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Showing posts with label lubuntu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lubuntu. Show all posts

Tuesday, 16 August 2016

Introduction

A few weeks ago I wrote a list of the 5 Linux distributions that I would recommend for the Everyday Linux User.

 Within minutes of its release I was asked why various other distributions weren't considered for the list.

 I therefore set a challenge asking people to submit their own lists with reasons as to why they would choose those distributions.

 Here is an entry by David Bley who obliged my request. This in my opinion is the most well thought out and elaborated entry as yet so I thought I would share it with you first.

The Top 5 Linux Distributions

By David Bley


I don't fit your definition of an everyday linux user but I consider myself one. My favourite Windows OS was XP.  I did not care for Windows 7 and did not like the gestapo tactics that MS used to roll out Windows 10.

 I started in IBM PC's at dos 2.1, so the terminal works OK for me, but I have become more used to a GUI to do things and prefer it.  I want the OS to fade into the background and let me run the software I need to perform the task.

 Also, in the mid to late 80's I used an IBM AT (12MHz !) that had a UNIX co-processor board in it without a GUI, so I learned some basic UNIX commands for copying files, listing directories, etc.

I will assume that everyday linux users are coming from a windows environment or that they have gotten a workable piece of hardware (desktop or laptop) that the original OS has become obsolete on and are installing Linux because updating their current OS is not possible or too expensive. I am assuming that everyday linux users are not buying a system with linux pre-installed, unless it is a Raspberry-PI or a C.H.I.P. computer.

So my requirements for a Linux distribution are that the installation should be easy, not ask me questions that I don't understand, and work with minimal fiddling, which includes installing a printer.  As far as all the things that most developers seem to worry about, what the screen looks like and what apps are installed​ and how fast it is, are of secondary importance.  If it is too slow, then I am mostly using the wrong hardware although I grew up before computers and any wordprocessor is faster than a typewriter.

Other requirements that I come across is a distribution that will run on older hardware. this includes being small (fits on single CD), being lightweight (runs adequately on minimal RAM - approx 256MB) and supports all hardware on older machines.

I have examined many different distributions for the hardware that I have.

My top distribution for 32 bit machines is Lubuntu as it was the first distribution that I installed on my constantly used Windows XP netbook. My current version is 14.04 LTS, mostly because at this point in time I don't want to update and possibly convert a working computer to a non-working one.

On my 64 bit computer, I am running Ubuntu Mate 14.04  This computer is a return from lease that had XP installed.  I tried to install the 64 bit version of Lubuntu but it did not work properly.  Even with Mate, the graphics driver had an issue, but some poking around on the Ubuntu website got me an answer.  This is my everyday computer (desktop) with a 25" monitor and I have not updated for a similar reason as the first.  I also want to max out RAM to 8G and change out harddisk with a 1T before I change OS.  I am not one to change everything at once and fire it up!

On my oldest systems, which are intended for single purpose use (file server, audio player, home control, etc.) I need a distribution that fits on a CD, will run on older cpu with 256MB of RAM at OK speed.  I have tried many "lightweight" distributions even ones that I had to install from a USB drive using PLOP on boot CD and I keep coming back to Damn Small Linux.  It will fit on a small CD, supports hardware that was running Windows ME, installs easily, and is quite fast.  There is some question as to whether DSL is an active project, but it seems like it is still being maintained even though the releases don't come out very often.

I seem be be stuck in Ubuntu-land.  I have tried other distributions, SUSE, Fedora, Mint and they did not meet my requirements as well even though I did try many.

When I first started down the road of moving from Windows XP to Linux, I found that the number of distributions was daunting.  I used selection aids but they were not as helpful to me as I would have liked.

I have tried to think of two final distributions to add to the list but I cannot.

Summary

David has come up with three Linux distributions: Lubuntu, Ubuntu MATE and Damn Small Linux.

 Ubuntu MATE would definitely be close to reaching my top five and I would recommend Lubuntu for low end computers and older netbooks.

 Damn Small Linux might be a bit daunting for non-technical users and for something of that size it might be worth thinking about a Puppy Linux such as Simplicity.

 Thanks for sharing David.

 If you think you can do better read this article and submit your list.

 I have received a number of good suggestions in my inbox and as well as posting more of your lists I will be reviewing the likes of Antergos and openSUSE Leap.

 Thanks for reading.

An Alternative List Of The Top 3 Linux Distributions For The Everyday Linux User

Introduction

A few weeks ago I wrote a list of the 5 Linux distributions that I would recommend for the Everyday Linux User.

 Within minutes of its release I was asked why various other distributions weren't considered for the list.

 I therefore set a challenge asking people to submit their own lists with reasons as to why they would choose those distributions.

 Here is an entry by David Bley who obliged my request. This in my opinion is the most well thought out and elaborated entry as yet so I thought I would share it with you first.

The Top 5 Linux Distributions

By David Bley


I don't fit your definition of an everyday linux user but I consider myself one. My favourite Windows OS was XP.  I did not care for Windows 7 and did not like the gestapo tactics that MS used to roll out Windows 10.

 I started in IBM PC's at dos 2.1, so the terminal works OK for me, but I have become more used to a GUI to do things and prefer it.  I want the OS to fade into the background and let me run the software I need to perform the task.

 Also, in the mid to late 80's I used an IBM AT (12MHz !) that had a UNIX co-processor board in it without a GUI, so I learned some basic UNIX commands for copying files, listing directories, etc.

I will assume that everyday linux users are coming from a windows environment or that they have gotten a workable piece of hardware (desktop or laptop) that the original OS has become obsolete on and are installing Linux because updating their current OS is not possible or too expensive. I am assuming that everyday linux users are not buying a system with linux pre-installed, unless it is a Raspberry-PI or a C.H.I.P. computer.

So my requirements for a Linux distribution are that the installation should be easy, not ask me questions that I don't understand, and work with minimal fiddling, which includes installing a printer.  As far as all the things that most developers seem to worry about, what the screen looks like and what apps are installed​ and how fast it is, are of secondary importance.  If it is too slow, then I am mostly using the wrong hardware although I grew up before computers and any wordprocessor is faster than a typewriter.

Other requirements that I come across is a distribution that will run on older hardware. this includes being small (fits on single CD), being lightweight (runs adequately on minimal RAM - approx 256MB) and supports all hardware on older machines.

I have examined many different distributions for the hardware that I have.

My top distribution for 32 bit machines is Lubuntu as it was the first distribution that I installed on my constantly used Windows XP netbook. My current version is 14.04 LTS, mostly because at this point in time I don't want to update and possibly convert a working computer to a non-working one.

On my 64 bit computer, I am running Ubuntu Mate 14.04  This computer is a return from lease that had XP installed.  I tried to install the 64 bit version of Lubuntu but it did not work properly.  Even with Mate, the graphics driver had an issue, but some poking around on the Ubuntu website got me an answer.  This is my everyday computer (desktop) with a 25" monitor and I have not updated for a similar reason as the first.  I also want to max out RAM to 8G and change out harddisk with a 1T before I change OS.  I am not one to change everything at once and fire it up!

