Xubuntu
Ubuntu Open Week - Xubuntu - Cody Somerville - Wed, Apr 30, 2008
[15:58] <jcastro> cody-somerville: about ready to start? [15:58] <cody-somerville> Almost. :) [15:58] <jcastro> perfect === jcastro changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Ubuntu Open Week | Information and Logs: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuOpenWeek | How to ask questions: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuOpenWeek/Rules | Ask questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat, prefaced with "QUESTION:" |See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuOpenWeek/JoiningIn to filter out channel noise | Current session: "Xubuntu" - Cody Summerville [16:01] <jcastro> Ok, welcome back everyone [16:01] <jcastro> This morning we have Cody Somerville who will be discussing Xubuntu [16:01] <jcastro> cody-somerville: take it away! [16:02] <cody-somerville> Hello everyone [16:02] <cody-somerville> Thank you for coming to attend the Xubuntu Open Week session. [16:03] <cody-somerville> My name is Cody Somerville and I'm the current Xubuntu team leader. [16:03] <cody-somerville> So, what is Xubuntu? I'm sure a lot of us know already but for those of that don't, Xubuntu is an official derivative of Ubuntu. [16:04] <cody-somerville> As an official derivative, Xubuntu uses the same archive as Ubuntu does offering you all the same packages. [16:04] <cody-somerville> The difference between Xubuntu and Ubuntu is the set of packages that are installed by default. [16:06] <cody-somerville> Xubuntu uses the Xfce4 desktop environment which prides its self on being light weight and fast while remaining user friendly. [16:07] <cody-somerville> The motto of Xfce is "... and everything goes faster!". and thats exactly the comment we often receive from users. [16:08] <cody-somerville> When you first load up Xubuntu, you'll notice it looks very much like Ubuntu. [16:08] <cody-somerville> You still have the two panels, one at the top and one at the bottom. An applications menu in the upper left corner. System tray in the upper right corner. etc. [16:09] <cody-somerville> Xubuntu has often been dubbed the "faster Ubuntu" because we've been able to provide a faster desktop experience without compromising usability or sacrificing too many features. [16:11] <cody-somerville> In Xubuntu 8.04, which as you know was released last week, includes the latest release of Xfce4 - Xfce4 4.4.2. [16:11] <cody-somerville> You can find more information about Xfce specifically at the Xfce website located at http://xfce.org [16:12] <cody-somerville> Does anyone have any questions about what Xubuntu *is*, what Xfce4 *is*, or what makes Xubuntu different from Ubuntu? [16:12] <cody-somerville> <toobuntu> QUESTION: A lot of users who want a fast, yet easy to use system may be torn between Xubuntu and Fluxbuntu. Would you comment on the resource use of Xubuntu compared to Fluxbuntu? [16:13] <cody-somerville> Good question. [16:15] <cody-somerville> Xubuntu is not as light as Fluxbuntu. Xubuntu and Fluxbuntu, although both focus on being light-weight, do serve different purposes. Each project has their own intended audience. [16:16] <cody-somerville> Xubuntu, I think, is a happy medium between Fluxbuntu and Ubuntu. [16:17] <cody-somerville> Fluxbuntu is more appropriate for machines that are very low on resources where as Xubuntu is better suited for computers in the last decade - give or take a few years. [16:17] <cody-somerville> Does that answer your question? :) [16:18] <cody-somerville> QUESTION: can you suggest tools to benchmark xfce performance mem footprint etc ? then we'll can compare to some other desktop manager ? [16:18] <cody-somerville> That was from RzR. [16:19] <cody-somerville> RzR, I can't suggest any tools at this time but benchmarking is an initiative that I hope to have in place for Intrepid. Intrepid will, hopefully, be the first release of Xubuntu that actually makes a calculated and scientific like effort to improve performance. [16:20] <cody-somerville> <rubicon_> QUESTION: Xubuntu looks just like a lightweight clone of Ubuntu. Is this intended? I mean, Xfce4 could be very unique but instead, it look just like GNOME. [16:21] <cody-somerville> rubicon_, Yes it is intentionally. We wanted Xubuntu to be as easy to use as possible and we feel that the current setup is accomplishing just that. However, I'm sure there will be discussion (as there always is) for Intrepid of changing it up a bit and maybe someone will present a compelling enough argument and we'll do just that. [16:21] <cody-somerville> <djf_jeff> QUESTION: Does xbuntu receive the same support as ubuntu for patches, updates, etc? [16:22] <cody-somerville> djf_jeff, Commercial support for Xubuntu through Canonical does not currently exist. However, Xubuntu receives the same types of support from the community. [16:23] <cody-somerville> Xubuntu does receive security updates, patches, etc. but it is not guaranteed by Canonical like Ubuntu is. [16:23] <cody-somerville> <jaredbuck> QUESTION: Does the xubuntu interface get updated regularly? KDE just came out with version 4 and it's entirely different from version 3. [16:24] <cody-somerville> jaredbuck, There are currently no radical plans to change the Xfce4 interface. [16:25] <cody-somerville> <Lardarse> QUESTION: Is there anything (apart from lightweightedness) that Xfce offers that KDE or GNOME don't? [16:26] <cody-somerville> Yes! [16:26] <cody-somerville> Thunar is an amazing file manager/browser. I've fell completely in love with it. [16:26] <cody-somerville> Although it doesn't offer all the features Nautalius does yet, it is fast, friendly, and powerful. [16:27] <cody-somerville> And it doesn't stop there either. :) [16:27] <cody-somerville> For example, Xfce4 has an excellent built in compositor that is extremely fast. [16:28] <cody-somerville> Check out Xubuntu and I'm