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I have always admired Linux distributions that offer minimal installations for two reasons. The first and most obvious is that they make for smaller downloads. The second is that you don’t have a long list of unwanted applications to remove after installation, just things to add to get it working right for you. In general, minimal distributions are ones that come only with the operating system’s bare essentials and lack that common long list of user applications.
You would think it would be easy to create a minimal version of a distribution, just take a regular ISO and cut out most of the applications, right? But not all attempts have been successful. Recently, Ubuntu’s developers decided to make the minimal version their new default – in order to cut the download size. People complained that it would not be friendly for new users and so the compromise was to include all the normal applications in the ISO file so they can be optionally installed while off-line. The result is a new minimal Ubuntu, but with the same, extra large-sized download, which is pretty much the worst of both worlds.
Xubuntu has its own take on the problem and so I thought I would download that and take it for a test flight to see if they got it right.
This release
Xubuntu 24.10 came out on 10 October, 2024. As it is an interim release, it is supported for nine months, until July, 2025. This is the first of three interim releases that will ultimately result in the next long term support (LTS) version, Xubuntu 26.04 LTS, due out in April, 2026. The three interim releases give the developers a chance to try out new ideas plus test fixes and upgrades before they land in the LTS version.
Xubuntu 24.10 is the 38th Xubuntu release; the first one was 6.06 which came out on 1 June, 2006.
Background
Work on a minimal version of Xubuntu started more than ten years ago with the first version out on 6 May, 2015, under the name “Xubuntu Core”. Starting with Xubuntu 23.10, which was released on 20 April, 2023, it was made an official Xubuntu sub-project and renamed “Xubuntu Minimal”.
Today, Xubuntu has two separate versions for download: xubuntu-24.10-desktop-amd64.iso and xubuntu-24.10-minimal-amd64.iso. The Desktop version is the traditional, full-featured ISO file with its extensive suite of applications while Minimal omits most of the applications.
Minimal is noticeably smaller, too. In the case of Xubuntu 24.10, the Desktop version is a 4.2 GB download, while Minimal is 2.8 GB, just two thirds the size. So the items omitted save 1.4 GB, which is substantial.
Installation
I got Xubuntu 24.10 Minimal from the official source via BitTorrent using Transmission, and then carried out a command line SHA256 sum check to ensure I had an uncorrupted copy.
I tested Xubuntu 24.10 Minimal by dropping its ISO file onto a USB stick equipped with Ventoy 1.0.99. Xubuntu is officially supported by Ventoy and, as expected, it worked just fine, booting up to a nice, very minimal desktop.
System requirements
The recommended system requirements for Xubuntu 24.10 have not changed since 21.04 and remain: 1.5 GHz dual-core processor 2 GB RAM 20 GB of hard-drive space
That specified 2 GB of RAM is probably a bit light these days, particularly for web browsing, so 8 GB of RAM is probably a more realistic minimum, although more RAM is always good.
New
Both the Desktop and Minimal versions of Xubuntu 24.10 share the same new features including the GTK-based Xfce 4.19 desktop, which is a developmental preview of the upcoming Xfce 4.20.
The Desktop version also includes updated applications from GNOME 46, 47 and MATE 1.26. The Linux kernel is version 6.11 and the initialization system is now systemd 256.5. It is worth noting that Xubuntu has been using systemd since 15.04, so this is the 20th release over ten years with no issues in all that time.
The Xfce Power Manager, Desktop, Settings and most of the other Xfce system components have been updated to their new 4.19 versions.
Not new, but still a real annoyance during live sessions is that, once again, Xubuntu locks out all drives, just like in Ubuntu Cinnamon 24.10. This means that Xubuntu 24.10 is useless as a rescue disk. It also makes doing screenshots for reviews and getting them off the live session much more difficult, as I normally just save them to a USB stick. In this case, I had to install a web browser, getting the Firefox Snap file from the command line, sign into a cloud service, upload the screenshots, and then download them to my laptop. Is there any good reason to lock out USB devices and all other drives from a live session? I can't think of one. The drives should all work fine in a normal installation.
Settings
Xubuntu 24.10 still uses the Greybird window color scheme as its default, in the same version as last release, 3.23.3. There are still a total of six window themes provided in the “Appearance” manager: Adwaita, Adwaita-dark, Greybird, Greybird-dark, High Contrast and Numix. The separate Window Manager also has 11 window themes: Daloa, Default-hdpi, Default-xhdpi, Greybird, Greybird-accessibility, Greybird-compact, Greybird-dark, Greybird-dark-accessibility, Kokodi, Moheli and Numix. There are now 10 icon themes, one less than in the last release, with Elementary Xfce Dark replacing Elementary Xfce Darker as the new default.
As is always the case, there is a new default wallpaper for this release, designed by Pasi Lallinaho, who has done all the release wallpapers since Xubuntu 9.04. This one is another modernist abstract design of floating circles on a dark blue background. Lallinaho seems to have had a thing for floating circles over the years. To save space Xubuntu Minimal includes only two other additional wallpapers, although you can easily download any of the previous Xubuntu ones you fancy, or use your own, of course. Even though this release is code named “Ocular Oriole”, as in the case of Kubuntu 24.10, Xubuntu ducked that cliche and there are no oriole-themed wallpapers.
Just like all the Xubuntu releases in the last ten years since 14.04 LTS, this one employs Whisker as its menu system. Prior to Xubuntu 24.04 LTS, the Whisker Menu could be resized, but this is no longer the case and it is now fixed in size. With some other Ubuntu-family distributions, including Kubuntu and Ubuntu Cinnamon, now with resizable menus, Xubuntu feels like it is losing the features that others are gaining.
Applications
The applications included with Xubuntu 24.10 Minimal are: APT 2.9.8 command line package manager Gparted 1.5.0 partition editor* Synaptic 0.91.3 package management system* Thunar 4.19.3 file manager Wget 1.24.5 command line webpage downloader Xfce4 Screenshooter 1.11.1 screenshot tool Xfce4 Terminal 1.1.3 terminal emulator*
* indicates same application version as used in Xubuntu 24.04 LTS
As can be seen, Xubuntu 24.10 Minimal really is minimal. It comes with very little in the way of user applications: no web browser, no office suite, no PDF reader, not even a text editor. I was pleased that it came with the Screenshooter screenshot tool, though, as it was needed to get some pictures for this review.
I think this release very much fulfills its role as a true minimal version, but that does mean that it is probably not a good choice for beginners. Adding to the challenge is that it only comes with two means to add applications: Synaptic, which is not really user-friendly and APT from the command line, which is fast, but even less user-friendly. APT would be the best way to quickly get Xubuntu 24.10 Minimal up, running and ready for use, but it would really save time to have a formatted list of which .deb applications you would like to add and do it in a single command.
Xubuntu Minimal also comes with the Snap daemon, snapd, installed as a .deb file and also as a Snap file pre-installed (which is normal). That means it is “Snap-ready”, so just go ahead and install any Snap packages you like, such as Firefox.
Conclusions
Xubuntu 24.10 Minimal is a great release and is exactly what a minimal distribution should be: only what you need to get started and no more, all in a small, separate download package. When you boot it up it is absolutely not ready for work, but it is ready to be customized and then get to work. As long as you know what you are doing, installation and customization should be a quick and easy process, but this is not a distribution for beginners.
The next Xubuntu release will be 25.04, the second interim release, due out on 17 April 2025. When it arrives, I plan to have a look at the full “Desktop” version.
External links
Official website: https://xubuntu.org/