On my oldest systems, which are intended for single purpose use (file server, audio player, home control, etc.) I need a distribution that fits on a CD, will run on older cpu with 256MB of RAM at OK speed.  I have tried many "lightweight" distributions even ones that I had to install from a USB drive using PLOP on boot CD and I keep coming back to Damn Small Linux.  It will fit on a small CD, supports hardware that was running Windows ME, installs easily, and is quite fast.  There is some question as to whether DSL is an active project, but it seems like it is still being maintained even though the releases don't come out very often.

I seem be be stuck in Ubuntu-land.  I have tried other distributions, SUSE, Fedora, Mint and they did not meet my requirements as well even though I did try many.

When I first started down the road of moving from Windows XP to Linux, I found that the number of distributions was daunting.  I used selection aids but they were not as helpful to me as I would have liked.

I have tried to think of two final distributions to add to the list but I cannot.

Summary

David has come up with three Linux distributions: Lubuntu, Ubuntu MATE and Damn Small Linux.

 Ubuntu MATE would definitely be close to reaching my top five and I would recommend Lubuntu for low end computers and older netbooks.

 Damn Small Linux might be a bit daunting for non-technical users and for something of that size it might be worth thinking about a Puppy Linux such as Simplicity.

 Thanks for sharing David.

 If you think you can do better read this article and submit your list.

 I have received a number of good suggestions in my inbox and as well as posting more of your lists I will be reviewing the likes of Antergos and openSUSE Leap.

 Thanks for reading.

2 comments
Posted at 19:46 |  by Gary Newell

Thursday, 26 February 2015

Introduction

I have been asked on a number of occasions to take a look at LXLE.

I downloaded LXLE 14.04.1 a long time ago and for one reason or another it has taken until now to finally sit down and get to grips with it.

LXLE stands for Lubuntu Extra Life Extension. The purpose of LXLE is to take the base Lubuntu distribution and enhance it so that all the features the average person requires is available from the outset.

The features of LXLE are described as follows:
  • Light on resources; Heavy on functions.
  • Always based on Ubuntu/Lubuntu LTS.
  • Uses an optimized LXDE user interface.
  • Four familiar desktop layout paradigms.
  • Prudent full featured Apps preinstalled.
  • Latest stable versions of major software.
  • Added PPAs extends available software.
  • Weather, Aero Snap, Quick Launch
  • Random Wallpaper, Panel Trash access
  • Theme consistency throughout system.
  • 100 gorgeous wallpapers preinstalled.
  • Numerous other tweaks/additions.
  • 32 and 64 bit OS versions available.
  • Boots & is online in less than 1 minute. 
In this review I am going to take a brief look at the normal areas such as installation, connecting to the internet, Flash and MP3 support and the general look and feel but mainly I will be focusing on the applications as that is the part that adds the value to Lubuntu to make LXLE what it is.

Installation

I have developed an installation guide showing how to install LXLE.

Generally speaking the installer is much like the Ubuntu/Lubuntu installer but there are some subtle differences.

First Impressions


The first thing that you will notice is the visually pleasing loading screen and visually pleasing really is a feature of LXLE as a whole.

If any of you were lucky enough to try Fuduntu a few years back you will appreciate the artwork that was included as part of that particular distribution.

There are people out there who really hate these type of reviews because in their own words they hate pointless reviews which show off a few wallpapers and list the applications from the menus. If you feel that way about distribution reviews I would probably click away now.

I am not going to apologise however about showing off the wallpapers supplied with LXLE because when you have artwork as pleasing as the next few photos it would be a crime not to show them off.

The desktop environment used within LXLE is of course LXDE.

There is a single panel at the bottom with the menu icon in the bottom left and icons for the file manager, random wallpaper changer, iconify windows, quick application launcher and workspace switchers.

The icons in the bottom right corner toggle on and off the info box in the top right corner of the screen, control audio settings, internet settings, weather, the clock and a battery monitor.

In the top right corner of the screen there is an information box showing your uptime, RAM usage, CPU usage, hard drive usage, battery power, what is in your trash, upload and download speeds.

On my ACER Aspire One D255 netbook with 1 gigabyte of RAM, the system uses 19% of RAM without any applications open.  Using FireFox with 1 window open uses 44% of RAM.

There are no icons on the desktop but if you move your mouse to the left of the screen a new panel drifts in from the left with icons for commonly used applications such as the file manager, application finder, email, internet messenger, audio player, office suite, personal organiser, task manager and software centre.

The overall appeal of the LXLE desktop is very nice. The dark panel works very well but it is slightly difficult to see the workspace switchers and I only realised they were there by accidentally clicking on one. (It is probably worth mentioning that I am colourblind and therefore struggle with shades).

The random wallpaper changer is worth checking out and the quick launch icon is very useful for finding an application quickly.


The menu is the same as the one that comes with Lubuntu (the default LXDE menu) but the theme used makes it look very good.

The main issue with the menu is that if you have lots of items in one sub-category the list becomes a bit too long.

Connecting To The Internet






















To connect to the internet all you have to do is click on the network icon in the system tray and choose the network you wish to connect to.

If the wireless network requires a password you will have to enter it the first time you connect to that network but it will be remembered the next time you need to connect to it.

Flash And MP3





















If you chose to install the third party add-ons when you installed LXLE, Flash will work straight away and so will MP3 audio.

If you forgot to check the box to install third party add-ons, you can install the Lubuntu-restricted-extras package via the software centre.

Applications

As stylish as LXLE is, the only way to really judge it is to look at the applications that are installed with it.

Accessories

I am not going to list every application in every category because there are too many to mention. I will highlight the applications that will help to separate LXLE from the crowd.

Viruses and malware aren't generally something that figure too prominently when talking about Linux.

LXLE however comes with ClamTK which provides a nice graphical user interface for the ClamAV antivirus package.

Click here for my review of ClamTK


KeePassX helps you store your usernames and passwords in a single application.

It provides a safer and more secure option to a piece of paper in your desk drawer or a spreadsheet in your home folder.



Games

LXLE comes with over 20 games including everything from tetris clones, breakout clones and chess, to minesweeper and hearts. LXLE also includes a link for installing STEAM.

Education






















The education category has just three entries.

Anki is described as an intelligent spaced repetition memory training program. It took me a while to get my head around the point of the program but basically it is a flash card system used for aiding with recall. For instance if you have an exam coming up you could create a deck of cards to help you remember important points and use Anki to test yourself.

LibreOffice Math is a formula editor for use with the rest of the LibreOffice Suite. Click here for more information.

Marble is a virtual globe. You can choose between the earth and the moon and spin the globe in any direction and zoom in and out.

Graphics



























The graphics sub-category includes the GIMP which is the Linux alternative to Photoshop.

For the average user though the more interesting applications will be Shotwell which lets you manage your photo collection and Mirage which is a photo viewer.

LibreOffice Draw is included as part of the full office suite and is good for creating anything from simple drawings to complex diagrams.

This category also includes a document viewer, font manager,  photo print application and a scanning application. An application that caught my eye was the image reducer which is obviously useful for blogging purposes.

