Linux Mint 17 "Qiana" XFCE Review: Simple, elegant and functional

There is something special about Linux Mint - their ability to deliver consistent performance release after release. Also, amazingly Linux Mint's design is pretty much consistent across desktop environments - Cinnamon, Mate, KDE and XFCE. I already reviewed the KDE and Cinnamon versions and today it is the turn of my favorite of all - Linux Mint 17 XFCE. Another thing as well, as I am in a trip to the USA and outside my favorite setup (I didn't bring my favorite test laptop here Asus K55VM, as it is quite heavy and along with my heavier office Lenovo Thinkpad, it would have broken my back). So, till Sep-14, I may be a little bit infrequent in writing blogs.

On 26th June 2014, Clement Lefebvre announced the release of Linux Mint 17 "Xfce" edition: "The team is proud to announce the release of Linux Mint 17 'Qiana' Xfce. Linux Mint 17 is a long term support release which will be supported until 2019. It comes with updated software and brings refinements and many new features to make your desktop even more comfortable to use. The Update Manager was hugely improved. It shows more information, it looks better, it feels faster, and it gets less in your way. It no longer needs to reload itself in root mode when you click on it. It no longer checks for an Internet connection or waits for the network manager and it no longer locks the APT cache at session startup. Linux Mint 17 features Xfce 4.10, MDM 1.6, a Linux kernel 3.13 and an Ubuntu 14.04 package base."

From Linux Mint 17 XFCE http;//mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

The release announcement is pretty similar to what I saw for Linux Mint Cinnamon and KDE flavors. I already discussed them in my respective reviews. Hence, I'll discuss them briefly but primary focus will be the functionality of the XFCE spin. For this review, I downloaded the 1.3 GB 64-bit Linux Mint 17 XFCE ISO and created a live USB using Linux Mint Image Writer. Next, I installed Mint 17 XFCE on my Asus K55VM in a multi-boot environment with other Linux distros.

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Manjaro 0.8.7 "Ascella" XFCE Review: Superb performance with professional looks!

Post Fuduntu, for last 3 months, I was searching for a suitable distro for my
Asus EeePC 1101HA with the following specs:

Processor: Intel Atom Z520 1.33 Ghz
Chipset: Intel US15W
RAM: 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 667 Mhz, PC-2 5300
Hard disk: 160 GB
Display: 11.6 in., LED backlight, 1366x768 HD resolution
Graphic Processor: Intel GMA 500

Manjaro XFCE on Asus EeePC 1101HA From Manjaro 0.8.7 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

When I bought the machine in 2009, it had WinXP as the only OS. But, with time my interest in Linux increased and first it became dual boot with Ubuntu 11.04 (had a tough time in getting HD display, I recall, because there was no pre-installed Intel GMA 500 support); then finally it was Linux only with Fuduntu running on it for a couple of years. With the news coming out about Fuduntu's demise, I tried several other OS.

My netbook is too weak for GNOME3 or KDE4 - so I didn't try. I tried primarily LXDE and XFCE distros. I checked Lubuntu 12.04 first but flash videos and movie files would play real bad in it. Next I tried Mint, Zorin Lite and then Debian 7 LXDE. In the first two VLC didn't work that well with movie files whereas in Debian 7, everything worked awesome except for battery life. In Fuduntu, my netbook's 6 cell battery would last 5 hours of watching movies, browsing net, etc. In Debian 7 LXDE, battery would run out in an hour! Post that, I tried Archlinux as well with some success but the audio never got going.

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OS4 OpenLinux 13.6 Review: XFCE spin with a difference!

I used and reviewed OS4 13 (LTS version) earlier as well. But, I didn't find it appealing earlier. The default design of XFCE looks way better than the legacy BeOS design of OS4. I checked out the 13.1 version earlier and was not that pleased with OS4. However, my opinion changed with the release OS4 13.6 (I missed out the other updates after 13.1, honestly). With a change in design, interesting applications pre-installed in the distro and a more refined interface, OS4 13.6 OpenLinux suddenly seems more attractive.

