Kubuntu 12.04 LTS
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Lubuntu 12.04 LTS
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Ubuntu 12.04 LTS
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Xubuntu 12.04 LTS
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For several years, Ubuntu has became the most popular Linux distribution. This distro, with its controversies, offers us ultimate easy to use Linux desktop. But, time passed and everything changed, so does Ubuntu.
Since 11.04, Ubuntu brings us Unity shell, and then so many people gave their personal opinion about this. Personally, for me, Unity is not as bad as people spoke about this. As its habit, Ubuntu offers us ease in all things. Of course, I still prefer to Gnome Session Fallback than Unity or Gnome Shell. If we really don't like Unity, or Gnome Shell, or Fallback mode, there are Ubuntu derivatives built with different Desktop Environtments with their specified target. So which is the best?
Ubuntu is the main desktop. It uses GNOME with Unity Shell as a layer. However, Unity is an option and it is optional. We could change it into GNOME Shell or Fallback session (or even Pantheon or Cinnamon). The best thing of Ubuntu, for me, is in its apperaance. The Ambaince theme and the warty-final-ubuntu wallpaper is exactly awesome elegant Linux Desktop than ever. The sad thing, Ubuntu is little bit heavy to run in older CPUs (Pentium 4, Pentium 3)
Kubuntu is the Ubuntu twin or original spinoff with KDE (K Desktop Environment). It offers very familiar user interface for those who still like with Microsoft Windows UI (One Panel at the bottom, menu at the bottom left).
In the earlier version, Kubuntu worked great. I've used it and I've satisfied. But, with the birth of KDE4, Kubuntu has changed into so modern and sophisticated desktop than others. Now, with KDE 4.8.2, you will see Kubuntu just look like Windows 7 with grey colored theme.
For you ex-Windows users who still not familiar with GNOME, Kubuntu is the best choice :)
Xubuntu is the Ubuntu derivative with XFCE desktop environment. At the birth, this distro built to fulfil the need of fast Linux desktop computing, and yes, Xubuntu undertook this dutty very well in the early years.
But now, with its complex connection to GNOME components, Xubuntu is no longer light and fast. Even, you need to have minimum 512 MB RAM to run Xubuntu if you want this distro run well in your PC. As my experience, this distro even runs slowly than Ubuntu.
But, for you oldschool GNOME 2 freak, XFCE is almost perfect. For this reason, Linus Torvalds has switched his desktop to XFCE after his disastisfaction to GNOME 3 and or KDE4.
Lubuntu is the youngest Ubuntu derivative, but it is absolutely awesome. Using Openbox as its window manager, Lubuntu is Ultimately very Fast even in older CPUs. I've used this distro and until now I have been satfisfied. I recommend this distro for you all who still have older CPUs and you will see this distro is really amazing (not to be exaggerated).
But, alongside its lighweight, Lubuntu just offers us simple computing, like, there is no USB icon in our desktop if we plug a USB pendrive/SD/miniSD card. But, this is not a big deal. We could eject our removable devices by file manager.
CONCLUSION
So, what is the best Ubuntu derivative? I have no answer except this cliches rhetoric : It depends to your need. What is exactly you want? Elegance? Fancy desktop? Simplicity? Or fast computing? Ubuntu family has the choices.
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