Internet

The internet section has everything you could need including the Pidgin Instant Messenger, Filezilla which is an FTP client and the Claws email client.

Claws is a fairly basic email client but it does give a straight forward method of connecting to GMail accounts, something which Microsoft Outlook can't manage easily.

Other internet applications include the FireFox web browser, XChat IRC Client, a VNC client called Gitso, the Transmission bittorrent client and the UGet download manager.

Office

The office section has a full office suite and a couple of other potentially useful applications.

LibreOffice is the office suite and includes a word processor, spreadsheet package, presentation package, drawing application and database package.

There is a home budgeting tool called HomeBank. You can use this to keep tabs on all of your bank accounts. If your online banking allows you to export files in QIF format you will be able to import them into HomeBank.

Meanwhile the other application of note is Osmo which is a personal information manager.

Osmo has 4 tabs; calendar, tasks, contact and notes. If you use GMail you can export the contacts from Google and import them into Osmo. Unfortunately there appears to be no way to import tasks.

I would be interested in hearing how many of you find the desktop budgeting application and personal organiser useful. Personally I still use a humble spreadsheet for budgeting and my online banking gives me full control of my bank accounts.

As for a personal organiser, I am more likely to use the applications on my phone than a desktop application for managing contacts.

Sound And Video


The audio player within LXLE is Guayadeque. It isn't spectacular but does the job, and includes the ability to import all of your music, create playlists, listen to online radio stations, add podcasts and buy music via last.fm.

If you prefer to make your own music there is Audacity and for those of you who prefer to edit your own videos, Openshot is included.

I wrote a guide a while back to do with screencasting and video editing within Linux. LXLE includes video editing and screencasting tools.

For viewing videos there is the Totem video player and you can also watch Youtube videos by using Minitube.

Installing Applications



As LXLE is a respin of Lubuntu the graphical tool used for installing packages is the Lubuntu Software Centre.

You can search for applications using the search box or browse the various categories. The search feature is a tad annoying as it starts searching for applications after just a few milliseconds and doesn't give you enough time to type the name or description of an application.

LXLE includes a number of extra PPAs for specific applications. For instance there are PPAs for Guayadeque, Catfish, Claws and LibreOffice. There are also PPAs for noobslab and webupd8. By linking to the specific PPAs you are able to install and use the latest versions of the applications.

(Click here for an explanation of what a PPA is)

Summary

The LXLE community is fairly vocal and passionate about their respin of Lubuntu.

My installation guide has generated a number of comments and I have received a number of emails thanking me for writing the guide and for suggestions on improving the guide.

In the past when I have written about Lubuntu or Peppermint, I have received emails and comments telling me to try LXLE because it is ace.

So what is my opinion of LXLE?

Lubuntu is a minimal and lightweight distribution and gives you just enough to be useful but leaving scope for you to turn it into whatever you want it to be.

LXLE has taken Lubuntu and added extra value by providing more useful applications, wonderful visual elements and better navigation.

If you are looking for a lightweight distribution, for an older computer (or a computer with limited capabilities), which really does have everything you need without having to install extra software then you really are better off installing LXLE over Lubuntu.

Of course the alternative is to take Lubuntu yourself and turn it into whatever you want it to be by installing your favourite applications, themes and navigational tools.

What I like about LXLE is that the creators have kept it simple and not tried to over do things.

With some distributions you get the feeling that the developers weren't sure which applications to include and therefore ended up throwing 2 or 3 of everything in. With LXLE this isn't the case. 

Be prepared for LXLE 14.04.2

A new version of LXLE is due to be released in April. I will be writing an update to this article shortly after it has been released to highlight new features.


An Everyday Linux User Review Of LXLE

Introduction

I have been asked on a number of occasions to take a look at LXLE.

I downloaded LXLE 14.04.1 a long time ago and for one reason or another it has taken until now to finally sit down and get to grips with it.

LXLE stands for Lubuntu Extra Life Extension. The purpose of LXLE is to take the base Lubuntu distribution and enhance it so that all the features the average person requires is available from the outset.

The features of LXLE are described as follows:
  • Light on resources; Heavy on functions.
  • Always based on Ubuntu/Lubuntu LTS.
  • Uses an optimized LXDE user interface.
  • Four familiar desktop layout paradigms.
  • Prudent full featured Apps preinstalled.
  • Latest stable versions of major software.
  • Added PPAs extends available software.
  • Weather, Aero Snap, Quick Launch
  • Random Wallpaper, Panel Trash access
  • Theme consistency throughout system.
  • 100 gorgeous wallpapers preinstalled.
  • Numerous other tweaks/additions.
  • 32 and 64 bit OS versions available.
  • Boots & is online in less than 1 minute. 
In this review I am going to take a brief look at the normal areas such as installation, connecting to the internet, Flash and MP3 support and the general look and feel but mainly I will be focusing on the applications as that is the part that adds the value to Lubuntu to make LXLE what it is.

Installation

I have developed an installation guide showing how to install LXLE.

Generally speaking the installer is much like the Ubuntu/Lubuntu installer but there are some subtle differences.

First Impressions


The first thing that you will notice is the visually pleasing loading screen and visually pleasing really is a feature of LXLE as a whole.

If any of you were lucky enough to try Fuduntu a few years back you will appreciate the artwork that was included as part of that particular distribution.

There are people out there who really hate these type of reviews because in their own words they hate pointless reviews which show off a few wallpapers and list the applications from the menus. If you feel that way about distribution reviews I would probably click away now.

I am not going to apologise however about showing off the wallpapers supplied with LXLE because when you have artwork as pleasing as the next few photos it would be a crime not to show them off.

The desktop environment used within LXLE is of course LXDE.

There is a single panel at the bottom with the menu icon in the bottom left and icons for the file manager, random wallpaper changer, iconify windows, quick application launcher and workspace switchers.

The icons in the bottom right corner toggle on and off the info box in the top right corner of the screen, control audio settings, internet settings, weather, the clock and a battery monitor.

In the top right corner of the screen there is an information box showing your uptime, RAM usage, CPU usage, hard drive usage, battery power, what is in your trash, upload and download speeds.

On my ACER Aspire One D255 netbook with 1 gigabyte of RAM, the system uses 19% of RAM without any applications open.  Using FireFox with 1 window open uses 44% of RAM.

There are no icons on the desktop but if you move your mouse to the left of the screen a new panel drifts in from the left with icons for commonly used applications such as the file manager, application finder, email, internet messenger, audio player, office suite, personal organiser, task manager and software centre.

The overall appeal of the LXLE desktop is very nice. The dark panel works very well but it is slightly difficult to see the workspace switchers and I only realised they were there by accidentally clicking on one. (It is probably worth mentioning that I am colourblind and therefore struggle with shades).

The random wallpaper changer is worth checking out and the quick launch icon is very useful for finding an application quickly.


The menu is the same as the one that comes with Lubuntu (the default LXDE menu) but the theme used makes it look very good.

The main issue with the menu is that if you have lots of items in one sub-category the list becomes a bit too long.

Connecting To The Internet






















To connect to the internet all you have to do is click on the network icon in the system tray and choose the network you wish to connect to.

