Ubuntu Wiki

   1 [16:01] <charlie-tca> Well, I must say, that is one hard session to follow. I hope I can do half as well!
   2 [16:02] <charlie-tca> I'm Charlie Kravetz, known as charlie-tca on irc and the mailing lists. I am Xubuntu Quality Assurance Lead and Xubuntu Project Lead.
   3 [16:02] <charlie-tca> We are going to talk a bit about Xubuntu. We will take your questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat, and will have a few minutes at the end to answer questions you hold on to
   4 [16:03] <charlie-tca> Feel free to ask questions at any time.
   5 [16:03] <charlie-tca> Xubuntu is Ubuntu with the Xfce desktop. Xfce emphasizes conservation of system resources, which makes Xubuntu an excellent choice for any system, new or old.
   6 [16:04] <charlie-tca> As a ubuntu derivative, Xubuntu maintains the same high standards and quality that Ubuntu has.
   7 [16:04] <charlie-tca> Xubuntu is an ideal candidate for older hardware or low-end machines, thin-client networks, or those who would like to get more performance out of their hardware.
   8 [16:04] <ClassBot> autif1 asked: Have you seen Lubuntu and what are your thoughts about it. It claims to have a smaller footprint than Xubuntu. Please comment on this aspect too.
   9 [16:05] <charlie-tca> Thank you for asking that. I will do my best to give an honest answer.
  10 [16:05] <charlie-tca> I do not use Lubuntu. I think I installed it once, to look, a long time ago.
  11 [16:05] <charlie-tca> I do read the reviews and articles about all the distros, though. Lubuntu rates quite high.
  12 [16:06] <charlie-tca> According to phoronix, who does a lot of testing, Xubuntu is about 30% lighter in resources than Ubuntu. Lubuntu is about 30% lighter than Xubuntu.
  13 [16:07] <charlie-tca> So, based on that, yes, it has a smaller footprint.
  14 === james_w` is now known as james_w
  15 [16:07] <charlie-tca> We will not downsize Xubuntu just to say we are smaller, or we can run older equipment than someone else.
  16 [16:08] <charlie-tca> The target audience for Xubuntu is users who are interested in having a modestly light weight, slim, fast desktop experience.
  17 [16:08] <charlie-tca> Those users should be able to retain the usability and functionality that is required to provide an easy to use desktop environment.
  18 [16:08] <charlie-tca> <sujiths80> question:so basically these OS are designed for some older hardwares?
  19 [16:09] <charlie-tca> Lubuntu is, as I understand it, aimed at older hardware. Xubuntu is aimed at, as stated above, anyone who would like a fast desktop experience.
  20 [16:10] <charlie-tca> Xubuntu works good on most hardware! Those with newer hardware will not see as great a difference.
  21 [16:10] <ClassBot> sebsebseb asked: What about Fluxbox and other lite waight window managers, use those at all?
  22 [16:11] <charlie-tca> Okay. Let's get down to basics now. I am not going to address all the other distros today. I would really prefer to talk about Xubuntu. that is the distribution that I use. I also use Ubuntu on occasion.
  23 === MichealH is now known as MichealH-Test
  24 [16:12] <charlie-tca> I have installed Xubuntu on my PII, 400MHz cpu with 256MB ram, and it works! I do not test all the other so-called lightweight distributions out there.
  25 === MichealH-Test is now known as MichealH
  26 [16:13] <charlie-tca> Xubuntu is the Xfce-based distribution with a native 64-bit architecture. We produce both a 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
  27 [16:14] <charlie-tca> And, since Xubuntu is a derivative of Ubuntu, we use the same repositories, and many of the same applications.
  28 [16:14] <charlie-tca> Those of us on the team really believe the stated minimums should be real! If we can't run what the minimums say, we question it.
  29 [16:14] <charlie-tca> Granted, we don't expect perfect performance from it, but the system should be usable.
  30 [16:15] <charlie-tca> If, for example, I am running that PII, I do not expect it to run openoffice and firefox at the same time. I would expect it to run firefox with just a couple of tabs, though.
  31 [16:15] <charlie-tca> I should be able to close firefox and run abiword and gnumeric, perhaps.
  32 [16:15] <charlie-tca> As the hardware increases, we would expect the performance to increase.
  33 [16:16] <charlie-tca> New users are often surprised to find that Xubuntu includes a number of gnome applications.
  34 [16:16] <charlie-tca> These are included simply because if an application works well, and is considered lightweight, it fits.
  35 [16:16] <charlie-tca> Any application can be included, and it does not matter if it starts with gnome, xfce, or anything other letters.
  36 [16:16] <ClassBot> toros asked: are there any plans to support Ubuntu One in Xubuntu?
  37 [16:17] <charlie-tca> And that brings this up! thanks, toros.
  38 [16:18] <charlie-tca> Yes, Ubuntu One is supported using ubuntuone-client from the repositories.
  39 [16:18] <charlie-tca> No, we do not specifically support it, but it does work with Thunar.