Desktop Cube From OS4 Openlinux 13.6 http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

From OS4 Openlinux 13.6 http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

OS4 13 series is based on Xubuntu 12.04 long term release and has Linux kernel 3.2.0. It comes with XFCE 4.10 and Thunar 1.6.3 as the file manager. More or less, it is similar to the offerings made by Xubuntu 12.04 or it's spins in terms of XFCE and Linux kernel. The OS4 release note states of some new additional features as well as introduction of OS4 based desktops and laptops with Acer:

"Today we are releasing OS4 OpenLinux 13.6 and unveiling our new hardware initiative. This release comes with a lot of bug fixes and application updates. We also have brought new functionality and services. First, hardware services. As a licensed ACER dealer we are bringing about a new hardware initiative. We are bringing state of the art, powerful, beautiful and functional hardware to the OS4 and Linux communities. We believe state of the art software deserves state-of-the-art hardware. So we have a wide range of towers, laptops, all-in-ones and of course our most popular, OS4 BriQ, is still available. We also have the engineering marvel, the Vision 64 all-in-one keyboard PC from Cybernet available. All of these systems make great gifts and they make a great addition to any home or office."

I downloaded the 1.8 GB ISO (pretty bulky for an XFCE distro!) from the OS4 site and did a live boot followed by installation on my Asus K54C laptop with 2.2 Ghz Core i3 processor and 2 GB RAM. OS4 OpenLinux 13.6 installation took about 5.3 GB space on my hard drive which is a bit high considering a lightweight XFCE spin. Fedora 19 XFCE in fact installed in almost half the space - of course, it is a stripped down version compared to OS4. Even Linux Mint XFCE took 40% lower space. 

As I take you through the review, you'll understand that OS4 OpenLinux 13.6 is not meant only for less potent hardware but can run with élan on most modern systems as well.

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Linux Mint 15 "Olivia" XFCE Review: Mint does it again, another exceptional XFCE release!

If I think of any distro which just works without any issue month after month, year after year, it is got to be Linux Mint. I am using Linux Mint 13 XFCE (with LTS support) on my netbook and it's been a trouble free 1.5 years - with absolutely no issue. Everything just working as it should work and I keep it on most of days at night to download Linux distros or movies - no heating problem till date. Linux Mint 13 XFCE was and still is so amazingly efficient!

With that prelude, I thought of writing a review based on my experience. I have been using Mint 15 XFCE for a week before the final release. It is installed in my Asus K54C laptop with 2.2 Ghz Core i3 processor and 2 GB RAM. It's experience ranks actually better than my experience with Mint 13 XFCE, primarily because of the exciting new features.

From Linux Mint 15 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

The release notes of Linux Mint 15 XFCE states:

"The team is proud to announce the release of Linux Mint 15 'Olivia' Xfce. The highlight of this edition is the lightweight Xfce 4.10 desktop. Xfce is a lightweight desktop environment which aims to be fast and low on system resources, while still being visually appealing and user friendly. It embodies the traditional UNIX philosophy of modularity and re-usability. It consists of a number of components that provide the full functionality one can expect of a modern desktop environment. They are packaged separately and you can pick among the available packages to create the optimal personal working environment. The default menu used in this edition is Whisker which features quick access to your favorite applications, categories, system shortcuts, recent documents and recently used applications."

The 32-bit ISO which I downloaded is about 992 MB. I created a live USB using Unetbootin to first live boot and then install in my laptop. Mint 15 XFCE comes with XFCE 4.10 and Linux kernel 3.8.0-25. Thunar 1.6.2 is the default file manager.

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Fedora 19 Review: Not flashy but very dependable, KDE being the best of the lot!

2013 has been an exceptional year in a sense that Ubuntu, Fedora and Debian, the three major Linux distros, had their releases this year. Debian 7 finally got released, Ubuntu came up with a better Unity along with more social integration and it is now turn of Fedora to showcase it's latest offering. I was really interested to know Fedora 19 - whether the latest Fedora is able to live up to the other two illustrious counterparts plus what's brewing in RHEL stable.

