libgtkmm-3.0-1
libgtksourceview2.0-0 libgtksourceview2.0-common libgtkspell0
libgtop2-7 libgtop2-common libgucharmap-2-90-7 libgudev-1.0-0
libgudev-1.0-0:i386 libgupnp-1.0-4 libgupnp-igd-1.0-4 libgusb2
libgutenprint2 libgxps2 libharfbuzz-icu0 libharfbuzz0b
libharfbuzz0b:i386 libhcrypto4-heimdal libheimbase1-heimdal
libheimntlm0-heimdal libhpmud0 libhtml-form-perl libhtml-format-perl
libhtml-parser-perl libhtml-tagset-perl libhtml-tree-perl
libhttp-cookies-perl libhttp-daemon-perl libhttp-date-perl
libhttp-message-perl libhttp-negotiate-perl libhunspell-1.3-0
libhx509-5-heimdal libhyphen0 libical1 libice6 libicu52 libidl-common
libidl0 libidn11 libido3-0.1-0 libiec61883-0 libieee1284-3
libijs-0.35 libilmbase6 libimobiledevice4 libindicator3-7
libindicator7 libio-html-perl libio-pty-perl libio-socket-inet6-perl
libio-socket-ssl-perl libio-string-perl libipc-run-perl
libipc-system-simple-perl libisc95 libisccc90 libisccfg90 libisl10
libiso9660-8 libisofs6 libitm1 libiw30 libjack-jackd2-0 libjasper1
libjasper1:i386 libjavascriptcoregtk-1.0-0 libjavascriptcoregtk-3.0-0
libjbig0 libjbig0:i386 libjbig2dec0 libjpeg-turbo8
libjpeg-turbo8:i386 libjpeg62 libjpeg8 libjpeg8:i386 libjs-jquery
libjs-sphinxdoc libjs-underscore libjson-c2 libjson-glib-1.0-0
libjson-glib-1.0-common libjson0 libjte1 libk5crypto3
libk5crypto3:i386 libkeyutils1 libkeyutils1:i386 libklibc libkmod2
libkpathsea6 libkrb5-26-heimdal libkrb5-3 libkrb5-3:i386
libkrb5support0 libkrb5support0:i386 liblangtag-common liblangtag1
liblapack3 liblcms1 liblcms2-2 liblcms2-2:i386 libldap-2.4-2 libldb1
liblightdm-gobject-1-0 liblircclient0 liblist-moreutils-perl
libllvm3.4 liblocale-gettext-perl liblockfile-bin liblockfile1
liblog-message-simple-perl libloudmouth1-0 libltdl7 liblua5.2-0
liblwp-mediatypes-perl liblwp-protocol-https-perl liblwres90 liblzma5
liblzma5:i386 liblzo2-2 libmad0 libmagic1 libmailtools-perl
libmbim-glib0 libmeanwhile1 libmessaging-menu0 libmetacity-private0a
libmhash2 libminiupnpc8 libmm-glib0 libmms0 libmng2 libmnl0
libmodule-pluggable-perl libmount1 libmpc3 libmpcdec6 libmpdec2
libmpfr4 libmtdev1 libmtp-common libmtp-runtime libmtp9
libmysqlclient18 libmythes-1.2-0 libnatpmp1 libnautilus-extension1a
libncurses5 libncursesw5 libneon27-gnutls libnet-dns-perl
libnet-domain-tld-perl libnet-http-perl libnet-ip-perl
libnet-libidn-perl libnet-smtp-ssl-perl libnet-ssleay-perl
libnetfilter-conntrack3 libnettle4 libnewt0.52 libnfnetlink0
libnice10 libnih-dbus1 libnih-dbus1:i386 libnih1 libnih1:i386
libnl-3-200 libnl-genl-3-200 libnl-route-3-200 libnm-glib-vpn1
libnm-glib4 libnm-gtk-common libnm-gtk0 libnm-util2 libnotify-bin
libnotify4 libnspr4 libnss-mdns libnss3 libnss3-1d libnss3-nssdb
libntdb1 libnuma1 libogg0 libopencore-amrnb0 libopencore-amrwb0
libopenexr6 libopenjpeg2 libopenobex1 libopenvg1-mesa libopus0
liborbit-2-0 liborbit2 liborc-0.4-0 libotr5 libp11-kit-gnome-keyring
libp11-kit0 libp11-kit0:i386 libpackagekit-glib2-16 libpam-cap
libpam-gnome-keyring libpam-modules libpam-modules-bin libpam-runtime
libpam-systemd libpam0g libpango-1.0-0 libpango-1.0-0:i386
libpango1.0-0 libpangocairo-1.0-0 libpangocairo-1.0-0:i386
libpangoft2-1.0-0 libpangoft2-1.0-0:i386 libpangomm-1.4-1
libpangox-1.0-0 libpangoxft-1.0-0 libpaper-utils libpaper1
