UbuntuFlavors

ubuntu-flavors.png

Ubuntu Flavors are a distinct experience relative to the "plain" Ubuntu Desktop, whether it be a particular desktop environment, a specific intended use case, or a particular theme. The difference between the flavors are in the set of packages installed.

However, all flavors of Ubuntu use the same repository for downloading updates, so the same set of packages is available regardless of which flavor you have installed. In other words, everything that's available on Ubuntu is available on all the other flavors. Similarly, all flavors share a core set of packages with stock Ubuntu.

In these two ways, each flavor is Ubuntu, while also being unique relative to it.

New flavors have to go through a process to become a Recognized Flavor.

These are not to be confused with unofficial derivatives.

Flavors

All of these flavors distribute installation images that are nothing more than curated groups of software packages to be installed over the Ubuntu base, producing unique computing experiences for users. The images remain in the form of ISO files sized to fit CD/DVD optical media, but are increasingly stored on USB flash drives or served via the internet. Each image is constructed from a master file listing the packages to be included, known as a seed, with robust tools that allow anyone to replicate them using a program called germinate.

Flavor

Seeds (23.04 "Lunar Lobster")

First Official Release

Kubuntu logo
Kubuntu

kubuntu/desktop
kubuntu/live
kubuntu/ship-live

5.04
"Hoary Hedgehog"

Edubuntu logo
Edubuntu

edubuntu/desktop-gnome
edubuntu/dvd-live
edubuntu/live
edubuntu/ship-live
edubuntu/preschool
edubuntu/primary
edubuntu/secondary
edubuntu/tertiary

5.10
"Breezy Badger"

Xubuntu logo
Xubuntu

xubuntu/desktop
xubuntu/live
xubuntu/ship-live

6.06 LTS
"Dapper Drake"

Ubuntu Studio logo
Ubuntu Studio

ubuntustudio/audio
ubuntustudio/audio-core
ubuntustudio/audio-plugins
ubuntustudio/desktop
ubuntustudio/dvd-live
ubuntustudio/fonts
ubuntustudio/graphics
ubuntustudio/photography
ubuntustudio/publishing
ubuntustudio/ship-live
ubuntustudio/video

7.10
"Gutsy Gibbon"

Lubuntu logo
Lubuntu

lubuntu/desktop
lubuntu/live
lubuntu/ship-live

11.10
"Oneiric Ocelot"

Ubuntu Kylin logo
Ubuntu Kylin

ubuntukylin/desktop
ubuntukylin/live
ubuntukylin/ship-live

13.04
"Raring Ringtail"

Ubuntu MATE logo
Ubuntu MATE

ubuntu-mate/core
ubuntu-mate/desktop
ubuntu-mate/live
ubuntu-mate/ship-live

15.04
"Trusty Tahr"

Ubuntu Budgie logo
Ubuntu Budgie

ubuntu-budgie/desktop
ubuntu-budgie/desktop-raspi
ubuntu-budgie/live
ubuntu-budgie/ship-live

17.04
"Zesty Zapus"


Ubuntu Unity

ubuntu-unity/desktop

22.10
"Kinetic Kudu"


Ubuntu Cinnamon

ubuntu-cinnamon/desktop

23.04
"Lunar Lobster"

Deprecated Flavors (with final release version)

Gobuntu logo
Gobuntu

gobuntu/desktop
gobuntu/dns-server
gobuntu/lamp-server
gobuntu/live
gobuntu/mail-server
gobuntu/openssh-server
gobuntu/postgresql-server
gobuntu/print-server
gobuntu/samba-server
gobuntu/server-ship
gobuntu/ship
gobuntu/ship-live

7.10
"Gutsy Gibbon"

8.04 LTS
"Hardy Heron"

Mythbuntu logo
Mythbuntu

mythbuntu/desktop
mythbuntu/live
mythbuntu/ship-live

7.10
"Gutsy Gibbon"

16.04
"Xenial Xerus"

Kubuntu logo
Kubuntu Netbook Remix

kubuntu/netbook
kubuntu/netbook-live
kubuntu/netbook-ship

9.10
"Karmic Koala"

10.10
"Maverick Meerkat"

Kubuntu logo
Kubuntu Mobile

kubuntu/mobile
kubuntu/mobile-live
kubuntu/mobile-ship
kubuntu/ship-mobile-live

11.04
"Natty Narwhal"

11.10
"Oneiric Ocelot"

Ubuntu GNOME logo
Ubuntu GNOME

ubuntu-gnome/desktop
ubuntu-gnome/live
ubuntu-gnome/ship-live

13.04
"Raring Ringtail"

16.04
"Xenial Xerus"

Current flavors

Kubuntu

Kubuntu logo

Kubuntu offers KDE's Plasma Workspace experience on top of the Ubuntu core system. Built using the Qt toolkit it offers a modern, good-looking and stable system for home and office use.