  40 [16:19] <charlie-tca> Also, there is now a plugin for Exaile for UbuntuOne music
  41 [16:19] <ClassBot> sebsebseb asked: For me I see Xubuntu  as basically a cut down version of Ubuntu/Gnome2, since they look quite similar, what do you think about this?
  42 [16:19] <charlie-tca> thanks again for a great question, sebsebseb.
  43 [16:20] <charlie-tca> Yes, they look similar, with two panels and a desktop. So does Kubuntu, with just one panel, and every other Ubuntu-based distribution I have seen.
  44 [16:21] <charlie-tca> A desktop is a background with icons. That stays the same. The background does change, as does the functionality.
  45 [16:21] <charlie-tca> Xubuntu does not specifically focus on new users or users migrating from Windows; alternative distributions such as Ubuntu may be more appropriate for first time Linux users
  46 [16:22] <charlie-tca> Ubuntu with its Gnome desktop is very simple to use. You have limited ability to change options, and that is a good thing for some users.
  47 [16:22] <charlie-tca> Xubuntu gives you choices.
  48 [16:22] <charlie-tca> We do not aim at the new Windows to Linux user, (especially first time Linux users who may be particularly at risk of experiencing difficulties due to lack of general experience).
  49 [16:23] <charlie-tca> they need that simplicity that Ubuntu offers them.
  50 [16:23] <charlie-tca> We do think we offer the more experienced greater choices and ability to customize.
  51 [16:24] <charlie-tca> Let me continue now, and see if I can define this better.
  52 [16:24] <charlie-tca> Xubuntu does not exclusively target users with low, modest, or high powered machines but instead targets the entire spectrum with a strong focus on enabling lower end machines.
  53 [16:25] <charlie-tca> Xubuntu's extra responsiveness and speed, among other positive traits, can be appreciated by all users regardless of their hardware.
  54 [16:25] <charlie-tca> Are there other applications that could provide the same functionality? Most definitely.
  55 [16:25] <charlie-tca> We are using applications that are light in resources, and relatively easy to configure for most users.
  56 [16:26] <charlie-tca> You are welcome to use other applications if you desire.
  57 [16:26] <charlie-tca> As a matter of fact, we do routinely check our applictions as well as others to see if they still belong in Xubuntu.
  58 [16:26] <charlie-tca> A few of the more well known alternatives which could make the desktop a bit more lightweight are:
  59 [16:27] <charlie-tca> and a disclaimer is needed here - Xubuntu as a team does not officially endorse any of these in particular. They are being given as examples only
  60 [16:27] <charlie-tca> chromium - an open source browser - http://www.chromium.org/Home
  61 [16:27] <charlie-tca> claws-mail - a very nice mail client with many options - http://www.claws-mail.org/
  62 [16:28] <charlie-tca> gmusicbrowser - An open-source jukebox for large collections of mp3/ogg/flac/mpc/ape files, written in perl - http://gmusicbrowser.org/
  63 [16:28] <charlie-tca> gpicviewer - A Simple and Fast Image Viewer for X - http://lxde.sourceforge.net/gpicview/
  64 [16:28] <charlie-tca> geeqie - a lightweight Gtk+ based image viewer for Unix like operating systems. - http://geeqie.sourceforge.net/
  65 [16:28] <charlie-tca> midori - a lightweight browser in development by Xfce. For more information see http://software.twotoasts.de/index.php?/pages/midori_summary.html
  66 [16:28] <charlie-tca> Pino - a simple and fast X11 client for Twitter and Identi.ca - http://pino-app.appspot.com/
  67 [16:29] <charlie-tca> Any or all of these can be installed by the user. Please check the repositories before downloading or compiling applications.
  68 [16:29] <charlie-tca> Please note that the above applications are not presented as approved or recommended by myself or Xubuntu. There are given here as examples.
  69 [16:29] <charlie-tca> Xubuntu does not install these applications by default at this time. Why not?
  70 [16:29] <charlie-tca> Since we have limited developer resources available, we use applications maintained by Ubuntu that fit our needs. The application must also have a good user GUI, if possible.
  71 [16:29] <charlie-tca> The more complicated it is to configure the application for use, the less likely it will fit the requirement.
  72 [16:30] <charlie-tca> Some of the above are still in development, and are not yet released as a stable version. That, too, must be considered before including the application in a stable operating system.
  73 [16:31] <charlie-tca> We are very thankful to have the Ubuntu developers assisting us in maintaining applications. Without their help, it would be much harder to maintain Xubuntu.
  74 [16:32] <charlie-tca> At this time, I would like to hit on some of the key points in Xubuntu 10.10, otherwise known as Maverick Meerkat.
  75 [16:32] <charlie-tca> New Features:
  76 [16:32] <charlie-tca> Xfce 4.6.2, which is primarily a bug-fix release.
  77 [16:33] <charlie-tca> Xubuntu 10.10 includes the Exaile 0.3.2 music player to make enjoying podcasts, streaming radio, audio books, and music library easier than ever before.
