Xubuntu: the Linux dis­tri­bu­tion for maximum per­form­ance

Xubuntu is a user-friendly Linux operating system that was started as a col­lab­or­at­ively developed community project. Since Xubuntu uses the desktop en­vir­on­ment Xfce, the Ubuntu de­riv­at­ive is lighter, highly cus­tom­is­able, and much more resource-efficient than other desktop en­vir­on­ments.

In 2004, the open-source operating system Ubuntu was released, with a user base that today is estimated at over 25 million. It’s therefore now one of the most widely used Linux dis­tri­bu­tions in the world. With its multitude of pre-installed ap­plic­a­tions, however, Ubuntu also has a number of su­per­flu­ous functions. The de­riv­at­ive Xubuntu, approved by Canonical Ltd. in 2006, relies on the resource-saving interface Xfce to offer users a fun­da­ment­ally slimmer version of Ubuntu. The ‘X’ in ‘Xubuntu’ stands for Xfce.

Xubuntu was started as a col­lab­or­at­ively developed community project and is char­ac­ter­ised by its sim­pli­city, ef­fi­ciency, and user-friend­li­ness.

If you decide to install Xubuntu, you will need the following hardware as a minimum:

• 8.6 GB hard disk space
• an Intel or AMD 64-bit processor
• 1 GB of RAM

However, the de­vel­op­ment team re­com­mends a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 2 GB of RAM, and at least 20 GB of free hard drive space to ensure that several ap­plic­a­tions can run in parallel on the desktop. The spe­cific­a­tions and hardware re­quire­ments vary according to in­di­vidu­al user demands.

Like many other Linux dis­tri­bu­tions such as Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, or the Linux classic Debian, Xubuntu can be started as a simple live system. This means that Linux newcomers can test the en­vir­on­ment without having to install it. This also makes the system slower than with a typical in­stall­a­tion.

The in­stall­a­tion of Xfce and Xubuntu is re­l­at­ively simple. Af­ter­wards, menus, elements, or control panels can be set up according to in­di­vidu­al user needs and com­pletely changed graph­ic­ally without losing per­form­ance power.

The operating concept Xubuntu is very classic and simple. The window manager developed for Xfce shows a standard start menu at the bottom left as well as the standard menu bar by default. The lean interface and common functions like a desktop switcher, file manager, or program launcher make it possible for users to quickly get to grips with Xfce.

Xubuntu users manage content easily and clearly with the help of the file manager Thunar. As Xfce’s default file manager, Thunar has been pro­grammed so that users don’t see any su­per­flu­ous options. Starting the file manager is just as fast as nav­ig­at­ing through files and folders.

Thunar is also a good example of the ad­vant­ages of Xubuntu’s modular structure: The file manager can either be displayed with a slim toolbar or extended with further user-defined plugins. You can also adapt functions from other well-known file managers such as Nautilus (file manager from GNOME) or Dolphin (file manager from KDE).

Another feature of Xubuntu: Via basic Linux commands like ‘cp’, ‘mv’, and ‘rm’ – i.e. the commands for copying, moving, renaming, or deleting – file man­age­ment is sim­pli­fied, allowing users to continue working as usual even if the operating system is changed.

The ad­vant­ages of Xubuntu can be sum­mar­ised like this:

• Free: Xubuntu is a free operating system and can be used as a free Linux dis­tri­bu­tion.
• Fast: The often em­phas­ised, slim Xfce desktop en­vir­on­ment is a big plus for Xubuntu. Xfce consumes fewer resources than desktop en­vir­on­ments like Unity, Gnome, or KDE. This leads to a no­tice­able op­tim­isa­tion of processor speed.
• Efficient: Under Xubuntu, numerous programs such as the Light Display Manager (LightDM) are pre-installed. Un­ne­ces­sary extras and functions are saved and the focus is placed on a good light dis­tri­bu­tion as well as useful computer functions.
• Adaptable: Xubuntu can be cus­tom­ised and easily extended without much trouble with ap­plic­a­tions through Xfce.
• Aesthetic: Xubuntu has a modern look and offers ad­di­tion­al features. This proves that lean design doesn’t com­prom­ise ease of use.

However, Xubuntu also has some dis­ad­vant­ages:

• Doesn’t support all Windows programs: Some Windows ap­plic­a­tions cannot be run on Xubuntu. However, with the help of Wine, a Windows emulator, or with vir­tu­al­isa­tion software Vir­tu­al­Box, you can run Windows ap­plic­a­tions under Xubuntu nev­er­the­less.
• Not gamer friendly: There are only a few games that can be played with Linux due to the lack of man­u­fac­turer support. Although Xubuntu wasn’t developed for games, you can play and stream via it. But the gamer community, which is growing steadily worldwide, finds fault with this aspect.
• Not modern enough: The visual ap­pear­ance of Xfce is very tidy, but it also has a tra­di­tion­al structure. For some, this is a negative side of the en­vir­on­ment. However, if you’re working with an older computer you may find the ideal working en­vir­on­ment in Xfce.
• Pricy support: Although Linux dis­tri­bu­tion is free, support often comes at a rather steep price.

Xubuntu is geared towards people who want to fully con­cen­trate on their work. That’s why the en­vir­on­ment is so stream­lined and ensures few dis­trac­tions. Since Xubuntu is a resource-saving operating system, it’s also suitable for people who work with old computers and want to run them at the best possible speed. In general, Xubuntu is a suitable operating system for anyone who is en­thu­si­ast­ic about Xfce or who is in­ter­ested in it.