Lubuntu

Lubuntu logo

Lubuntu is a faster, more lightweight and energy saving variant of Ubuntu originally using LXDE, the Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment. Starting with 18.10 "Cosmic Cuttlefish," the desktop environment was switched to LXQt and a set of Qt-based applications. It is targeted at everyday PC and laptop users using low-spec hardware, or wanting a faster experience.

Ubuntu Budgie

Ubuntu Budgie logo

Ubuntu Budgie provides the Budgie desktop environment which focuses on simplicity and elegance. It provides a traditional desktop metaphor-based interface, utilizing a customizable, panel-based, menu driven system.

Ubuntu Kylin

Ubuntu Kylin logo

The objective of the Ubuntu Kylin project is to create a variant of Ubuntu that is specifically suited for Chinese speakers across the globe, especially those without any experience using operating systems other than Microsoft Windows. Development is driven by a committment to providing a simpler and more enjoyable experience out-of-the-box.

Ubuntu MATE

Ubuntu MATE logo

Ubuntu MATE aims to bring the simplicity and elegance of the Ubuntu operating system through a classic, traditional desktop environment: the MATE desktop. MATE is the continuation of the GNOME 2 desktop environment, which was used as Ubuntu's default desktop until 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat".

Ubuntu Studio

Ubuntu Studio logo

Ubuntu Studio is a community supported multimedia creation flavor of Ubuntu. Ubuntu Studio is aimed at the GNU/Linux audio, video and graphic creators, be they enthusiasts or professionals.

Xubuntu

Xubuntu logo

Xubuntu is an elegant and easy to use operating system. Xubuntu comes with Xfce, which is a stable, light and configurable desktop environment.

Edubuntu

Edubuntu logo

The Edubuntu flavor is targeted at schools. It includes applications and games appropriate for children. Edubuntu is designed for a teacher or network administrator to be able to setup a complete classroom quickly and easily.

Ubuntu Unity

The Ubuntu Unity flavor uses the Unity desktop created by Canonical for Ubuntu that is beloved by many users, but was replaced with the return to GNOME in Ubuntu 17.10.

Ubuntu Cinnamon

The Ubuntu Cinnamon flavor features Linux Mint’s Cinnamon Desktop with Ubuntu at the core, packed fast and full of features.

Deprecated flavors

Gobuntu

Gobuntu logo

Gobuntu was a flavor of Ubuntu consisting entirely of free software.

Mythbuntu

Mythbuntu logo

Mythbuntu was a community-supported project focused upon setting up a MythTV-based PVR system on common consumer computer hardware, atop the framework of a minimal Ubuntu installation. It can be used to prepare a standalone system or for integration with an existing MythTV network. Starting with the release of version 12.04 the developers announced that going forward they would only be publishing official installation images for Ubuntu LTS releases, though the image seeds and underlying packages needed to install the flavor would be updated and included in the non-LTS Ubuntu package repositories as before, allowing users to upgrade their LTS installations to newer non-LTS versions if they wished.

The project leaders announced the end of development on the project as an Ubuntu flavor on Friday, November 4, 2016, making the final official release of Mythbuntu version 16.04 Xenial Xerus, supported until April 2019.

Kubuntu Netbook Remix

Kubuntu logo

Kubuntu Netbook Remix was a flavor of Ubuntu with a layout of the KDE Plasma 4 desktop environment optimized for netbooks.

Kubuntu Mobile

Kubuntu logo

Kubuntu Mobile was a flavor of Ubuntu with KDE desktop for mobile devices.

Ubuntu GNOME

Ubuntu GNOME logo

Ubuntu GNOME is a community supported flavor of Ubuntu that uses GNOME Shell instead of Unity, along with a plethora of GTK+ 3 applications associated with the GNOME Desktop Environment. As of 17.10 Artful Aardvark, GNOME became the default desktop environment of vanilla Ubuntu, making the final release of Ubuntu GNOME 16.04 Xenial Xerus, supported until April 2019.

Communications

For cross-flavor discussion, please use one of the following options:

UbuntuFlavors (last edited 2023-05-25 03:33:36 by guiverc)