libparse-debianchangelog-perl libparted0debian1 libpcap0.8 libpci3
libpciaccess0 libpcre3 libpcre3:i386 libpcsclite1 libperl5.18
libperlio-gzip-perl libpipeline1 libpixman-1-0 libpixman-1-0:i386
libpkcs11-helper1 libplist1 libplymouth2 libpng12-0 libpng12-0:i386
libpod-latex-perl libpolkit-agent-1-0 libpolkit-agent-1-0:i386
libpolkit-backend-1-0 libpolkit-gobject-1-0
libpolkit-gobject-1-0:i386 libpoppler-glib8 libpoppler44 libpopt0
libportaudio2 libprocps3 libprotobuf8 libproxy1
libpulse-mainloop-glib0 libpulse0 libpulsedsp libpurple-bin
libpurple0 libpwquality-common libpwquality1 libpython-stdlib
libpython2.7 libpython2.7-minimal libpython2.7-stdlib
libpython3-stdlib libpython3.4 libpython3.4-minimal
libpython3.4-stdlib libqmi-glib0 libqpdf13 libqt4-dbus
libqt4-declarative libqt4-designer libqt4-help libqt4-network
libqt4-opengl libqt4-script libqt4-scripttools libqt4-sql
libqt4-sql-mysql libqt4-svg libqt4-test libqt4-xml libqt4-xmlpatterns
libqtassistantclient4 libqtcore4 libqtdbus4 libqtgui4 libqtwebkit4
libquadmath0 libraptor2-0 librarian0 librasqal3 libraw1394-11 librdf0
libreadline5 libreadline6 libreoffice-base-core libreoffice-common
libreoffice-core libreoffice-help-en-us libreoffice-pdfimport
libreoffice-writer libroken18-heimdal librsvg2-2 librsvg2-common
librsync1 librtmp0 libsamplerate0 libsane libsane-common
libsane-hpaio libsasl2-2 libsasl2-modules libsasl2-modules-db
libsdl-image1.2 libsdl1.2debian libsecret-1-0 libsecret-1-0:i386
libsecret-common libselinux1 libselinux1:i386 libsemanage-common
libsemanage1 libsensors4 libsepol1 libsexy2 libshout3
libsigc++-2.0-0c2a libsigsegv2 libslang2 libsm6 libsmbclient
libsndfile1 libsnmp-base libsnmp30 libsocket6-perl libsonic0
libsoup-gnome2.4-1 libsoup2.4-1 libspectre1 libspeechd2 libspeex1
libspeexdsp1 libspice-server1 libsqlite3-0 libss2 libssl1.0.0
libstartup-notification0 libstdc++6 libsub-identify-perl
libsub-name-perl libswscale2 libsystemd-daemon0 libsystemd-login0
libsystemd-login0:i386 libt1-5 libtag1-vanilla libtag1c2a libtalloc2
libtasn1-6 libtasn1-6:i386 libtcl8.5 libtcl8.6 libtdb1
libtelepathy-glib0 libterm-ui-perl libtevent0 libtext-charwidth-perl
libtext-iconv-perl libtext-levenshtein-perl libtext-soundex-perl
libtext-wrapi18n-perl libthai-data libthai0 libthai0:i386 libtheora0
libtidy-0.99-0 libtie-ixhash-perl libtiff5 libtiff5:i386
libtimedate-perl libtinfo5 libtk8.6 libtxc-dxtn-s2tc0 libudev1
libudev1:i386 libudisks2-0 libudisks2-0:i386 libumfpack5.6.2
libunistring0 libunity-protocol-private0
libunity-scopes-json-def-desktop libunity9 libupnp6 libupower-glib1
liburi-perl liburl-dispatcher1 libusb-0.1-4 libusb-1.0-0 libusbmuxd2
libustr-1.0-1 libutempter0 libuuid-perl libuuid1 libv4l-0
libv4lconvert0 libvcdinfo0 libvdpau1 libvisual-0.4-0
libvisual-0.4-plugins libvorbis0a libvorbisenc2 libvorbisfile3
libvpx1 libvte-2.90-9 libvte-2.90-common libvte-common libvte9
libwavpack1 libwayland-client0 libwayland-client0:i386
libwayland-cursor0 libwayland-cursor0:i386 libwayland-egl1-mesa
libwayland-server0 libwbclient0 libwebkitgtk-1.0-0
libwebkitgtk-1.0-common libwebkitgtk-3.0-0 libwebkitgtk-3.0-common
libwebp5 libwebpmux1 libwhoopsie0 libwind0-heimdal libwmf0.2-7
libwnck-3-0 libwnck-3-common libwnck-common libwnck22 libwpd-0.9-9
libwpg-0.2-2 libwps-0.2-2 libwrap0 libwww-perl libwww-robotrules-perl