If the wireless network requires a password you will have to enter it the first time you connect to that network but it will be remembered the next time you need to connect to it.

Flash And MP3





















If you chose to install the third party add-ons when you installed LXLE, Flash will work straight away and so will MP3 audio.

If you forgot to check the box to install third party add-ons, you can install the Lubuntu-restricted-extras package via the software centre.

Applications

As stylish as LXLE is, the only way to really judge it is to look at the applications that are installed with it.

Accessories

I am not going to list every application in every category because there are too many to mention. I will highlight the applications that will help to separate LXLE from the crowd.

Viruses and malware aren't generally something that figure too prominently when talking about Linux.

LXLE however comes with ClamTK which provides a nice graphical user interface for the ClamAV antivirus package.

Click here for my review of ClamTK


KeePassX helps you store your usernames and passwords in a single application.

It provides a safer and more secure option to a piece of paper in your desk drawer or a spreadsheet in your home folder.



Games

LXLE comes with over 20 games including everything from tetris clones, breakout clones and chess, to minesweeper and hearts. LXLE also includes a link for installing STEAM.

Education






















The education category has just three entries.

Anki is described as an intelligent spaced repetition memory training program. It took me a while to get my head around the point of the program but basically it is a flash card system used for aiding with recall. For instance if you have an exam coming up you could create a deck of cards to help you remember important points and use Anki to test yourself.

LibreOffice Math is a formula editor for use with the rest of the LibreOffice Suite. Click here for more information.

Marble is a virtual globe. You can choose between the earth and the moon and spin the globe in any direction and zoom in and out.

Graphics



























The graphics sub-category includes the GIMP which is the Linux alternative to Photoshop.

For the average user though the more interesting applications will be Shotwell which lets you manage your photo collection and Mirage which is a photo viewer.

LibreOffice Draw is included as part of the full office suite and is good for creating anything from simple drawings to complex diagrams.

This category also includes a document viewer, font manager,  photo print application and a scanning application. An application that caught my eye was the image reducer which is obviously useful for blogging purposes.

Internet

The internet section has everything you could need including the Pidgin Instant Messenger, Filezilla which is an FTP client and the Claws email client.

Claws is a fairly basic email client but it does give a straight forward method of connecting to GMail accounts, something which Microsoft Outlook can't manage easily.

Other internet applications include the FireFox web browser, XChat IRC Client, a VNC client called Gitso, the Transmission bittorrent client and the UGet download manager.

Office

The office section has a full office suite and a couple of other potentially useful applications.

LibreOffice is the office suite and includes a word processor, spreadsheet package, presentation package, drawing application and database package.

There is a home budgeting tool called HomeBank. You can use this to keep tabs on all of your bank accounts. If your online banking allows you to export files in QIF format you will be able to import them into HomeBank.

Meanwhile the other application of note is Osmo which is a personal information manager.

Osmo has 4 tabs; calendar, tasks, contact and notes. If you use GMail you can export the contacts from Google and import them into Osmo. Unfortunately there appears to be no way to import tasks.

I would be interested in hearing how many of you find the desktop budgeting application and personal organiser useful. Personally I still use a humble spreadsheet for budgeting and my online banking gives me full control of my bank accounts.

As for a personal organiser, I am more likely to use the applications on my phone than a desktop application for managing contacts.

Sound And Video


The audio player within LXLE is Guayadeque. It isn't spectacular but does the job, and includes the ability to import all of your music, create playlists, listen to online radio stations, add podcasts and buy music via last.fm.

If you prefer to make your own music there is Audacity and for those of you who prefer to edit your own videos, Openshot is included.

I wrote a guide a while back to do with screencasting and video editing within Linux. LXLE includes video editing and screencasting tools.

For viewing videos there is the Totem video player and you can also watch Youtube videos by using Minitube.

Installing Applications



As LXLE is a respin of Lubuntu the graphical tool used for installing packages is the Lubuntu Software Centre.

You can search for applications using the search box or browse the various categories. The search feature is a tad annoying as it starts searching for applications after just a few milliseconds and doesn't give you enough time to type the name or description of an application.

LXLE includes a number of extra PPAs for specific applications. For instance there are PPAs for Guayadeque, Catfish, Claws and LibreOffice. There are also PPAs for noobslab and webupd8. By linking to the specific PPAs you are able to install and use the latest versions of the applications.

(Click here for an explanation of what a PPA is)

Summary

The LXLE community is fairly vocal and passionate about their respin of Lubuntu.

My installation guide has generated a number of comments and I have received a number of emails thanking me for writing the guide and for suggestions on improving the guide.

In the past when I have written about Lubuntu or Peppermint, I have received emails and comments telling me to try LXLE because it is ace.

So what is my opinion of LXLE?

Lubuntu is a minimal and lightweight distribution and gives you just enough to be useful but leaving scope for you to turn it into whatever you want it to be.

LXLE has taken Lubuntu and added extra value by providing more useful applications, wonderful visual elements and better navigation.

If you are looking for a lightweight distribution, for an older computer (or a computer with limited capabilities), which really does have everything you need without having to install extra software then you really are better off installing LXLE over Lubuntu.

Of course the alternative is to take Lubuntu yourself and turn it into whatever you want it to be by installing your favourite applications, themes and navigational tools.

What I like about LXLE is that the creators have kept it simple and not tried to over do things.

With some distributions you get the feeling that the developers weren't sure which applications to include and therefore ended up throwing 2 or 3 of everything in. With LXLE this isn't the case. 

Be prepared for LXLE 14.04.2

A new version of LXLE is due to be released in April. I will be writing an update to this article shortly after it has been released to highlight new features.


16 comments
Posted at 21:45 |  by Gary Newell

Friday, 27 June 2014

Introduction

To complete the series of articles about Lubuntu here is a guide showing how to upgrade from Lubuntu 13.10 to Lubuntu 14.04.

Backup your files

The first thing you should do before upgrading your system is to backup your important files such as photos, music, videos, documents etc.

Consider using a service such as Dropbox for synchronising all your data. This service lets you back up your files to external servers.

Using Dropbox gives you two levels of safety. If Dropbox ceases to exist you still have the data on your computer but also if you lose all your local files (perhaps to disk failure or even worse a fire) then you will be able to download the files from Dropbox again.

If you prefer to keep your data where you can see it then you can use DVDs, USB drives or external hard drives/NAS drives.

Update your system

Before you can upgrade your system you must update it.

To update your system select "System Tools -> Software Updater" from the menu.






The "Software Updater" will check to see what needs to be updated.



A list will be displayed showing how much data will be downloaded and also you can see which programs and files will be updated.

To update your system click "Install Now".


The updates will now be downloaded and installed.

Upgrade to Lubuntu 14.04

To upgrade your system from 13.10 to Lubuntu 14.04 select "Preferences -> Software and Updates" from the menu.


If you have updated then you will see a message stating that you can now upgrade.

To upgrade click "Yes, Upgrade Now".





A welcome message will appear telling you what you will get from Lubuntu 14.04.

Click "Upgrade".




The upgrade will now start to take place.




