Ceci est une ancienne révision du document !
Xubuntu 19.04 was released on 18 April, 2019. As a standard release it will be supported for nine months, until January, 2020.
This is the 27th release since Xubuntu’s first foray, 6.06 LTS, back in October 2006. This new version was not intended to bring any major changes, just steady and incremental development of the Xfce desktop.
For the uninitiated, Xubuntu is a Linux operating system (OS), based on the Ubuntu back-end, but which uses the Xfce desktop in place of Ubuntu’s GNOME desktop. This gives it a different look and some different default applications, although any desired applications can be installed from the Ubuntu repositories.
It is notable that, of the first four Ubuntu flavors introduced, Xubuntu is the only one to still sport its original desktop. Ubuntu is on its third (GNOME 2 to Unity to GNOME Shell), Kubuntu is on its second (KDE 3 to Plasma), and Lubuntu is on its second as well (LXDE to LXQt). To be fair, Xubuntu started with a two-menu system, went to a single menu with a bottom screen launcher in 11.04, and then to the present single Whisker Menu five years ago, starting with Xubuntu 14.04 LTS. The Whisker Menu imposed a minimal learning curve and has proven popular among the Xubuntu user community. Many Xubuntu users already had installed Whisker before 14.04, as it was a commonly used optional package, before it became a standard Xubuntu feature.
Changes
This release brings only a few small refinements, plus the usual bug fixes. It uses Xfce version 4.13, but includes some advances backported from the next release, 4.14. This provides some of 4.14’s new features, with 4.13’s stability.
Xubuntu 19.04 also newly includes a few new applications: AptURL, a graphical mini-program for installing packages, the well-known graphics editor GIMP, LibreOffice Impress slide show application, and LibreOffice Draw vector graphics editor. Some LibreOffice components were previously included but not Impress or Draw. LibreOffice is now complete in Xubuntu except for the database application, LibreOffice Base, which is easily installed if needed.
The Orage calendar application was replaced with a simpler display calendar in Xubuntu 19.04.
32-Bit Dropped
Xubuntu 19.04 is the first release that no longer offers a 32-bit release for i386 architecture. The newest 32-bit machines are about 13 years old now and lack the RAM and CPU to run a modern OS. Other distros have followed suit, with Lubuntu also dropping 32-bit support with 19.04, and Ubuntu with 17.10.
32-bit users can still run Xubuntu 18.04 LTS which is supported until April 2021.
Wallpaper
The Xubuntu 19.04 wallpaper is a slightly different color version of the same wallpaper design used for the last few releases. It is a bit uninspired, but there is a choice of 17 wallpapers included with 19.04, including the last four Xubuntu releases’ default wallpapers, so it is easy to replace, or you can use your own.
Included Applications
Some of the applications included with Xubuntu 18.10 are:
• CUPS 2.2.10 printing system • Evince 3.32.0 PDF viewer • Catfish 1.4.7 desktop search • Firefox 66.0.3 web browser • GIMP 2.10.8 graphics editor • Gnome Software 3.30.6 package management system • Gparted 0.32.0 partition editor • Mousepad 0.4.1-2 text editor • LibreOffice 6.2.2 office suite • Parole 1.0.2 media player • Ristretto 0.8.4 image viewer • Simple Scan 3.32.0 scanning • Software Updater 19.04.5 (update-manager) software update manager • Startup Disk Creator 0.3.5 (usb-creator) USB ISO writer* • Thunar 1.8.4 file manager • Thunderbird 60.6.1 email client • Transmission 2.94-2 bit torrent client • Wget 1.20.1 command-line webpage downloader • Xfburn 0.5.5-2 CD/DVD burner • Xfce4 Panel 4.13.4 desktop taskbar • Xfce4 Power Manager 1.6.1 system power manager* • Xchat 2.8.8-17 IRC client
* indicates same application version as used in Xubuntu 18.10.
Oddly, by default there is no webcam application, although Guvcview and Cheese are both available in the repositories and easily installed, if required.
System Requirements
The developers recommend at least 1 GB of RAM to run Xubuntu smoothly. I would add that more RAM is always better!
Features
One reviewer, Igor Ljubuncic from Dedoimedo, recently described Xubuntu as “a pretty standard, run-of-the-mill distro, without any superb features or amazing wow effect”, and “somewhat boring”. I disagree that it is lacking in any way. I think the best thing an OS can do for a user is to provide a solid, stable and reliable environment to get work done. Most users want an OS that will not get in their way and that is easy to use. Eye candy, wow and bling is not good; boring is actually a good thing. Xubuntu is a great example of exactly what an OS should be: simple, where everything works in an intuitive way that enhances the user’s creativity and productivity. In most ways Xubuntu is an ideal desktop.
The Whisker Menu continues to be an outstanding and unique feature of Xfce and Xubuntu. It is highly configurable compared to other menu systems. I find it far superior to the Mac-style launchers that have been popular on desktops in recent years, such as found in GNOME Shell, and that used to be a feature of Xubuntu between 11.04 and 14.04. The Whisker Menu puts everything you need in one place very logically, and, when you aren’t using it, it is hidden away by default not taking up valuable screen space.
The Xfce file manager, Thunar, has some useful capabilities like bulk file renaming and image Exif metadata. Catfish provides desktop file searching. It works well and integrates with Thunar, being easily called up with a new keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+F.
Mousepad, the Xfce text editor, is worth mentioning. Mousepad was originally a fork of Leafpad, but has since been completely rewritten. It includes syntax highlighting for coding and writing web pages, and even allows a wide choice of syntax highlighting color schemes, something very few text editors offer. All it lacks is spell checking to be a complete text editor.
Themes
In testing Xubuntu 19.04, the only gripe I had was about window themes. Xubuntu 19.04 comes with six installed themes. All are very arty and modern-looking, and none are very good. I want a window theme that clearly shows active and inactive windows. The default Greybird theme doesn’t do this, with active windows gray, and inactive windows gray too, but with a slightly shaded title bar. It is far too subtle. Whatever happened to Kokodi, which was offered as recently as Xubuntu 18.10, where active windows were blue themed and inactive ones gray? None of the other five themes offered are any better than Greybird.
Installing on other Ubuntu flavors
Xubuntu can also be installed on top of any other 'buntu flavor, as an alternative desktop with:
sudo apt install xubuntu-desktop
or for a minimal installation:
sudo apt install xubuntu-core
and then chosen at log-in.
Conclusions
Xubuntu 19.04 is a strong release. It is pretty much flawless as a desktop OS, which really is to be expected for a 27th release. It provides a simple and elegant experience for users that allows them to get work done. No flash or splash, just a very mature distribution that gets incrementally better with each release. Lacking nothing of consequence, Xubuntu 19.04 is good enough in quality to have been a long term support release. This bodes well for the next actual LTS, which will be 20.04, due out in April 2020.