libx11-6 libx11-6:i386 libx11-data libx11-xcb1 libx86-1 libxapian22
libxatracker2 libxau6 libxau6:i386 libxaw7 libxcb-composite0
libxcb-dri2-0 libxcb-dri3-0 libxcb-glx0 libxcb-keysyms1
libxcb-present0 libxcb-randr0 libxcb-render0 libxcb-render0:i386
libxcb-shape0 libxcb-shm0 libxcb-shm0:i386 libxcb-sync1 libxcb-util0
libxcb-xfixes0 libxcb1 libxcb1:i386 libxcomposite1
libxcomposite1:i386 libxcursor1 libxcursor1:i386 libxdamage1
libxdamage1:i386 libxdmcp6 libxdmcp6:i386 libxext6 libxext6:i386
libxfixes3 libxfixes3:i386 libxfont1 libxft2 libxi6 libxi6:i386
libxinerama1 libxinerama1:i386 libxkbcommon0 libxkbcommon0:i386
libxkbfile1 libxklavier16 libxml-parser-perl libxml2 libxmu6 libxmuu1
libxp6 libxpm4 libxrandr2 libxrandr2:i386 libxrender1
libxrender1:i386 libxres1 libxshmfence1 libxslt1.1 libxss1 libxt6
libxtables10 libxtst6 libxv1 libxvmc1 libxxf86dga1 libxxf86vm1
libyajl2 libyaml-tiny-perl libyelp0 libzephyr4 lightdm lintian
linux-firmware linux-generic linux-headers-generic
linux-image-generic linux-libc-dev linux-sound-base locales
lockfile-progs login logrotate lp-solve lsb-base lsb-release lshw
lsof ltrace lvm2 make makedev man-db manpages manpages-dev mawk
memtest86+ metacity-common mime-support mlocate
mobile-broadband-provider-info modemmanager module-init-tools mount
mountall mscompress mtr-tiny multiarch-support mysql-common nano
nautilus-data ncurses-base ncurses-bin net-tools netbase
netcat-openbsd network-manager network-manager-gnome
network-manager-pptp network-manager-pptp-gnome ntfs-3g ntpdate
obex-data-server onboard onboard-data oneconf oneconf-common
openprinting-ppds openssh-client openssl openvpn os-prober p11-kit
p11-kit-modules parted passwd pastebinit patch patchutils pciutils
pcmciautils perl perl-base perl-modules pkg-config plymouth
plymouth-label plymouth-theme-ubuntu-text pm-utils policykit-1
policykit-1-gnome policykit-desktop-privileges poppler-data
poppler-utils popularity-contest powermgmt-base ppp pppconfig
pppoeconf pptp-linux printer-driver-c2esp printer-driver-foo2zjs
printer-driver-foo2zjs-common printer-driver-gutenprint
printer-driver-hpcups printer-driver-min12xxw printer-driver-pnm2ppa
printer-driver-postscript-hp printer-driver-ptouch
printer-driver-pxljr printer-driver-sag-gdi printer-driver-splix
procps psmisc pulseaudio pulseaudio-module-x11 pulseaudio-utils
python python-apt python-apt-common python-aptdaemon
python-aptdaemon.gtk3widgets python-cairo python-chardet
python-commandnotfound python-crypto python-cups python-cupshelpers
python-dbus python-dbus-dev python-debian python-debtagshw
python-defer python-dirspec python-gconf python-gdbm python-gi
python-gi-cairo python-glade2 python-gnome2 python-gnomekeyring
python-gobject python-gobject-2 python-gtk2 python-httplib2
python-imaging python-ldb python-libxml2 python-lxml python-minimal
python-notify python-ntdb python-oauthlib python-oneconf
python-openssl python-pam python-pexpect python-pil
python-piston-mini-client python-pkg-resources python-psutil
python-pycurl python-pylibacl python-pyorbit python-pyxattr
python-qt4 python-qt4-dbus python-renderpm python-reportlab
python-reportlab-accel python-requests python-samba python-serial
python-sip python-six python-smbc python-talloc python-tdb
