what difference's between ubunutu 8.04 and Xubuntu?

msc90 · 10-19-2008, 05:57 PM

hi everyone just wondering i have ubunutu 8.04 set up on dual boot with xp, just want to know abit about xubuntu compared to ubunutu? someone said the only real difference is Xubuntu uses XFCE and Ubuntu uses Gnome.

i really like the xubunutu desktop from what i have seen compared to ubuntu so i just wanna know if i switch will it be completely different or pretty much the same just different look?

thanks

**wmorri** · 10-19-2008, 06:33 PM

Hi,

Here are the main differences. First the GUI, as someone mentioned to you. Ubuntu runs Gnome, and Xubuntu runs XFce. The other difference is that Xubuntu, is packaged to work on systems that are either older, or have less powerful systems i.e. P3/P4, 128mb ram, 5gb hdd, etc. Everything else works basically the same.

Here is a good tutorial for how you can set up the XFce desktop.

Also, you might want to have a look at these two websites, they will help you a lot: Documentation for 8.04, Switching from Windows.

Cheers!

**Bartender** · 10-20-2008, 06:20 AM

Unless things changed drastically from the last time I tried Xubuntu, things aren't the same at all. Xubuntu uses a stripped-down text editor, different file manager, you have to build launchers for many of the applications instead of just dragging them to the desktop, etc. etc.

There's no free lunch. A "lightweight" GUI like Xfce has less code and doesn't do as many things automagically. IMO Xfce mainly appeals to:

1) people who choose responsiveness over convenience and are willing to learn how to do a few things the long-hand way,
2) people who need a lightweight GUI because of their PC's limitations.

If you're not in either group I'd say you'd be happier with Ubuntu.

**wmorri** · 10-20-2008, 09:16 AM

Ok, my bad. I guess that I should have done my research before opening my mouth. I will now *open mouth enter foot*.

Cheers!

shuuhen · 10-20-2008, 02:48 PM

Heh, one of my professors from a previous year likes to say "there's no free lunch." It's fun to run into him at events with free food

XFCE is a lighter system than KDE or Gnome, which is one of the main reasons why Xubuntu is a better option than Ubuntu or Kubuntu for slower machines. Even on my Gentoo machine that plays Doom 3 quite well on the highest settings I've tried, I still prefer lighter systems (not for speed though). Go ahead and try both, but do note that like Bartender pointed out, you may not find some features you want.

msc90 · 10-20-2008, 08:58 PM

okay thanks i'll check out those links soon hopefully thanks everyone for your help

msc90 · 10-21-2008, 10:07 PM

i actually would prefer to just stick with the gnome but install conpiz fusion for all those wacky lil affects that make it fun

glade88 · 10-22-2008, 05:21 AM

Actually, you can have both together ;)
Just install Ubuntu 8.xx and boot into the default gnome environment.
Then at a terminal, execute:

Code:

sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop

So now at the login screen, you can choose between gnome and XFCE by clicking on "Session" link/button.

I would suggest that you wait till Oct 30 and download Ubuntu 8.10 :)

**Bartender** · 10-22-2008, 08:46 AM

glade makes a couple of good points - by installing the xubuntu desktop package (same thing goes for the kubuntu desktop package) you can choose which GUI to run by going into the "Sessions" options. Just google "ubuntu sessions" or something similar - I've seen guides that describe how to set them up and choose one to the other.

This works vice versa too. You can start with Xubuntu and add the others, or start with Kubuntu.

Having said that, I screwed up an Ubuntu install after adding the kubuntu desktop when I tried to change the boot screen back to Ubuntu. Something got messed up and I had to start all over. It was probably just something dumb I did. Anyway, what I learned is the boot-up/log-in screen will show whichever GUI you loaded last. Not a big deal.

I'd also second glade's suggestion to wait for 8.10. It's so close to release now; a week or two wait won't hurt. You could always install 8.04 then upgrade but I think it'd be cleaner to just wait.

10-19-2008, 05:57 PM	#1 (permalink)
msc90 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 25 OS: xp	what difference's between ubunutu 8.04 and Xubuntu? hi everyone just wondering i have ubunutu 8.04 set up on dual boot with xp, just want to know abit about xubuntu compared to ubunutu? someone said the only real difference is Xubuntu uses XFCE and Ubuntu uses Gnome. i really like the xubunutu desktop from what i have seen compared to ubuntu so i just wanna know if i switch will it be completely different or pretty much the same just different look? thanks

10-19-2008, 06:33 PM	#2 (permalink)
wmorri Moderator/Fedora Amb. Join Date: May 2008 Location: /pm/etc Posts: 2,813 OS: Window 7/Fedora 10 My System	Re: what difference's between ubunutu 8.04 and Xubuntu? Hi, Here are the main differences. First the GUI, as someone mentioned to you. Ubuntu runs Gnome, and Xubuntu runs XFce. The other difference is that Xubuntu, is packaged to work on systems that are either older, or have less powerful systems i.e. P3/P4, 128mb ram, 5gb hdd, etc. Everything else works basically the same. Here is a good tutorial for how you can set up the XFce desktop. Also, you might want to have a look at these two websites, they will help you a lot: Documentation for 8.04, Switching from Windows. Cheers! __________________ Linux Forever!

