Lubuntu 20.04 LTS is quite different from previous LTS versions. It’s designed to give you a more complete experience than just focusing on old computers. Read more about Lubuntu 20.04.

Lubuntu 20.04 Comments: The first lXQt-based long-term support release

I started using Lubuntu 20.04 a few days before it was released. I usually use Manjaro and Cinnamon desktops from the Arch camp, so using Lubuntu was a pleasant change for me.

Here are some of my feelings and notes about using Lubuntu 20.04.

Bye LXDE, hello LXQt!

Lubuntu has long relied on LXDE to provide a lightweight Linux experience. But for now, it uses the LXQt desktop environment.

LXDE is based on GTK, the library used by GNOME, and more specifically on GTK+ 2 2020. Not satisfied with GTK+ 3, LXDE developer Hong Jen Yee decided to port the entire desktop to Qt (the library used by KDE). The Qt port of LXDE was merged with the Razor-Qt project to form LXQt. So for now, LXDE and LXQt coexist as separate projects.

Since the LXDE developers themselves are focused on LXQt, it doesn’t make sense for Lubuntu to stick with the LXDE desktop environment from the last stable release more than three years ago.

Therefore, Lubuntu 18.04 is the last version to use LXDE. Fortunately, this is a long-supported version. The Lubuntu team will provide support until 2021.

Not just for old machines

With the definition of “old machine” changing in 2020, Lubuntu 18.04 became the last 32-bit release. Now, even a 10-year-old machine has at least two gigabytes of memory and a dual-core 64-bit processor.

As a result, the Lubuntu team will no longer set minimum system requirements or focus primarily on older hardware. LXQt, though, is still a lightweight, classy, feature-rich desktop environment.

Before the release of Lubuntu 20.04 LTS, Lubuntu’s first LXQt release was 18.10. Developers went through three standard distributions to perfect the LXQt desktop, which was a good development strategy.

Instead of regular Ubiquity, Lubuntu 20.04 uses the Calamares installer

The new Calamares installer is used in the new release, replacing the Ubiquity installer used in other official Ubuntu releases.

The entire installation process can be completed in about 10 minutes, slightly faster than previous Lubuntu versions.

Since the image file comes with pre-installed basic applications, you can quickly complete the system configuration.

Do not upgrade directly from Lubuntu 18.04 to Lubuntu 20.04

In general, you can upgrade Ubuntu from one LTS version to another. However, the Lubuntu team recommends not upgrading from Lubuntu 18.04 to Lubuntu 20.04. They are right to recommend reinstallation.

Lubuntu 18.04 uses LXDE desktop, 20.04 uses LXQt. Upgrading from 18.04 to 20.04 will cause the system to crash due to the dramatic changes in the desktop environment.

More KDE and Qt applications

Here are some of the applications that are provided by default in this new release, and as we can see, not all of them are lightweight, and most of them are Qt based.

Even the software center used is KDE Discover, not Ubuntu GNOME.

  • Ark – Archive file manager
  • Bluedevil — Bluetooth connection management
  • Discover Software Center – Package management system
  • FeatherPad – Text editor
  • FireFox – Browser
  • K3b — CD/DVD burner
  • Kcalc — Calculator
  • KDE Partition Manager – Partition management tool
  • LibreOffice — Office Suite (Qt Interface Version)
  • Lximage-qt – Image viewer and screenshot creation
  • Muon – Package manager
  • Noblenote – Note-taking tool
  • PCManFM-Qt – File manager
  • Qlipper – Clipboard management tool
  • QPDFview – PDF reader
  • PulseAudio – Audio controller
  • Qtransmission — BT Download Tool (Qt Interface Version)
  • Quassel – IRC client
  • ScreenGrab – A tool for making screenshots
  • Skanlite – Scan tool
  • Boot disk creation tool – USB boot disk creation tool
  • Trojita – Mail client
  • VLC – Media player
  • MPV video player

Test Lubuntu 20.04 LTS

The LXQt version of Lubuntu starts in less than a minute, even though it starts from SSD.

LXQt currently requires slightly more memory than the Gtk+ 2-based LXDE, but another Gtk+ 3 toolkit also requires more memory.

After the reboot, the system ran with a very low memory footprint of about 340 MB (by modern standards), 100 MB more than LXDE.

LXQt is not only for users with older hardware, but also for those who want a minimalist classic experience on a new machine.

The desktop layout looks similar to the KDE Plasma desktop, don’t you think?

There is an application menu in the lower left corner, a taskbar for displaying fixed and active applications, and a system tray in the lower right corner.

The LXQt version of Lubuntu can be easily customized, everything is under the menu preferences, and most of the key items are in the LXQt “Settings”.

It is worth mentioning that LXQt uses the popular Openbox window manager by default.

Like the previous three distributions, 20.04 LTS comes with a default dark themed Lubuntu Arc, but it’s quick and convenient to change if it doesn’t suit your tastes.

In terms of daily use, Lubuntu 20.04 proved to me that virtually every Ubuntu branch is perfectly fine.

conclusion

The Lubuntu team has successfully transitioned to a modern, still lightweight, minimalist desktop environment. LXDE looks abandoned and moving to an active project is also a good thing.

I hope you love Lubuntu 20.04 as much as I do, and if so, let me know in the comments below. Stay tuned!

Via: itsfoss.com/lubuntu-20-…

By Dimitrios Savvopoulos, Lujun9972

This article is originally compiled by LCTT and released in Linux China