Xubuntu, the Xfce Ubuntu flavor, has been released today along with the other Ubuntu flavours. It's a great alternative for those who do not want to use GNOME Shell or Unity and prefer a more traditional layout.

XFCE 4.8 was released about two weeks ago, bringing GVFS support for Thunar (so it can now browse remote shares using FTP, Windows Shares, WebDav and SSH), XFCE panel improvements and more.

Xubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat, the XFCE Ubuntu flavor got a lot of changes since 10.04, starting with a new default wallpaper and theme:

The Ubuntu Ubiquity Slideshow is a project which uses Webkit that provides a slideshow when you install Ubuntu.

Here is how the Ubuntu 10.04 Ubiquity slideshow looks currently:

When the first Lubuntu ISO came out (LXDE based Ubuntu), it was said that it's purpose is to be faster than Xubuntu:

If you’re new to Ubuntu you may or may not be aware of the fact that we like our choices here.  One of the big choices is the desktop environment that you work in.  The big two are Gnome and KDE, but there are quite a few more.  Xubuntu, or Ubuntu using the XFCE desktop environment, is another official release variant from the Ubuntu community.  If you’ve never tried it out I’ve got instructions below on how to install it in parallel to your existing desktop, giving you the option of selecting one at login.

I finally had the chance to install Xubuntu 8.04 on a laptop for another of my kids this weekend. My first attempt to install Xubuntu (Ubuntu running the Xfce interface instead of Gnome and generally considered lighter and faster than other *buntus) on a seriously aging and memory starved computer was a disaster. However, between a video chip that had always stunk (the resolution, image quality, and tracking under Windows was terrible, too) and a mere 64MB of RAM, I think I found some practical limitations for Xubuntu.

One of the visual improvements in this new version of Ubuntu is on the clock that sits on the Gnome panel. It now shows much more information. Apart from time and date, it now shows the weather conditions for your current location. It was disappointing to see that Xubuntu didn’t have it by default, so I have written a very easy and small guide on how to install it in Xubuntu.

Xubuntu needs your help in testing some changes that were just made. Once the new daily builds come out for today, I’d really appreciate if you could download, burn, and test them. Give ‘er a real good scrub down and make sure to report your bugs on launchpad.net. 

There are a number of things you might want to test specifically:

• If you have a laptop, please test the xfce4-battery-plugin. Does it report the correct values?
• Open up thunderbird and ensure spell checking works. If it doesn’t, let us know (by either filing a bug or commenting on the existing bug) what your locale is.
• Do all the other applications you generally expect spell checking still provide it? (make sure you haven’t accidentaly disabled it before you report a bug).
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The earth is orbited by many satellites, and every year, many more are sent up into space. Considering the amount of satellites, there is an enormous risk that one of those artificials moons suddenly decides to take a stroll and crashes into your home. I think you’ll agree with me that this would be disastrous - all your precious data would be lost! Your holiday pictures, important documents for school/work and your music collection - all gone!

Xubuntu is a complete GNU/Linux based operating system with an Ubuntu base. It is lighter on system requirements and tends to be more efficient than Ubuntu with GNOME or KDE, since it uses the Xfce Desktop environment, which makes it ideal for old or low-end machines, thin-client networks, or for those who would like to get more performance out of their hardware.

This screenshots tour includes internet, multimedia,graphics,system applications,network application and other applications click on the image for complete Gallery.

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In Linux-land this week, it was pretty much Ubuntu Gutsy, Ubuntu Gutsy, and Ubuntu 7.10. (And KDE 4 Beta 3.) Nothing else was on Digg, and little else on Tuxmachines, on October 18. As usual, the GNOME side of Ubuntu got all the new features (and the hype that comes with them), but the new additions, Gobuntu and Fluxbuntu, didn't seem to receive as much attention. As is tradition, neither did Xubuntu.

Complimenting our existing screencasts on installing Ubuntu, this screencast shows installing Xubuntu, and covers:-

• Downloading the Xubuntu installation CD ISO image
• Installing Xubuntu using the live CD
• An overview of some applications installed with the Xubuntu desktop
• Installing Xubuntu using the alternate CD
• Resolving video card driver and resolution problems after an installation
• Customising the Xubuntu desktop
• Using some command line utilities to manage the system

Note: This screencast shows some use of the command line (terminal) in Xubuntu. If you are uncomfortable using the command line, then please seek additional assistance.

As the release of the next version of Xubuntu, 7.10 “Gutsy Gibbon”, is set to arrive soon, I took a test drive with the release candidate, looking for bugs to be solved just before the final release, and to find out what’s new. This release will bring you many improvements inherited from Ubuntu but also tons of Xubuntu-specific improvements. Prepare for a long read.

Who doesn’t like the idea of open source, of sharing, and that every one who is able to can change software to his/her likings and share the changes with the rest of the free software world? Unfortunately, it takes a big deal of self-restraint to only use completely liberated software.

This article will explain how you can remove the locale data from the xfce applications menu in order to save filespace, and on older systems possibly speed up the applications menu.