After all the files have been downloaded you will be asked once again whether you want to upgrade. (safety first I guess).

Click "Start Upgrade".




Towards the end you will be asked whether you want to remove obsolete packages.

You can click on details to see exactly what will be removed but I would err on the side of caution and just not bother removing.

The remove procedure as stated in the message is very time consuming and all you gain is a bit of disk space.



When the upgrade has finished click "Restart Now" and you will have Lubuntu 14.04.

Post Installation Tasks

It is worth following my guide "5 things to do after installing Lubuntu" as there are a couple of issues you might notice after rebooting.

The first is that the network manager icon will be missing from the panel and if you are from the UK then you might be stuck with a US keyboard layout.

Summary

This article concludes the series on Lubuntu for now.

I hope that you found them useful.

All the how to articles will be added to the tutorials section shortly.











How to upgrade from Lubuntu 13.10 to Lubuntu 14.04

Introduction

To complete the series of articles about Lubuntu here is a guide showing how to upgrade from Lubuntu 13.10 to Lubuntu 14.04.

Backup your files

The first thing you should do before upgrading your system is to backup your important files such as photos, music, videos, documents etc.

Consider using a service such as Dropbox for synchronising all your data. This service lets you back up your files to external servers.

Using Dropbox gives you two levels of safety. If Dropbox ceases to exist you still have the data on your computer but also if you lose all your local files (perhaps to disk failure or even worse a fire) then you will be able to download the files from Dropbox again.

If you prefer to keep your data where you can see it then you can use DVDs, USB drives or external hard drives/NAS drives.

Update your system

Before you can upgrade your system you must update it.

To update your system select "System Tools -> Software Updater" from the menu.






The "Software Updater" will check to see what needs to be updated.



A list will be displayed showing how much data will be downloaded and also you can see which programs and files will be updated.

To update your system click "Install Now".


The updates will now be downloaded and installed.

Upgrade to Lubuntu 14.04

To upgrade your system from 13.10 to Lubuntu 14.04 select "Preferences -> Software and Updates" from the menu.


If you have updated then you will see a message stating that you can now upgrade.

To upgrade click "Yes, Upgrade Now".





A welcome message will appear telling you what you will get from Lubuntu 14.04.

Click "Upgrade".




The upgrade will now start to take place.




After all the files have been downloaded you will be asked once again whether you want to upgrade. (safety first I guess).

Click "Start Upgrade".




Towards the end you will be asked whether you want to remove obsolete packages.

You can click on details to see exactly what will be removed but I would err on the side of caution and just not bother removing.

The remove procedure as stated in the message is very time consuming and all you gain is a bit of disk space.



When the upgrade has finished click "Restart Now" and you will have Lubuntu 14.04.

Post Installation Tasks

It is worth following my guide "5 things to do after installing Lubuntu" as there are a couple of issues you might notice after rebooting.

The first is that the network manager icon will be missing from the panel and if you are from the UK then you might be stuck with a US keyboard layout.

Summary

This article concludes the series on Lubuntu for now.

I hope that you found them useful.

All the how to articles will be added to the tutorials section shortly.











8 comments
Posted at 21:35 |  by Gary Newell

Tuesday, 24 June 2014

Introduction

This is one of those reviews that should be really easy to write. Just last week I wrote an article listing 5 reasons why Lubuntu would be good for Windows XP users. Therefore with this in mind you might think that this review would list all of Lubuntu's good points and paint a positive picture.

Unfortunately it isn't that simple. As far as I am concerned Lubuntu 14.04 feels like a step backwards when compared to Lubuntu 13.10.

There is nothing that is so broken that makes it unusable but I would have thought that because Lubuntu 14.04 is the long term support release it would have had less obviously visible bugs when it was first released.

System Requirements

The full system requirements can be found on the Lubuntu Wiki page.

The bare minimum that you can use is a Pentium II with 128 MB of RAM but this would not hold up well for daily use.

The system becomes more usable with 256 MB of RAM and with 512 MB of RAM you should be able to use the system without too many problems.

Realistically speaking 1 Gigabyte of RAM would be more of an ideal starting point.

Lubuntu really is one of the best solutions for older computers and for all those netbooks that were released earlier on in the decade with those Atom based processors.

The Aim Of Lubuntu

The objective of the Lubuntu project is to create a variant of Ubuntu that is lighter, less resource hungry and more energy-efficient by using lightweight applications and LXDE, The Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment, as its default GUI.
Lubuntu is targeted at PC and laptop users running on low-spec hardware that, in most cases, just don't have enough resources for all the bells and whistles of the "full-featured" mainstream distributions. 
The above text came from the Lubuntu Wiki. The aim therefore is to provide a lightweight operating system for older low-spec hardware.

How to get Lubuntu

You can download Lubuntu from https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Lubuntu/GetLubuntu.

After you have downloaded Lubuntu you can create a Lubuntu DVD or USB drive.

If you have a slow internet connection you might wish to .

Lubuntu is available in 32-bit or 64-bit format.

Installation

As part of the Ubuntu family of distributions Lubuntu shares the same installer and this therefore makes it very easy to install.

The steps for installing Lubuntu are basically as follows:
  1. Insert Live DVD/USB
  2. Boot computer
  3. Choose language
  4. Choose whether to boot into Live mode or run the installer
Once the installer starts
  1. Choose your language 
  2. Make sure your system is ready (plugged in, connected to the internet, has enough disk space)
  3. Connect to the internet, choose whether to update during the installation  and choose whether to install Fluendo which enables you to play MP3 files
  4. Choose whether to install alongside your current operating system or replace it
  5. Choose your timezone
  6. Set up a user
  7. Wait for files to copy across
  8. Reboot
The following guide shows how to replace Windows XP with Lubuntu. 

First Impressions























For somebody who has used Windows XP for a while the look will be almost instantly familiar.

There is a panel at the bottom with a menu in the bottom left, quick launch icons and a system tray in the bottom right.























When you click on the menu icon it opens out into a series of categories with the actual applications listed under those categories.


There are some quick launch icons next to the menu button. These can be customised but by default open the file browser, the web browser and iconify all windows. You can also toggle between virtual workspaces.







The system tray has icons for selecting your language, adjusting the volume, adjusting keyboard layouts, power settings, network settings and a clock. Again these can be customised.

Customising the desktop





The default Lubuntu wallpaper is fairly bland. Most people using Lubuntu will be using it on their own machines and people like a bit of colour.

To change the default wallpaper right click on the desktop and choose "Desktop Preferences".

Click on the open folder icon to choose a new image.





Lubuntu ships with other wallpapers and you can scroll through them with your mouse. A preview image appears in the top right corner.

Click "Open" to change the wallpaper.























I know that when I write these reviews I quite often get the response that a review is more than just showing off a few wallpapers but I just happen to think that the image above makes a much nicer first impression.

One of the best features of Lubuntu is that because it incorporates the LXDE desktop it is highly customisable.

This guide shows you how to customise the LXDE desktop.

Connecting to the internet

In my review of Lubuntu 13.10 I wrote the following with regards to connecting to the internet.

As Lubuntu is based on Ubuntu it is very easy to connect to the internet.