python-twisted-bin python-twisted-core python-twisted-web
python-ubuntu-sso-client python-urllib3 python-xapian python-xdg
python-zope.interface python2.7 python2.7-minimal python3
python3-apport python3-apt python3-aptdaemon
python3-aptdaemon.gtk3widgets python3-aptdaemon.pkcompat
python3-cairo python3-commandnotfound python3-crypto python3-dbus
python3-dbus.mainloop.qt python3-defer python3-distupgrade
python3-gdbm python3-gi python3-gi-cairo python3-httplib2
python3-minimal python3-oauthlib python3-oneconf
python3-piston-mini-client python3-pkg-resources
python3-problem-report python3-pycurl python3-pyqt4 python3-sip
python3-software-properties python3-uno python3-update-manager
python3-xdg python3-xkit python3.4 python3.4-minimal qdbus qpdf
qtchooser qtcore4-l10n rarian-compat readline-common resolvconf
rfkill rsync rsyslog rtkit samba-common samba-common-bin samba-libs
sane-utils sed sensible-utils session-migration sessioninstaller
sgml-base sgml-data shared-mime-info simple-scan smbclient
software-center-aptdaemon-plugins software-properties-common
software-properties-gtk sound-theme-freedesktop speech-dispatcher
speech-dispatcher-audio-plugins sshfs ssl-cert strace sudo
syslinux-common system-config-printer-common
system-config-printer-gnome system-config-printer-udev
systemd-services systemd-shim sysv-rc sysvinit-utils t1utils tar tcl
tcl8.5 tcl8.6 tcpd tcpdump telnet thunderbird time tk tk8.6 toshset
transmission-common transmission-gtk ttf-indic-fonts-core
ttf-punjabi-fonts ttf-ubuntu-font-family tzdata ubuntu-drivers-common
ubuntu-extras-keyring ubuntu-keyring ubuntu-minimal
ubuntu-release-upgrader-core ubuntu-release-upgrader-gtk
ubuntu-sso-client ubuntu-standard ucf udev udisks2 ufw
unattended-upgrades uno-libs3 unzip update-inetd update-manager
update-manager-core update-notifier update-notifier-common upower
upstart ure ureadahead usb-modeswitch usb-modeswitch-data usbmuxd
usbutils util-linux uuid-runtime vbetool vim-common vim-tiny
wamerican watershed wbritish wget whiptail whois whoopsie
wireless-regdb wireless-tools wpasupplicant x11-apps x11-common
x11-session-utils x11-utils x11-xfs-utils x11-xkb-utils
x11-xserver-utils xauth xbitmaps xcursor-themes xdg-user-dirs
xdg-user-dirs-gtk xdg-utils xfonts-base xfonts-encodings
xfonts-mathml xfonts-scalable xfonts-utils xinit xinput xkb-data
xml-core xorg xorg-docs-core xserver-common xserver-xorg
xserver-xorg-core xserver-xorg-input-all xserver-xorg-input-evdev
xserver-xorg-input-mouse xserver-xorg-input-synaptics
xserver-xorg-input-vmmouse xserver-xorg-input-wacom
xserver-xorg-video-all xserver-xorg-video-ati
xserver-xorg-video-cirrus xserver-xorg-video-fbdev
xserver-xorg-video-glamoregl xserver-xorg-video-intel
xserver-xorg-video-mach64 xserver-xorg-video-mga
xserver-xorg-video-modesetting xserver-xorg-video-neomagic
xserver-xorg-video-nouveau xserver-xorg-video-openchrome
xserver-xorg-video-qxl xserver-xorg-video-r128
xserver-xorg-video-radeon xserver-xorg-video-s3
xserver-xorg-video-savage xserver-xorg-video-siliconmotion
xserver-xorg-video-sis xserver-xorg-video-sisusb
xserver-xorg-video-tdfx xserver-xorg-video-trident
xserver-xorg-video-vesa xserver-xorg-video-vmware xterm
xul-ext-ubufox xz-utils yelp yelp-xsl zenity zenity-common zip zlib1g
zlib1g:i386