10-20-2008, 06:20 AM	#3 (permalink)
Bartender Mentally divergent Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Chehalis, WA, USA Posts: 1,285 OS: W2K, Ubuntu 8.04	Re: what difference's between ubunutu 8.04 and Xubuntu? Unless things changed drastically from the last time I tried Xubuntu, things aren't the same at all. Xubuntu uses a stripped-down text editor, different file manager, you have to build launchers for many of the applications instead of just dragging them to the desktop, etc. etc. There's no free lunch. A "lightweight" GUI like Xfce has less code and doesn't do as many things automagically. IMO Xfce mainly appeals to: 1) people who choose responsiveness over convenience and are willing to learn how to do a few things the long-hand way, 2) people who need a lightweight GUI because of their PC's limitations. If you're not in either group I'd say you'd be happier with Ubuntu.

10-20-2008, 09:16 AM	#4 (permalink)
wmorri Moderator/Fedora Amb. Join Date: May 2008 Location: /pm/etc Posts: 2,813 OS: Window 7/Fedora 10 My System	Re: what difference's between ubunutu 8.04 and Xubuntu? Ok, my bad. I guess that I should have done my research before opening my mouth. I will now open mouth enter foot. Cheers! __________________ Linux Forever!

10-20-2008, 02:48 PM	#5 (permalink)
shuuhen Manager Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Colorado Posts: 981 OS: Mac OS 9.1, Mac OS X 10.5.8, WinXP Pro, FreeBSD 6.0, Gentoo Linux My System	Re: what difference's between ubunutu 8.04 and Xubuntu? Heh, one of my professors from a previous year likes to say "there's no free lunch." It's fun to run into him at events with free food XFCE is a lighter system than KDE or Gnome, which is one of the main reasons why Xubuntu is a better option than Ubuntu or Kubuntu for slower machines. Even on my Gentoo machine that plays Doom 3 quite well on the highest settings I've tried, I still prefer lighter systems (not for speed though). Go ahead and try both, but do note that like Bartender pointed out, you may not find some features you want. __________________ Has it been a few days since I replied to your thread? Don't panic! I'm a busy college student and may forget a post if I'm extra busy (or it might just take me a while to be able to do a decent reply). If you still need help and are awaiting my reply after a few days, PM me about it. When posting what errors you get, please give the full message. It makes helping you much easier. Last edited by shuuhen; 10-20-2008 at 02:49 PM.

10-20-2008, 08:58 PM	#6 (permalink)
msc90 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 25 OS: xp	Re: what difference's between ubunutu 8.04 and Xubuntu? okay thanks i'll check out those links soon hopefully thanks everyone for your help

10-21-2008, 10:07 PM	#7 (permalink)
msc90 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 25 OS: xp	Re: what difference's between ubunutu 8.04 and Xubuntu? i actually would prefer to just stick with the gnome but install conpiz fusion for all those wacky lil affects that make it fun

10-22-2008, 05:21 AM	#8 (permalink)
glade88 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: /dev/null Posts: 11 OS: Kubuntu 8.10	Re: what difference's between ubunutu 8.04 and Xubuntu? Actually, you can have both together ;) Just install Ubuntu 8.xx and boot into the default gnome environment. Then at a terminal, execute: Code: sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop So now at the login screen, you can choose between gnome and XFCE by clicking on "Session" link/button. I would suggest that you wait till Oct 30 and download Ubuntu 8.10 :)

10-22-2008, 08:46 AM	#9 (permalink)
Bartender Mentally divergent Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Chehalis, WA, USA Posts: 1,285 OS: W2K, Ubuntu 8.04	Re: what difference's between ubunutu 8.04 and Xubuntu? glade makes a couple of good points - by installing the xubuntu desktop package (same thing goes for the kubuntu desktop package) you can choose which GUI to run by going into the "Sessions" options. Just google "ubuntu sessions" or something similar - I've seen guides that describe how to set them up and choose one to the other. This works vice versa too. You can start with Xubuntu and add the others, or start with Kubuntu. Having said that, I screwed up an Ubuntu install after adding the kubuntu desktop when I tried to change the boot screen back to Ubuntu. Something got messed up and I had to start all over. It was probably just something dumb I did. Anyway, what I learned is the boot-up/log-in screen will show whichever GUI you loaded last. Not a big deal. I'd also second glade's suggestion to wait for 8.10. It's so close to release now; a week or two wait won't hurt. You could always install 8.04 then upgrade but I think it'd be cleaner to just wait.