  78 [16:33] <charlie-tca> New to Xubuntu 10.10 is the movie player, Parole, which replaces the Totem Movie Player on the Xubuntu desktop to provide a more improved movie viewing experience.
  79 [16:33] <charlie-tca> We have also changed from the gnome-system-monitor to xfce4-taskmanager. We believe this provides similar, excellent functionality while being lighter on resources.
  80 [16:33] <charlie-tca> To allow for a more resource concious CD/DVD burning experience, Xfburn has replaced Brasero in Xubuntu 10.10.
  81 [16:33] <charlie-tca> Xubuntu also includes as default gimp, an application used for advanced picture editing and retouching photos.
  82 [16:34] <charlie-tca> This application includes a large collection of professional-level editing tools and filters, similar to what is in PhotoShop.
  83 [16:34] <charlie-tca> Thunderbird is a lightweight mail/news/RSS client. It fits well with the fewer resources desired for Xubuntu, yet remains an easy to configure application for the new user.
  84 [16:35] <charlie-tca> We do include the ne Ubuntu Fonts, but, they are not the default Xubuntu font.
  85 [16:35] <charlie-tca> Any questions about Maverick?
  86 [16:37] <charlie-tca> Where we are heading from here:
  87 [16:37] <charlie-tca> The next release will be Natty Narwhal. Will there be major changes for Natty Narwhal? I really do not know at this time.
  88 [16:37] <ClassBot> highvoltage asked: will there be any xubuntu related sessions at UDS?
  89 [16:38] <charlie-tca> If there is interest in such sessions, yes. I have asked for input from the community for this.
  90 [16:39] <charlie-tca> Will Natty see Xfce 4.8? Only time will tell. Xfce developers have not completed their work at this time, and there is not a good release date yet.
  91 [16:39] <charlie-tca> If it is released in time, it will definitely be included in the next version of Xubuntu.
  92 [16:39] <charlie-tca> We owe a great deal of Xubuntu's success to the Ubuntu teamwork. Without Ubuntu leading the way, Xubuntu would not be where it is today.
  93 [16:40] <charlie-tca> We are an official unsupported derivative of Ubuntu. This means we can use the repositories and Ubuntu sources, but we receive no funding whatsoever.
  94 [16:41] <ClassBot> sebsebseb asked: How much do Xubuntu developers work with upstream XFCE?
  95 [16:43] <charlie-tca> We work very closely with upstream Xfce. We upstream most of the bugs that concern Xfce, and work with the developers to insure that they get fixed as soon as possible.
  96 [16:44] <charlie-tca> Thanks to the efforts of Xubuntu developers, Xfce 4.8 will have XRandR 1.2 support.
  97 [16:44] <charlie-tca> That is, the support is added to Xfce4-display-settings. This is a big step for Xfce.
  98 [16:45] <charlie-tca> Our volunteers are very passionate about Xubuntu.
  99 [16:45] <charlie-tca> They spend considerable time working to create the best possible Operating System they can, and the results do reflect that.
 100 [16:45] <charlie-tca> Its helps that the Ubuntu base is so awesome to work with in the first place, too.
 101 [16:46] <charlie-tca> I have explained what Xubuntu is, what it is designed for, and hopefully, cleared up some mis-conceptions too.
 102 [16:47] <charlie-tca> How/Where to start with the Xubuntu Team ?
 103 [16:47] <charlie-tca> Getting started with Xubuntu is easy and fun! For the average user, you can get help and support through either #xubuntu on Freenode or the xubuntu users mailing list at https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/xubuntu-users. We're a friendly bunch and enjoy helping folks :-)
 104 [16:47] <charlie-tca> Xubuntu comes ready to use on any equipment. It gives excellent performance with no loss of applications.
 105 [16:48] <charlie-tca> It would be really nice to clear up that idea that Xubuntu is "only" for old hardware. It works equally well on new hardware.
 106 [16:48] <charlie-tca> As part of one of the best, fastest growing distributions available, we welcome anyone who would like to assist in development, testing, and bug triage!
 107 [16:49] <charlie-tca> I see I am a few minutes early on finishing. Lets just take a small break?
 108 [16:49] <charlie-tca> Thank you all for being here.
 109 [16:50] <ClassBot> sebsebseb asked: I thought about if I should ask this or not, but decided to anyway.  Xubuntu is probably the most popular XFCE distro at the moment, but how would you feel if it suddenly became another distro that wasn't based on Ubuntu instead?
 110 [16:50] <charlie-tca> I do not actually see that happening. However, as long as it usable as it is now, that will work.
 111 [16:51] <ClassBot> There are 10 minutes remaining in the current session.
 112 [16:51] <charlie-tca> Can it remain a functioning, easy to use operating system with a different base? Probably, but Ubuntu is the fastest growing, easiest to use Linux OS available today.
 113 [16:52] <charlie-tca> Being a part of the Ubuntu family does help maintain momentum, and we are fortunate to be a part of that family.
 114 [16:56] <ClassBot> There are 5 minutes remaining in the current session.