mikodo@mikodo:~$

[PaulW2U]

My Xubuntu 14.01.1 support:
ubuntu-support-status should no longer be used as it doesn't return accurate results.

See https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel-discuss/2016-April/016477.html
and https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/update-manager/+bug/1574670

[mikodo]

ubuntu-support-status should no longer be used as it doesn't return accurate results.

See https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel-discuss/2016-April/016477.html
and https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/update-manager/+bug/1574670

Darn. I had read that before and forgot.

Thank you.

[mastablasta]

Are there any other distributions that have a full (or security) support longer than five years? These distributions should be relatively easy to use.

Scientific Linux (more aimed at desktop user than centos) : http://scientificlinuxforum.org/index.php?showtopic=17

Debian LTS (https://wiki.debian.org/LTS/)

no one says you have to stop using the system after period expires, it's just that there are no more security updates for it.

[buzzingrobot]

CentOS is a sanctioned rebuild of Red Hat Enterprise Linux with all the Red Hat trademarks and branding replaced. Scientific is the same without the relationship with Red Hat. It's important to note that these are not derivatives of Red Hat. They are rebuilds of Red Hat source packages. With a few documented exceptions, RH's code is not modified.

CentOS 6.8 and CentOS 7.2 are currently available. 6.8 support ends in 2020. It's a Gnome 2.28 desktop from 2010. 7.2 is on Gnome 3.14, and rumors say it will go to 3.18 on the Red Hat's next upgrade. The initial release was in 2014, so add 10 years to that.

Red Hat does not target mainstream desktop users who want to keep pace with the latest application releases. Before commiting to either release, decide if the applications available to you now will keep youi happy for the next several years because it's probably not going to be possible to upgrade them.

Red Hat also has a strict free software policy, so it doesn't include proprietary codecs, Flash, etc. Flash is available from Adobe, and some of the others are available from third-party repos.

[mörgæs]

Any operative system will benefit from a reinstall once in a while, especially a desktop. Supported or not I would not keep a system running for more than five years.

[Rooster2000]

Thanks for the replies so far. I guess it is becoming more clear now.
Basically there seems to be two groups of alternatives:



Debian/Ubuntu -related distributions with 5 years support
RHEL -related distributions with 10 years support.


Here is a table of what I have collected of them so far:



OS

Version
Desktop*
Editions (bit)
Support (yrs)**
Released
End-of-life


CentOS
7.0
GNOME
32/64
7+3
07.07.14
06-2024


Scientific Linux
7
GNOME
64
5+5
13.10.14
06-2024


Kubuntu
16.04 LTS
KDE
32/64
5
21.04.16
04-2021


Linux Mint
18
Xfce
32/64
5
05/07-2016
04-2021


Ubuntu
16.04 LTS
Unity
32/64
5
21.04.16
04-2021


Debian
8.0
LXDE
32/64
3+2
25.04.15
05-2020


LXLE
14.04.3 LTS
LXDE
32/64
5
30.08.15
04-2020


Trisquel Mini
7.0 LTS
LXDE
32/64
5
03.11.14
04-2019


Lubuntu
16.04 LTS
LXDE
32/64
3
21.04.16
04-2019


Ubuntu GNOME
16.04 LTS
GNOME
32/64
3
21.04.16
04-2019


Xubuntu
16.04 LTS
Xfce
32/64
3
21.04.16
04-2019



Edit 2016-06-09: Changed LXLE 14.04.3 LTS End-of-life date from 04-2021 to 04-2020.