sure you'll see the differences :) [16:29] <cody-somerville> IdleOne> QUESTION: I am a gnome user ( ubuntu default ) and am wondering why can't gnome be made lighter so it runs as quickly as xubuntu or fluxbuntu? this way the xubuntu resources could be dedicated to Ubuntu. [16:29] <cody-somerville> IdleOne, Gnome has been making strives to become more "light weight" and they're doing a good job. However, target audience has a lot to do with just how light weight developers of a project will want to go. [16:30] <cody-somerville> Gnome and Xfce4 each have their own target audience. [16:30] <cody-somerville> Tricky question but a good one. However, you should know that when people contribute to Xubuntu they are also contributing to Ubuntu. [16:31] <cody-somerville> If you'll excuse me, I'll be right back. :) [16:32] <cody-somerville> Sorry about that, I just happen to be at work :) [16:33] <cody-somerville> I'm going to move forward with my presentation now and I'll answer some more questions in a bit. [16:33] <cody-somerville> Xubuntu is a relatively small project compared to Ubuntu when looking at the number of active contributors. [16:34] <cody-somerville> Xubuntu has, in clearer terms, less manpower than Ubuntu does. Although Xubuntu stands on the shoulders of Ubuntu, Xubuntu still needs people who are directly interested in it! [16:34] <cody-somerville> The project's small size is a benefit, IMHO, to those who are interested in getting involved in *buntu. [16:36] <cody-somerville> If you were to decide to get involved with Xubuntu today, I think you'd find that you'd get more one on one time from its current set of contributors making it easier for you to get moving at your own pace. [16:37] <cody-somerville> It also means that there is room for hopeful contributors to grow into different leadership positions within the Xubuntu community. [16:39] <cody-somerville> I also like to think we're a fun, enjoyable group of people to be around. I know I've built a number of friendships through working on Xubuntu. Although thats not unique to Xubuntu, it is true that sometimes people get frustrated, confused, or disorientated because they're never sure who they need to talk to or the right person to ping. [16:41] <cody-somerville> For those who are developer bound, this means that you'll be able to expedite your journey by more easily building a repertoire with your Xubuntu mentor/sponsor. [16:42] <cody-somerville> So, why not get involved in Xubuntu? It is fun, exciting, easy, and enjoyable with lots of opportunity. I encourage you all to consider! :) [16:43] <cody-somerville> Xubuntu 8.10 [16:43] <cody-somerville> Our goals for the next release, Intrepid, are to make Xubuntu faster, more usable, and finally include a few extra features people have been asking for. [16:44] <cody-somerville> For example, one feature that is being considered for inclusion is the ability to browse samba networks in Thunar. [16:44] <cody-somerville> Another exciting piece of news for Xubuntu is that Xfce has decided to move to a time based release schedule and has currently their next release planned in time for Xubuntu 8.10 to include it. [16:46] <cody-somerville> If the rumours and whispering is true, Xubuntu 8.10 will hopefully include Xfce 4.6 which will address a number of long standing issues such as the menu editor. [16:47] <cody-somerville> Other rumours include a much improved xfce4 panel :) [16:48] <cody-somerville> I think we'll also see a number of sneaky memory leaks squashed making Xfce4 perform even better :) [16:48] <cody-somerville> Another feature being discussed specifically for Xubuntu is improving Xubuntu power management features. [16:48] <cody-somerville> Important for laptop users. :) [16:49] <cody-somerville> What sort of features would you guys like to see in Xubuntu 8.10? :) [16:50] <cody-somerville> neenaoffline, We already ship Ristretto in Ubutnu 8.04 [16:51] <cody-somerville> neenaoffline, However, I've heard some disturbing bug reports about Ristretto's memory use so we'll be re-evaluating its inclusion in Intrepid. [16:52] <cody-somerville> To start the conclusion of my presentation here today, I'd like to once again encourage you all to consider getting involved in Xubuntu. [16:53] <cody-somerville> I think you'll find that Xubuntu is fast, sharp, responsive -- it provides a good desktop to get work done in. [16:54] <cody-somerville> Xubuntu 8.04 is reported to be the fastest Xubuntu yet and we intend to continue that trend with Intrepid. [16:55] <cody-somerville> Xubuntu as a project is growing, developing, and maturing. Now is an excellent time to get involved. [16:56] <cody-somerville> For more information about Xubuntu, you can visit http://xubuntu.org and http://wiki.ubuntu.com/Xubuntu [16:56] <cody-somerville> You're welcome to join us in #xubuntu-devel where we discuss and coordinate Xubuntu efforts. [16:56] <cody-somerville> To download Xubuntu, visit http://xubuntu.org/get [16:57] <cody-somerville> I'll now answer any last questions before I hand things back over to jcastro. [16:58] <cody-somerville> <neenaoffline> yes, but what if I want a GNOME app while using XFCE ? [16:59] <cody-somerville> You can run both Gnome and KDE applications in Xfce. [16:59] <cody-somerville> <tech0007> will i see human theme window when i open a gnome program while inside xfce or not? [16:59] <cody-somerville> No, the windows will be themed the same. [17:00] <cody-somerville> However, KDE applications will still look QTish. [17:00] <cody-somerville> Alright. Thanks everyone! [17:00] <cody-somerville> I hope to see you in #xubuntu-devel [17:01] <jcastro> thanks cody-somerville! [17:01] <cody-somerville> We also have a mailing list at http://lists.ubuntu.com/xubuntu-devel [17:01] * cody-somerville cheers. [17:01] <cody-somerville> \o/
MeetingLogs/openweekhardy/Xubuntu (last edited 2008-08-06 16:16:53 by localhost)