Sick of GNOME, Snap and Flatpak? You would possibly like Linux Lite, however beware tough edges

Linux Lite model 6.4 is the most recent level launch from this Ubuntu remix geared toward new migrants from Home windows.

The updates on this model are pretty modest. As an illustration, though it is primarily based on Ubuntu 22.04.2, the most recent level launch of the present Lengthy Time period Help model, it would not embrace that model’s HWE ({Hardware} Enablement) kernel. As we famous once we seemed on the new Ubuntu Actual Time version, the upstream distro makes use of kernel 5.19, however Linux Lite 6.4 sticks with the unique “Jammy Jellyfish” kernel, 5.15. That is a authentic alternative: kernel 5.15 is a LTS kernel and it is nonetheless getting up to date, whereas 5.19 reached its finish of life again in October.

We checked out Linux Lite 6.0 when it got here out and once more on the first replace, model 6.2. Together with the older kernel, it additionally has Xfce 4.16 – in some methods, the mission hews nearer to its father or mother distro than, say, Linux Mint, the following level launch of which can have Xfce 4.18.

This model is a small replace. Most of the modifications are updates to the bundled Lite apps, that are helpful little instruments for tweaking the system config and gathering troubleshooting data. As an illustration, the Lite System Report device now consists of some systemd diagnostics. Model 6.4 provides help for WebP thumbnails to the Thunar file supervisor. Most of the bundled apps have been up to date, together with new variations of Thunderbird, LibreOffice, and Google Chrome.

In any other case, it isn’t radically totally different from earlier than, and our feedback from the earlier releases stand: we really feel that the event workforce could possibly be a bit of extra imaginative in its alternative of parts. As an illustration, most distros bundle LibreOffice, however Home windows migrants would possibly nicely be extra used to a collection with a ribbon-based UI. Linux Lite makes use of GNOME’s Evince doc viewer, with its clunky “CSD” mixed titlebar-cum-toolbar, whereas MATE’s Atril, with a extra conventional UI, was proper there within the repositories. The Docklike Taskbar plugin would convey Xfce’s panel extra into line with the Home windows appear and feel since Vista in 2007.

There are some tough edges right here and there. For instance, on a recent set up, we had been shocked to seek out that the foundation shell had this command in its historical past:

rm -rf /usr/share/functions/libreoffice7.2* && rm -rf /usr/share/functions/libreoffice7.3* && rm -rf /usr/share/functions/libreoffice-startcenter.desktop && rm -rf /usr/share/functions/libreoffice7.4-draw.desktop && rm -rf /usr/share/functions/libreoffice7.4-math.desktop

A little bit extra housekeeping earlier than delivery was wanted, we really feel. As we famous earlier than, the Welcome display affords to use updates even to the dwell set up medium, and affords to put in the OS even within the put in system. That is actively unhelpful and actually must be fastened.

Nonetheless, whereas it is a comparatively heavyweight distro, it has a variety of good touches. For Ubuntu customers who’re disenchanted with Snap, sandboxed Firefox, GNOME, the varied Software program Shops and cross-platform packaging instruments akin to Flatpak and AppImage, all of those are banished right here. ®