*) Lightest desktop available is selected
**) Full support + possible maintenance/security updates

Based on a brief testing, looks like that these Ubuntu -based systems would have more of the applications I use ready as official packages, whereas at least CentOS seems to have less of them.

[Rooster2000]

But I have an adventurous side to me that love's to see whats is always current

I guess this side is very weak in me, or then it is just being repressed by the side that expects everything to remain stable, predictable, familiar and somewhat functional.


Isn't Kubuntu supported for 5 years in LTS. I cant remember.

Yes it is.


no one says you have to stop using the system after period expires, it's just that there are no more security updates for it.

True, but I suppose this is not very recommended, at least if one is going to have the system connected to internet and contain any kind of personal data.

[mastablasta]

if there was better backwards compatibility then this support period wouldn't be such an issue. Windows is descent at that and you can easilly install older version of software on new releases. manufacturers usually provide at least some sort of drivers (legacy or something) and they too support their hardware on windows longer. also the other way arround. ther eis no xservers upgrades and such that would mess up the legacy drivers (AMD).

[montag dp]

I don't think there's an official support length, but Slackware 13.0 has been supported since 2009:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slackware#Releases

Looking at the release and EOL dates, it seems to be anywhere from 5-10 years for a given release.

[QDR06VV9]

I guess this side is very weak in me, or then it is just being repressed by the side that expects everything to remain stable, predictable, familiar and somewhat functional.

Oh don't get me wrong I am very picky with things being Snappy, Crisp, and work like they were Advertised...but once in blue moon I have to fiddle a bit, but not so much that it becomes a nuisance.:)
But the good or GREAT thing about Linux is the Choices we can make or have before us..:D
Kind Regards

[Rooster2000]

Before making any conclusions considering available applications, is Linux Packages Search - pkgs.org (https://pkgs.org/) a reliable source to determine the content of repositories in those distributions included? I haven't been really able to find many distribution -related online package lists, especially not for CentOS or Scientific Linux. I just found a mention from CentOS Help | Repos (https://centoshelp.org/resources/repos/) according which:


You can have a look at the packages here: http://dev.centos.org/centos/7/

But that is just a directory list, and my knowledge lacks to determinate based on it what packages are included in which CentOS repository.

[Rooster2000]

There seems to be this one third party repository for CentOS called EPEL (http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/EPEL) that has many of the applications I am using at the moment, but which are not included on CentOS core repositories. It is warned on the CentOS Wiki - Repositories (https://wiki.centos.org/AdditionalResources/Repositories) site that


If you are considering using a 3rd Party Repository, then you should seriously consider how to prevent unintended 'updates' from these side archives from over-writing some core part of CentOS.

EPEL belongs anyway into so-called Community Approved Repositories, which are


frequently recommended by the community, usually well maintained, and provide a substantial number of additional packages to CentOS. They are still not associated with CentOS, but are independent. The above warnings about updates and priorities should still be heeded!

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge about the stability effect of EPEL to CentOS 7 or Scientific Linux 7?

[rosswmcgee]

Five years is an eternity in technology, I would be itching to try something new way before then. I know people who are using linux distros way beyond 5 years and never upgraded. They lose

security updates that way, but who am I to talk I still use my samsung galaxy s3 with an added 7250 amah anker battery.

[PaulW2U]

Five years is an eternity in technology, I would be itching to try something new way before then.
Me too. But may be some want or need the full five years even though they may decide to upgrade before then?