Simply click on the network icon and choose the wireless network (or indeed wired network) that you wish to connect to.

You will be prompted for your password and then you will be asked for the security key to the network.
You would therefore think that connecting to the internet is as simple in Lubuntu 14.04.

Unfortunately though the network icon is missing from the system tray and so setting it up means jumping through a few hoops first.

I have added the solution to an article listing 5 things to do after installing Lubuntu.

I am a little bit surprised that this managed to get through testing. Did nobody install Lubuntu from scratch and try and connect wirelessly?

What is interesting is how many Firefox releases there have been since Lubuntu 13.10 was released.

In Lubuntu 13.10 the Firefox version number was 24. The version in Lubuntu 14.04 is 30.

Flash and MP3

Rest In Peace Rik Mayall - One of the finest British Comedy Actors




















In order to be able to play Flash video files and MP3s within Lubuntu you will need to install the Lubuntu Restricted Extras package.

The process of doing this is also listed in the article 5 things to do after installing Lubuntu.

Applications

As mentioned before Lubuntu is designed to work on computers with low specifications. The applications included are therefore less on the glitzy side and focus more on basic functionality.

Accessories

  • Archive Manager (Zip file management)
  • Disks (Disk management)
  • PCManFM (File management)
  • Galculator (Calculator)
  • GPicView (Image Viewer)
  • Leafpad (Text Editor)
  • XPad (Note Taking)

Graphics

  • Document Viewer (PDF viewer)
  • mtPaint Graphic Editor (Graphic editor, think MS Paint on drugs)
  • Simple Scan (Scanning Tool)

Internet

  • FireFox (Web Browser)
  • Pidgin (Instant Messenger)
  • Sylpheed (Email Client)
  • Transmission (Bittorrent Client)

Office

  • Abiword (Word Processor)
  • Gnumeric (Spreadsheet)

Sound and Video

  • Audacious (Audio Player)
  • Gnome MPlayer (Media Player)
  • Xfburn (Disc Burning)
For general day to day use most of these applications are perfectly usable. Abiword isn't a real replacement for Microsoft Word or LibreOffice Writer but if your only requirement of a Word Processor is to type the odd letter then Abiword is just fine. Hey, I used Abiword to write a short story whilst on the train to the Gadget Show Live.

The same can be said of Gnumeric. It is fine for basic spreadsheet tasks such as creating basic budgets but it is no Microsoft Excel.

If you need something more powerful then it depends on your computer what you can afford to do. You can either install LibreOffice (assuming your computer can handle it) or you can use Google Docs.





Audacious is a functional audio player and includes the basic items all audio players should have including the ability to import files into collections and create playlists. Again it isn't as good as some other audio players but it does the job.

Sylpheed is a decent enough email client and if you have a GMail account it is easy to set up.

One thing with Lubuntu 14.04 is that the games section has gone. I remember asking the question does anyone ever play the KDE games? The response was a resounding yes. The question therefore has to be asked "Will Lubuntu users miss the LXDE based games?".

Installing Applications

If you do miss the LXDE games then all is not lost, you can always use one of the package managers available to install them.




















In theory the best method for installing software would be by using the Lubuntu Software Centre.

I don't really like the Lubuntu Software Centre. I mentioned in my Lubuntu 13.10 review...


The search function starts searching after just 300 milliseconds of typing. So if you haven't finished typing your search term in that time then you have to wait for the search to complete before you can enter the rest of the search term.

This behaviour hasn't changed.

The problem with the search function is that users of Lubuntu are going to be on older hardware and so the responsiveness of the computer might not be that great and maybe you can't type your search term in 300 milliseconds. The search box is therefore clunky.

It would be better if the search box let you finished typing before attempting to return results.

I also noticed that when I ran the Software Centre the first time it wouldn't return all the results. Only after hitting the reload button in the Synaptic Package Manager did the Software Centre then start showing everything. Why not add a reload button to the Software Centre?



I still think that the best way to install software is by using the Synaptic Package Manager. It may not be pretty but it works.

New for Lubuntu 14.04

All the new features for Lubuntu 14.04 can be found in the release notes.

The best new feature is the fact that Lubuntu 14.04 is an LTS release providing support for 3 years. That is a big thing as it means  you can install Lubuntu 14.04 and it should still work in 2017.

There is a new version of PCManFM, there is updated artwork and a new version of LXSession-Default-Apps.

Gaming

STEAM is available via the software centre and you can also install PlayOnLinux and WINE for playing Windows games.

It is probably worth noting that the majority of modern games will struggle on older hardware.

Known Issues

I have already mentioned the network manager issue whereby the icon is missing from the panel.

Another big issue (especially for users in the UK) is with keyboard layouts. When I installed Lubuntu 14.04 I chose the UK as my country. After Lubuntu loaded the keyboard layout was set to US English which has the effect of turning pound symbols to hashes and various other inconsistencies.

I covered this issue in the article 5 things to do after installing Lubuntu and that shows how to resolve the problem.

You can view more known issues here.

Summary

Despite the issues that I have highlighted through this review I would still recommend Lubuntu for older hardware and netbooks over most other distributions.

The network applet and keyboard issues were slightly disappointing and I would like subtle improvements made to the Software Centre.

And finally..... why and where have the games gone?

Thankyou for reading.

If you liked this article

share it with other people via Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Delicious, StumbleUpon, Digg, Reddit, LinkedIn, and Pinterest?










An Everyday Linux User review of Lubuntu 14.04

Introduction

This is one of those reviews that should be really easy to write. Just last week I wrote an article listing 5 reasons why Lubuntu would be good for Windows XP users. Therefore with this in mind you might think that this review would list all of Lubuntu's good points and paint a positive picture.

Unfortunately it isn't that simple. As far as I am concerned Lubuntu 14.04 feels like a step backwards when compared to Lubuntu 13.10.

There is nothing that is so broken that makes it unusable but I would have thought that because Lubuntu 14.04 is the long term support release it would have had less obviously visible bugs when it was first released.

System Requirements

The full system requirements can be found on the Lubuntu Wiki page.

The bare minimum that you can use is a Pentium II with 128 MB of RAM but this would not hold up well for daily use.

The system becomes more usable with 256 MB of RAM and with 512 MB of RAM you should be able to use the system without too many problems.

Realistically speaking 1 Gigabyte of RAM would be more of an ideal starting point.

Lubuntu really is one of the best solutions for older computers and for all those netbooks that were released earlier on in the decade with those Atom based processors.

The Aim Of Lubuntu

The objective of the Lubuntu project is to create a variant of Ubuntu that is lighter, less resource hungry and more energy-efficient by using lightweight applications and LXDE, The Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment, as its default GUI.
Lubuntu is targeted at PC and laptop users running on low-spec hardware that, in most cases, just don't have enough resources for all the bells and whistles of the "full-featured" mainstream distributions. 
The above text came from the Lubuntu Wiki. The aim therefore is to provide a lightweight operating system for older low-spec hardware.

How to get Lubuntu

You can download Lubuntu from https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Lubuntu/GetLubuntu.

