LXLE is based on Lubuntu which is an Ubuntu OS using the LXDE desktop enviroment. It is designed to be a drop-in and go OS, primarily for aging computers. Its intention is to be able to install it on any computer and be relatively done after install. At times removing unwanted programs or features is easier than configuring for a day. Our distro follows the same LTS schedule as Ubuntu. In short, LXLE is an eclectic respin of Lubuntu with its own user support.
The LXLE 12.04.4 Release Candidate is now available since Ubuntu's 12.04.4 kernel freeze went into effect on 12/12/2013. After a few days of testing, updates and more polish, LXLE is now in final testing days before officially being released in tandem with the LTS 12.04.4 update.
As mentioned in former posts LXLE has been updated significantly over the previous release. Providing an even smaller system footprint, improving upon the default application set, and enabling some useful additions for browsing the web. An additional 50 wallpapers are also included in this release yet using no more space than the previous 50.
This particular release builds on the idea that many at idle processes can be replaced by on demand solutions, such as weather, battery indicators etc. It also introduces a new power management back-end and microcode kernel updates by default.
An LXLE wiki has been created to help inform users about its respin. It addresses configuration, support needs, documentation and side projects like uDuck, Googlxle and Libreante.
The LXLE 12.04.4 release candidate went live 12/18/2013 and is available for download from its download page and or sourceforge.
OS Clarification:
Minimal and lightweight seem to become intertwined when speaking of an operating system for aging computers, aka lightweight systems. It's important to note that ISO file size has little to do with an operating system being lightweight as opposed to being a minimal install OS.
Lightweight simply refers to the amount of system resources needed for the system to operate. A minimal system is much more about ISO file size as it tends to have very few programs installed by default, which in turn makes it minimal. It's often true that many lightweight operating systems are also minimal. LXLE does not strive to be a minimal OS, yet lightweight is something the distribution tries very hard to ensure.