...I still use my samsung galaxy s3....
I recycled my S3 last week. I now use an S4 :)

[kurt18947]

Any operative system will benefit from a reinstall once in a while, especially a desktop. Supported or not I would not keep a system running for more than five years.

Agreed. I don't find re-installing *buntu onerous. Having a few simple scripts would make it even easier.

[buzzingrobot]

Agreed. I don't find re-installing *buntu onerous. Having a few simple scripts would make it even easier.


Enthusiasts and home users may do that, but enterprise customers would never consider it an option. They expect software that gets installed and then just works forever, like the plumbing.

[Rooster2000]

I don't think there's an official support length, but Slackware 13.0 has been supported since 2009:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slackware#Releases

Looking at the release and EOL dates, it seems to be anywhere from 5-10 years for a given release.

Slackware seems to have quite long support length indeed, although I slightly dislike the fact that it is not clearly set. But it is said in the Slackware Wikipedia site (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slackware) that


Slackware is considered to be most suitable for advanced and technically inclined Linux users.

I am not sure if I belong into that category, as I have doubts with CentOS / Scientific Linux already.

[buzzingrobot]

I used Slackware back in the middle ages when dependency resolvers weren't around and neither were package managers. Linux was steam-powered back then. Just tar archives of source and a compiler. You got to build your software and then identify and chase down and build the dependencies. Pre-interrnet. On dial-up. Yay.

Slackware has a package manager of sorts now, but still no dependency resolver. It's been managed and nurtured by one individual, with the assistance of some dedicated helpers, for a very long time. No release schedule exists. There is, instead, a development branch called slackware-current. At some point when the winds are just right, that's where the next official release will emerge. The current non-development release dates from 2013.

I'd argue that Slackware is more hands on and old school than anything besides Linux From Scratch. But, getting into it can have a steep learning curve.

[yoshii]

It seems like any of the more popular distros that are fairly old yet still currently maintained and supported are safe bets even if the support isn't officially 5+ years.
Take a look at http://distrowatch.org to get the details. Right now the Ubuntu's (which are Debian-derived) and Debian seem like safe bets based upon the stats. Also maybe Linux Mint (also based upon Ubuntu / Debian). I would also avoid any of the distros which aren't freeware/opensource. And any of the distros maintained by only one or two people aren't probably worth it even if they are really sophisticated. The person could get hit by a car or married :D and that could be the end of the distro.

[Rooster2000]

Five years is an eternity in technology, I would be itching to try something new way before then.

Me too. But may be some want or need the full five years even though they may decide to upgrade before then?

After learning that CentOS / Scientific has a support of 10 years, five started to sound like a good beginning :)

It's worth noticing though that in most cases you do not get the full five years for the same release, at least not in a long run. This assuming that you will upgrade into next LTS version of the same distribution. As most Debian / Ubuntu -related distros publish their LTS versions biennially, this will cut in practice one year of it's support either from the beginning or end of using the specific release. So one has to upgrade his system once every four years in a long run.

--

I guess this is getting more clear now after some research and testing.

Xubuntu, Ubuntu GNOME and Lubuntu have too short support, only three years.
Ubuntu has Unity desktop that is not configurable enough to me.
Kubuntu has KDE desktop I don't like for some reason. It is also quite resource hungry.
Debian might be too technically inclined compared to it's competitors in the five-year support group.
Trisquel Mini is a bit unfamiliar to me, and seems like a small distro.

So the candidates for the final round are CentOS / Scientific, Linux Mint and LXLE.

Basically, what qualifies CentOS / Scientific to the final round, is 10 years support. Other than that I don't like them so much. I dislike the basic setting of GNOME 3.x desktop and it is not easy to configure at all, but requries some tweaking and extensions installed. I have understood that this is part of the ideology in GNOME desktop though. There seem to be reasonably app selection in EPEL repository to cover most of my needs.

Linux Mint has maybe the best desktop (Xfce) to me. It is also relatively light, configurable and simple, and has almost all the apps available from repositories.

LXLE has pretty much the same advantages than Mint, except that I don't like the basic setting of the desktop. Luckily enough LXDE is easy to configure. It has basically all the apps available from repositories, as SeaMonkey is the default browser of it. This is something that is missing basically from all the other distros.