After you have downloaded Lubuntu you can create a Lubuntu DVD or USB drive.

If you have a slow internet connection you might wish to .

Lubuntu is available in 32-bit or 64-bit format.

Installation

As part of the Ubuntu family of distributions Lubuntu shares the same installer and this therefore makes it very easy to install.

The steps for installing Lubuntu are basically as follows:
  1. Insert Live DVD/USB
  2. Boot computer
  3. Choose language
  4. Choose whether to boot into Live mode or run the installer
Once the installer starts
  1. Choose your language 
  2. Make sure your system is ready (plugged in, connected to the internet, has enough disk space)
  3. Connect to the internet, choose whether to update during the installation  and choose whether to install Fluendo which enables you to play MP3 files
  4. Choose whether to install alongside your current operating system or replace it
  5. Choose your timezone
  6. Set up a user
  7. Wait for files to copy across
  8. Reboot
The following guide shows how to replace Windows XP with Lubuntu. 

First Impressions























For somebody who has used Windows XP for a while the look will be almost instantly familiar.

There is a panel at the bottom with a menu in the bottom left, quick launch icons and a system tray in the bottom right.























When you click on the menu icon it opens out into a series of categories with the actual applications listed under those categories.


There are some quick launch icons next to the menu button. These can be customised but by default open the file browser, the web browser and iconify all windows. You can also toggle between virtual workspaces.







The system tray has icons for selecting your language, adjusting the volume, adjusting keyboard layouts, power settings, network settings and a clock. Again these can be customised.

Customising the desktop





The default Lubuntu wallpaper is fairly bland. Most people using Lubuntu will be using it on their own machines and people like a bit of colour.

To change the default wallpaper right click on the desktop and choose "Desktop Preferences".

Click on the open folder icon to choose a new image.





Lubuntu ships with other wallpapers and you can scroll through them with your mouse. A preview image appears in the top right corner.

Click "Open" to change the wallpaper.























I know that when I write these reviews I quite often get the response that a review is more than just showing off a few wallpapers but I just happen to think that the image above makes a much nicer first impression.

One of the best features of Lubuntu is that because it incorporates the LXDE desktop it is highly customisable.

This guide shows you how to customise the LXDE desktop.

Connecting to the internet

In my review of Lubuntu 13.10 I wrote the following with regards to connecting to the internet.

As Lubuntu is based on Ubuntu it is very easy to connect to the internet.

Simply click on the network icon and choose the wireless network (or indeed wired network) that you wish to connect to.

You will be prompted for your password and then you will be asked for the security key to the network.
You would therefore think that connecting to the internet is as simple in Lubuntu 14.04.

Unfortunately though the network icon is missing from the system tray and so setting it up means jumping through a few hoops first.

I have added the solution to an article listing 5 things to do after installing Lubuntu.

I am a little bit surprised that this managed to get through testing. Did nobody install Lubuntu from scratch and try and connect wirelessly?

What is interesting is how many Firefox releases there have been since Lubuntu 13.10 was released.

In Lubuntu 13.10 the Firefox version number was 24. The version in Lubuntu 14.04 is 30.

Flash and MP3

Rest In Peace Rik Mayall - One of the finest British Comedy Actors




















In order to be able to play Flash video files and MP3s within Lubuntu you will need to install the Lubuntu Restricted Extras package.

The process of doing this is also listed in the article 5 things to do after installing Lubuntu.

Applications

As mentioned before Lubuntu is designed to work on computers with low specifications. The applications included are therefore less on the glitzy side and focus more on basic functionality.

Accessories

  • Archive Manager (Zip file management)
  • Disks (Disk management)
  • PCManFM (File management)
  • Galculator (Calculator)
  • GPicView (Image Viewer)
  • Leafpad (Text Editor)
  • XPad (Note Taking)

Graphics

  • Document Viewer (PDF viewer)
  • mtPaint Graphic Editor (Graphic editor, think MS Paint on drugs)
  • Simple Scan (Scanning Tool)

Internet

  • FireFox (Web Browser)
  • Pidgin (Instant Messenger)
  • Sylpheed (Email Client)
  • Transmission (Bittorrent Client)

Office

  • Abiword (Word Processor)
  • Gnumeric (Spreadsheet)

Sound and Video

  • Audacious (Audio Player)
  • Gnome MPlayer (Media Player)
  • Xfburn (Disc Burning)
For general day to day use most of these applications are perfectly usable. Abiword isn't a real replacement for Microsoft Word or LibreOffice Writer but if your only requirement of a Word Processor is to type the odd letter then Abiword is just fine. Hey, I used Abiword to write a short story whilst on the train to the Gadget Show Live.

The same can be said of Gnumeric. It is fine for basic spreadsheet tasks such as creating basic budgets but it is no Microsoft Excel.

If you need something more powerful then it depends on your computer what you can afford to do. You can either install LibreOffice (assuming your computer can handle it) or you can use Google Docs.





Audacious is a functional audio player and includes the basic items all audio players should have including the ability to import files into collections and create playlists. Again it isn't as good as some other audio players but it does the job.

Sylpheed is a decent enough email client and if you have a GMail account it is easy to set up.

One thing with Lubuntu 14.04 is that the games section has gone. I remember asking the question does anyone ever play the KDE games? The response was a resounding yes. The question therefore has to be asked "Will Lubuntu users miss the LXDE based games?".

Installing Applications

If you do miss the LXDE games then all is not lost, you can always use one of the package managers available to install them.




















In theory the best method for installing software would be by using the Lubuntu Software Centre.

I don't really like the Lubuntu Software Centre. I mentioned in my Lubuntu 13.10 review...


The search function starts searching after just 300 milliseconds of typing. So if you haven't finished typing your search term in that time then you have to wait for the search to complete before you can enter the rest of the search term.

This behaviour hasn't changed.

The problem with the search function is that users of Lubuntu are going to be on older hardware and so the responsiveness of the computer might not be that great and maybe you can't type your search term in 300 milliseconds. The search box is therefore clunky.

It would be better if the search box let you finished typing before attempting to return results.

I also noticed that when I ran the Software Centre the first time it wouldn't return all the results. Only after hitting the reload button in the Synaptic Package Manager did the Software Centre then start showing everything. Why not add a reload button to the Software Centre?



I still think that the best way to install software is by using the Synaptic Package Manager. It may not be pretty but it works.

New for Lubuntu 14.04

All the new features for Lubuntu 14.04 can be found in the release notes.

The best new feature is the fact that Lubuntu 14.04 is an LTS release providing support for 3 years. That is a big thing as it means  you can install Lubuntu 14.04 and it should still work in 2017.

There is a new version of PCManFM, there is updated artwork and a new version of LXSession-Default-Apps.

Gaming

STEAM is available via the software centre and you can also install PlayOnLinux and WINE for playing Windows games.

It is probably worth noting that the majority of modern games will struggle on older hardware.

Known Issues

I have already mentioned the network manager issue whereby the icon is missing from the panel.

Another big issue (especially for users in the UK) is with keyboard layouts. When I installed Lubuntu 14.04 I chose the UK as my country. After Lubuntu loaded the keyboard layout was set to US English which has the effect of turning pound symbols to hashes and various other inconsistencies.

