Great review of Linux Lite

[buster]

I've used Linux Lite on an old Vista laptop for I guess a year and a half, and have really liked it - fast, clean, simple. And the reviewer on Distrowatch agrees with me.  Well worth a read. Hard to imagine how fast ths distro would be on a new machine.

http://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?issue=20160718

[ssfc72]

Sounds very good, Harry!
I would need the 32 Bit version for my Windows Vista desktop, but it appears their website is down because I get an error message when I try to go to the Linux Lite web site to download the 32 version. :-(

[fox]

Better get it fast. A bunch of distros are looking at cancelling 32 bit versions altogether, including Ubuntu.

[buster]

The Website is up now and there is definitely a 32 bit download. And this release runs for at least 2 years, with simple upgrades to incremental releases. (3.0 to 3.2 to 3.4 etc.) So semi long term.

It would surprise me if they discontinued the 32 bit any time soon because it's designed for older hardware.

This page has more info and pictures (always good) and the download sites are near the bottom.

https://www.linuxliteos.com/forums/release-announcements/linux-lite-3-0-final-released/

By the way it's up to #18 on Distrowatch now. It 's had a pretty good following for awhile now. Here's mine at the moment

[bobf]

Wow! I'm loving that background, Harry! <^8#

And I have to update some computers to version 3 from v2.6... Eventually...

[buster]

So you're running Lite too? I thought I was the only one. Great minds think alike.

[William Park]

How is Linux Lite different from official Xubuntu?

[buster]

#1. Uses Xfce, with low memory needs.
#2. Much like Win 7, for those just new to Linux.
#3. Most things, at least for me, are ready to go after the easy install.
#4. All the Ubuntu software is available, so you can swap in or out software- I put in Kpat, Extreme Tuxracer, Deluge and a few others for example.
#5. It seems to be well maintained.

For me the overriding concern is with my old laptop that housed Vista originally, I have quite a snappy operating system with Lite.

[fox]

Harry, read William's post more carefully . Xubuntu uses XFCE and certainly has all the Ubuntu software, and as an official spin, it is very well maintained. It also uses little memory. I don't think it installs all of the restricted codecs by default but it does install most of them and you can get the rest with a simple command. I'll grant you that Linux Lite does look a lot like Windows 7 and Xubuntu makes no attempt to do this. But in my opinion, anything that looks like Windows of any version would not be something I would want, although I gather that Linux Lite has other themes that are not Windows 7 mimics. Bottom line: of the five items listed, only #2 looks to be different than Xubuntu and possibly #3.

By the way, the Lite desktop you posted looks very nice - wallpaper and window theme. Change the icon theme to numix circle, paper or moka, and move the launcher to the left or top of the display, and it would look even nicer.

[Jason]

They also have an additional customized software installer for installing common apps not normally in the base repositories (for example, Chrome and Spotify). After you install, it walks you through getting updates, codecs, special drivers and so on. Reminds me a bit of Ubuntu MATE that way. It's not necessarily anything that would make a difference to you, William, but new users to Linux will appreciate it and experienced users who just like to be walked through the post-install steps.

[buster]

Sorry William, Mike is right. I read Xbuntu as Ubuntu.

Other differences? The cycle seems to be different, running about 2 years I think. The numbering system of releases certainly is different. During the 2 year period there are 'intermediate' upgrades that are smooth but simple.

As Jason mentioned, there is some added software that makes life easier.

I've never installed Xbuntu as such before. Have wrestled with Kubuntu and various Ubuntus. Never with great love. So I can't answer your question accurately.

This Lite install allowed me to see, out of the box, my Win 7 laptop (as well as other systems). One fewer problem to deal with.

I don't think about my computer very much unless it's not easy and reliable. Even the wallpaper is just one I selected from their very few choices, sort of at random. The whole feel of it reminds me of Mandrake, PClinuxOS and Mepis - install it and forget it.

Oh, and it is ranked higher for hits on Distrowatch than Xbuntu. Could be the care that is taken to keep it 'lite'.

[buster]

By the way, the help is an icon on the desktop and it looks like this (hope this works) :

[bobf]

I also found that Xubuntu, as much as it was touted as a lean"er" Ubuntu, still was unexplainably resource-hungry for a 'lite' distro. Like maybe it assumed that, despite 'lite', you'd want this, and this, and that, and you should probably also have that... Linux Lite seems sparse but still complete out of the gate. I install it on older hardware, it performs well, and doesn't motivate me to start taking things out of it to get it pared down to 'lean & mean'.

My $0.02...