Anyway, I have to postpone for my final decision until the next versions of Mint (18) and LXLE (16.04?) are released later this year.

[kurt18947]

Enthusiasts and home users may do that, but enterprise customers would never consider it an option. They expect software that gets installed and then just works forever, like the plumbing.

Very true. A great many enterprises would hold that Windows XP was abandoned too soon (given their investment in proprietary technology)

[mastablasta]

.

Basically, what qualifies CentOS / Scientific to the final round, is 10 years support. Other than that I don't like them so much. I dislike the basic setting of GNOME 3.x desktop and it is not easy to configure at all, but requries some tweaking and extensions installed. I have understood that this is part of the ideology in GNOME desktop though.

what's the problem? just install XFCE, KDE or LXDE or whatever desktop/windows manager you like. in one command line.

for example: https://www.vultr.com/docs/installing-gnome-kde-gui-on-ubuntu-centos

[buzzingrobot]

what's the problem? just install XFCE, KDE or LXDE

MATE and XFCE are installable on RHEL7/CentOS7 if the EPEL repo is added. Cinnamon, as well. The distros ship with a pared-down version of KDE4. AFAIK, LXDE is not available.

RHEL7/CentOS7 ship with Gnome 3.14. It defaults to a Gnome2-ish "classic" look via use of extensions. That can be changed to standard Gnome Shell when you log in via the display manager.

While the long support life time is nice, weighing against that will be the increasingly limited access to current software and our own personal inclination to keep the same setup around for years.

[Rooster2000]

MATE and XFCE are installable on RHEL7/CentOS7 if the EPEL repo is added.

I kind of noticed this at some point, but didn't fully realize it, so thanks for reminding. I tried it briefly, but it seems that it would require some customizing (or some nice theme for it) and it doesn't include many basic tools as default, on top of minimum CentOS installation.


While the long support life time is nice, weighing against that will be the increasingly limited access to current software and our own personal inclination to keep the same setup around for years.

I suppose I am getting into conclusion that I am not willing to take the effort necessary to get CentOS / Scientific running with Xfce. Despite it is possible, it's not an official desktop for it, but a third-party repository - even if approved by community. This added to limitations in software available, I'll probably stick with more familiar Linux Mint 18 when it is being released.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I noticed just now that as this sub-forum is not officially for support, there is no option to mark this thread as solved. Well, got to do it in old-fashion way :)

[rewyllys]

BTW, beta versions of Linux Mint 18, for both MATE and Cinnamon, were released on June 9.

I've been running the Cinnamon beta for the past week, and it has worked flawlessly for me.

[montag dp]

I used Slackware back in the middle ages when dependency resolvers weren't around and neither were package managers. Linux was steam-powered back then. Just tar archives of source and a compiler. You got to build your software and then identify and chase down and build the dependencies. Pre-interrnet. On dial-up. Yay.

Slackware has a package manager of sorts now, but still no dependency resolver. It's been managed and nurtured by one individual, with the assistance of some dedicated helpers, for a very long time. No release schedule exists. There is, instead, a development branch called slackware-current. At some point when the winds are just right, that's where the next official release will emerge. The current non-development release dates from 2013.

I'd argue that Slackware is more hands on and old school than anything besides Linux From Scratch. But, getting into it can have a steep learning curve.http://www.slackware.com/announce/14.2.php :D

I know this thread is a little old and solved, but it's not everyday a new version of Slackware version is released.

About your comments, I agree that it is definitely hands-on and old-school (one of the reasons I like it). I don't think it has as steep of a learning curve as, say, Arch or Gentoo, though. The stable release model helps a lot with that, and the fact that you don't have to build everything from source like in Gentoo.

[nargaroth_reg]

what's the problem? just install XFCE, KDE or LXDE or whatever desktop/windows manager you like. in one command line.

for example: https://www.vultr.com/docs/installing-gnome-kde-gui-on-ubuntu-centos
Anybody has tried centos with some or all of the community repositories enabled for a while and could tell us how it was? There's also this repository with desktop applications: http://li.nux.ro/repos.html
I haven't tried installing the system, enabling them, installing software and using it for a long period yet.