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Tuesday, 16 April 2013

10 Reasons to Love Lubuntu 12.10 Part 2

Posted on 05:54 by Unknown
Category: Linux

Continued from 10 Reasons to Love Lubuntu 12.10 Part 1


6. Lightweight - Like most Linux distributions, your installed applications and how you maintain your system affect your performance more than your hardware. My poor man's older Core i3 and 6GB of RAM Lenovo Ideapad Z360 isn't a powerhouse system but with Lubuntu, the system boots up at a respectable speed and can convert audio (using Sound Converter), rip video (AcidRip DVD Ripper) and convert ebooks (using Calibre) like a champ. Unless I have to create illustrations using CorelDraw or Adobe Creative Suite (or run iTunes), I prefer staying on my Linux install rather than booting in to my admittedly long in the tooth Windows 7 (which hasn't seen a fresh reinstall in over a year). Although LXDE is advertised as a lightweight desktop environment, good maintenance and acceptable hardware can make Gnome 3, KDE4, and even Unity fly on your system - though I do prefer no-nonsense and no-frills LXDE over other environments.

"Did anyone say lightweight?" 
Spidey shows just how strong he is (and embarrasses the current inept Spider-Man writers) in Amazing Spider-Man #320 (1989). 

7. Works perfectly on the Lenovo Ideapad Z360 - Despite the infamous 1GB Nvidia Optimus graphics-switching chipset the Ideapad Z360 comes with, Lubuntu doesn't have to butt heads with any Nvidia issues. Whereas I lose some of the desktop experience when running Unity or Gnome 3 on the Ideapad, Lubuntu just loads a productive desktop where I can get work done on LXDE. You would still have to adjust brightness settings in Windows 7 prior to booting into Lubuntu (or switch off the Nvidia chip via the BIOS), but otherwise I'm free from the 3D errors I get in Unity or warning messages from Gnome 3. Ubuntu's exceptional hardware pedigree also makes sure that Bluetooth and wireless on the Ideapad works. For those who use Skype on Linux, the notorious audio issues (which occurred in my openSUSE installation) aren't present with Lubuntu on the Ideapad. Even my webcam and Wacom, two accessories I don't use very often, work well on this system.

8. Great for first-time Ubuntu users - In the old days when you wanted to convert a Windows or Mac OSX user to the penguin flock, you would show them Ubuntu's mainstream release, which ran Gnome 2. Nowadays, Ubuntu's mainstream desktop Unity is so divisive that when introducing Linux, it's not exactly the best showcase any more (Unity Lens anyone?). With Lubuntu's sleeker theme and frugal application set, it's easy to show off basic Linux features such as paging through virtual desktops (which Windows doesn't have), great boot up speed, performance, and a huge application library via Lubuntu Software Center or Synaptic Package Manager.

Lubuntu Software Center's non-flashy interface belies a stable experience.

9. Classic desktop experience - Ok, ok, I do appreciate the innovations of Enlightenment 17 and the improvements around Unity. However, at the end of day, I just want a distraction free desktop without too many settings, an accessible menu, and a malleable user experience. On occasion, I do open up Lubuntu's LXPanel, which is a simple reminder of my available applications and utilities. In the same way that openSUSE and KDE make an excellent pair, Ubuntu and LXDE also makes sense for the serious and productive user.

10. Teaching Linux - When teaching Linux, there's a reason to either go for Xfce or LXDE. KDE is great (I use openSUSE 12.2 KDE on two of my production machines) but teaching a student to navigate the occasionally overwhelming KDE configuration settings can be too much. Although Ubuntu is widely considered to be one of the more well-represented distribution releases globally, Unity isn't. Getting a new user to adopt it as Linux's "de facto" desktop environment isn't always a good idea. Lubuntu has the benefits of Ubuntu while making sure a student is flexible enough to understand the difference between Linux itself and the desktop environment. You can show them how to set up a powerful file, SQL, Nginx, or web server without having to worry about the graphical user interface and at the same time not scare them away by working solely on the LXTerminal (but you could do that too). You can even have a fast workstation for programming and practicing markup language. Demonstrating how the Internet works or how packets are exchanged on a network is easy on a Linux box. Installing educational programs is also problem-free with Lubuntu since it isn't heavily dependent on KDE or Gnome packages. With LXDE's low resource consumption, you can load Blender, Scribus, Inkscape or gaming engines like Steam or Humble Bundle without worrying about hardware resources or frame rates. Finally, if you just want to play a documentary or a foreign language video tutorial or access Google Maps for geography lessons, Lubuntu's got you covered with Java, Chromium, and Flash. As for multimedia players, the Ubuntu repos are all yours for exploring.  

6% CPU usage even with several productivity applications running. 

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