UbuntuFlavors

Revision 43 as of 2020-02-15 11:42:06

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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 Ubuntu Core, 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

First Official Release

Kubuntu logo
Kubuntu

kubuntu/desktop
kubuntu/full
kubuntu/live
kubuntu/minimal
kubuntu/ship-live
kubuntu/standard
kubuntu/supported

5.04
"Hoary Hedgehog"

Xubuntu logo
Xubuntu

xubuntu/desktop
xubuntu/live
xubuntu/ship-live

6.06 LTS
"Dapper Drake"

Ubuntu Studio logo
Ubuntu Studio

ubuntustudio/desktop

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

15.04
"Trusty Tahr"

Ubuntu Budgie logo
Ubuntu Budgie

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

17.04
"Zesty Zapus"

Edubuntu
(deprecated)

edubuntu/dvd
edubuntu/dvd-live

5.10

Mythbuntu
(deprecated)

mythbuntu/live

7.10

Ubuntu GNOME
(deprecated)

ubuntu-gnome/live

13.04

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 running on low-spec hardware.

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.

Deprecated flavors

Edubuntu

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. The final release of Edubuntu is 14.04 Trusty Tahr, supported until April 2019.

Gobuntu

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

Kubuntu Netbook

Kubuntu Netbook was a flavor of Ubuntu with KDE desktop environment for netbooks.

Kubuntu Mobile

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

Mythbuntu

Mythbuntu is a community supported add-on for Ubuntu focused upon setting up a standalone MythTV based PVR system. It can be used to prepare a standalone system or for integration with an existing MythTV network. The final release of Mythbuntu is 16.04 Xenial Xerus, supported until April 2019.

Ubuntu GNOME

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.


For cross-flavor discussion, please contact the mailing list at ubuntu-flavors@lists.ubuntu.com or join the #ubuntu-flavors channel on Freenode IRC.