I covered this issue in the article 5 things to do after installing Lubuntu and that shows how to resolve the problem.

You can view more known issues here.

Summary

Despite the issues that I have highlighted through this review I would still recommend Lubuntu for older hardware and netbooks over most other distributions.

The network applet and keyboard issues were slightly disappointing and I would like subtle improvements made to the Software Centre.

And finally..... why and where have the games gone?

Thankyou for reading.

If you liked this article

share it with other people via Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Delicious, StumbleUpon, Digg, Reddit, LinkedIn, and Pinterest?










10 comments
Posted at 23:29 |  by Gary Newell

Friday, 20 June 2014

Introduction

Continuing with the Lubuntu week theme, here is a tutorial showing how to replace Windows XP with Lubuntu.

Before you begin you might like to read the following articles which all lead up to this point:

Installing Lubuntu

Boot from your live CD or USB drive and choose your native language. (Unless of course you feel you need an extra challenge).






























You can either choose the "Try Lubuntu without installing option" or the "Install Lubuntu" option. I always boot into the live mode and run the installer from there.


























When the live version of Lubuntu loads double click on the Install Lubuntu 14.04 icon.


























The first thing you will need to do is choose your language. (Again, unless you feel like an extra challenge it is probably best to choose the language you are most comfortable with).

Click "Continue".


























The next screen checks that you are ready to install Lubuntu.

The three ticks make sure that you:
  • have at least 4.4 gigabytes of disk space (Unless your computer is from 1992 I would expect it to)
  • is plugged into a power source (you will see that mine wasn't when I ran the installer)
  • is connected to the internet (this is actually optional and not required).
Being connected to the internet lets you download updates as you install. I actually prefer to install the updates after the installation and this is a good choice if you have a poor internet connection.

The other option lets you choose to install the third party software which allows you to play Flash, MP3 files and other media. Again I always choose not to check this option and I run a post installation task that does the same thing.

Press "Continue".


























Now you have a choice to make. You can install Lubuntu alongside Windows XP or you can replace it with Lubuntu. The something else option lets you partition your drive manually and set the partitions yourself and is for more advanced users.

Quite often the dual boot option is useful for running essential Windows software that you can't run in Linux, such as iTunes. The alternatives include running Windows in a virtual machine or using WINE.

If you have an older machine then dual booting is probably the best option if you desperately need to keep any Windows software because it only takes up disk space. Using a virtual machine isn't a good idea as the host operating system will use resources and the virtual machine will take up resources. WINE is fine for lots of Windows applications but doesn't work for all of them.

If you have no Windows software that you are attached to then go for the replace option. If your main use of Windows software is Internet Explorer and Outlook then you can get away with replacing Windows with Lubuntu as there are better alternatives available.

Choose either to replace or install alongside and click "Continue".


























The next step is to choose your timezone. Simply click where you live on the map and click "Continue".


























Now choose your keyboard layout and click "Continue".


























Almost there now. 

Create a default user by entering your name, a name for the computer, a username and a better password than the one I obviously chose judging by the screenshot above.

If you are the only user of this computer then you can get the computer to automatically log in. I don't really like this option because if somebody else uses your laptop then they are automatically using your user account.

Click "Continue".


























The files will now be copied to your computer.


























That is all folks. You now just need to restart your computer.

If you chose to install alongside Windows then you will now have a boot menu whereby you can choose to use Windows or Lubuntu otherwise you will be able to boot into Lubuntu only. Welcome to the world of Linux.

Summary

The next article will show you some post installation tasks that need to be made and after that there will be a review of Lubuntu 14.04. 

As the week is drawing to a close I have decided to add another week to Lubuntu week. Hmm that would be Lubuntu fortnight then.

There are some more articles that I think would help people moving from Windows XP and I want to write some articles that are generic for everyone using Lubuntu.


How to replace Windows XP with Lubuntu

Introduction

Continuing with the Lubuntu week theme, here is a tutorial showing how to replace Windows XP with Lubuntu.

Before you begin you might like to read the following articles which all lead up to this point:

Installing Lubuntu

Boot from your live CD or USB drive and choose your native language. (Unless of course you feel you need an extra challenge).






























You can either choose the "Try Lubuntu without installing option" or the "Install Lubuntu" option. I always boot into the live mode and run the installer from there.


























When the live version of Lubuntu loads double click on the Install Lubuntu 14.04 icon.


























The first thing you will need to do is choose your language. (Again, unless you feel like an extra challenge it is probably best to choose the language you are most comfortable with).

Click "Continue".


























The next screen checks that you are ready to install Lubuntu.

The three ticks make sure that you:
  • have at least 4.4 gigabytes of disk space (Unless your computer is from 1992 I would expect it to)
  • is plugged into a power source (you will see that mine wasn't when I ran the installer)
  • is connected to the internet (this is actually optional and not required).
Being connected to the internet lets you download updates as you install. I actually prefer to install the updates after the installation and this is a good choice if you have a poor internet connection.

The other option lets you choose to install the third party software which allows you to play Flash, MP3 files and other media. Again I always choose not to check this option and I run a post installation task that does the same thing.

Press "Continue".


























Now you have a choice to make. You can install Lubuntu alongside Windows XP or you can replace it with Lubuntu. The something else option lets you partition your drive manually and set the partitions yourself and is for more advanced users.

Quite often the dual boot option is useful for running essential Windows software that you can't run in Linux, such as iTunes. The alternatives include running Windows in a virtual machine or using WINE.

If you have an older machine then dual booting is probably the best option if you desperately need to keep any Windows software because it only takes up disk space. Using a virtual machine isn't a good idea as the host operating system will use resources and the virtual machine will take up resources. WINE is fine for lots of Windows applications but doesn't work for all of them.

If you have no Windows software that you are attached to then go for the replace option. If your main use of Windows software is Internet Explorer and Outlook then you can get away with replacing Windows with Lubuntu as there are better alternatives available.

Choose either to replace or install alongside and click "Continue".


























The next step is to choose your timezone. Simply click where you live on the map and click "Continue".


























Now choose your keyboard layout and click "Continue".


























Almost there now. 

Create a default user by entering your name, a name for the computer, a username and a better password than the one I obviously chose judging by the screenshot above.

If you are the only user of this computer then you can get the computer to automatically log in. I don't really like this option because if somebody else uses your laptop then they are automatically using your user account.

Click "Continue".


























The files will now be copied to your computer.


























That is all folks. You now just need to restart your computer.

If you chose to install alongside Windows then you will now have a boot menu whereby you can choose to use Windows or Lubuntu otherwise you will be able to boot into Lubuntu only. Welcome to the world of Linux.

Summary

The next article will show you some post installation tasks that need to be made and after that there will be a review of Lubuntu 14.04. 

As the week is drawing to a close I have decided to add another week to Lubuntu week. Hmm that would be Lubuntu fortnight then.

There are some more articles that I think would help people moving from Windows XP and I want to write some articles that are generic for everyone using Lubuntu.


3 comments
Posted at 07:30 |  by Gary Newell
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