UbuntuLxdeDesktop
Launchpad Entry: mobile-karmic-lxde-ubuntu-desktop
Created: 2009-06-11
Contributors: OliverGrawert
Packages affected:
Summary
LXDE is a very lightweight and minimal desktop environment using the openbox window manager, the pacman file manager, and a very select list of default applications. It is compatible with basic freedesktop standards and all needed parts are already packaged in Ubuntu today.
Release Note
Rationale
LXDE fulfills a goal that currently XUbuntu and edubuntu, while often suggested, actually fails at, which is working well as a very lightweight desktop environment on "minimal" hardware. This may also be particularly relevant to the introduction of early arm and sub-netbook (handheld) devices with as little as 64 megs of ram.
Design
Implementation
Effort
* It is estimated perhaps a week or two would be required to setup a seed and a spin for this and tracking down / deciding on base applications.
* Maybe a few days design (art) team & usability to review with human GTK/Icon theme for "Ubuntu-ness" consistency.
* Maybe a week to get a variant of connman updated and to work in place of network manager for user level wifi/network support.
Test/Demo Plan
Unresolved issues
* Minimal resolution of a LXDE device may be 800x600. GDM configure is not usable at this resolution.
BOF Notes
Upstream site: http://www.lxde.org/
* What is LXDE?
- LXDE is a very light desktop environment widely used in Asia with a large user community, runs fast and currently fits in 64MB memory.
- It's themable, adjustable, has a light filemanager (although horrible usability, maybe something worth investigating)
Could possibly leverage the usability team in order to ready lxde for ubuntu
* current gnome infrastructure (network manager, gnome-keyring, etc): are there any light replacements ?
- xfce just uses the existing gnome tools, runs gnome-settings-daemon and gconf
- there is a Soc project for writing a lightweight NM frontend in its early stages
- there is also a gconf like system in the works for lxde
- .xsession or similar file may be required to launch network manager, update manager, etc since LXDE doesn't load xdg startup apps
* What would it take to integrate it into Ubuntu?
- Connman was mentioned for Network management potentially
- wicd as well
- Ubuntu'ish theming
- Update Manager
- See if the configuration menu has everything the user expects
- Launchpad Integration (ie, translate this application/desktop environment)
- About Lxdebuntu(whatever) menu entry
- The filemanager (pcmanfm) needs usability review and likely having to be cut down on options in the UI
- Gnome Power manager will be massively cut down in the next release
- test lxde in context with the 2D UNR launcher
we will not build an image but a metapackage (i.e. ubuntu-lxde or ubuntu-light) should be created, so users can for example use https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ARM/RootfsFromScratch to roll an arm rootfs
- lxrandr is the display management tool used in lxde
- examine the already existing ubuntu based lxde images out there
- check if lxde tools work properly on 1024x576
ACTION items
- lxde testing: ogra, Dan Martin (ARM)
- missing packages: NCommander
- highvoltage will give an ubuntu'ish theme a bash (just switching to the Human GTK and icon theme already makes a *massive* difference)