From Fedora 19 http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

With the Fedora 19 release note coming out on 2-July-2013, I was quick to download the 32-bit versions of all available variants - KDE, GNOME, XFCE and LXDE. The release note states of incremental improvements for developers, like:

"The Fedora Project is delighted to announce the release of Fedora 19. What's new? Developer's Assistant is a tool for new developers that helps you to get started on a code project by offering templates, samples, and toolchains for a variety of languages; 3D modelling and printing are supported with OpenSCAD, Skeinforge, SFACT, Printrun, RepetierHost, and other tool options; OpenShift Origin makes it easy for you to build your own Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) infrastructure; MariaDB offers a truly open MySQL implementation and is now the default MySQL option in Fedora...."

I am no developers and my review is from an ordinary Linux user perspective. I first created live USB using Unetbootin for all the variants and then installed each of them in my Asus K54C with Core i3 processor and 2 GB RAM, one by one. I tested each, for a day or two, for this review. Fedora 19 has Linux kernel 3.9.5, which gets upgraded to 3.9.8 post installation. Major differences between them are the desktop environments and some applications (e.g. LXDE was loaded with primarily lightweight applications), with essentially the basic structure remaining the same. The DEs used in Fedora 19 are:

• GNOME 3.8 with Files 3.8.2 as file manager
• KDE 4.10.4 with Dolphin 2.2 as file manager
• XFCE 4.10 with Thunar 1.6.3 as file manager
• LXDE with PCManFM 1.1.0 as file manager

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Ubuntu 13.04 vs Kubuntu 13.04 vs Xubuntu 13.04 vs Lubuntu 13.04 vs Ubuntu 13.04 GNOME: A brief comparison

Every Linux novice goes through this phase - confusion to decide which Ubuntu to install when now you've got so many versions of Ubuntu coming out of the stable. The aim of this article is to facilitate taking decision by briefing about what distro has to offer and a comparison of their performance.

I take up here the latest Ubuntu release 13.04, codenamed "Raring Ringtail". Released in April 2013, it comes in five distinct desktop environments

Unity in Ubuntu 13.04
It started as a net-book OS environment and gradually gained favor from Canonical. The much criticized (and rightly so because of its initial instability) desktop environment is now gradually improving in terms of performance and stability. It is kind of a minimalistic desktop with a left hand side strip, accommodating the user's favorite applications, along with a heavy integration to social networks (like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc.) through its unique dash. It is still not as stable as I would like it to be but, I feel, Unity has the potential to challenge the operating system biggies like Windows and Mac OS X. It is intuitive and very easy to use but not as customizable as a KDE. Right now, its use is limited only to Ubuntu. Unity leverages the Gnome 3 ecosystem of applications with Files (forked from Nautilus) as the file manager. My review of Ubuntu 13.04.

From Ubuntu 13.04 http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

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Sabayon 11 XFCE Review: Extremely refined and a release not to be missed!

The name "Sabayon" always rings me of a very refined and extremely polished Linux operating system. As has been my experience with Sabayon 9 and 10, even the Sabayon 11 release doesn't disappoint. Sabayon 11 is refinement exemplified and is released in four flavors: Gnome 3, KDE, XFCE and LXDE. I start this series of review with my preferred desktop environment, XFCE.

From Sabayon 11 XFCE http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

Sabayon 11 has XFCE 4.10 with Linux kernel 3.7.0. Sabayon is based on Gentoo linux and is a simplified version of Gentoo, I must say. I tested with the 32-bit ISO, about 1.3 GB in size, and supports live-boot. Sabayon has a rolling release with three of it's releases (8, 9 and 10) coming in 2012. Those who are already using Sabayon need not to worry about the 11th release - already their installations would be upgraded to 11.

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Customize to Create desktop cube with Compiz in Ubuntu, Fedora, Linux Mint

As I have been saying in my last few articles, Linux desktops like Gnome, KDE, LXDE, XFCE, etc. (except Unity) can be customized - so much that even at times it becomes difficult to identify what desktop environment (DE) actually it is! In my last article I covered whatever is written here, just separating out the compiz bit so that it is easier to search in google.

From Enabling Desktop Effects in Linux http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

The finest of all customization is, to me, compiz. However, to run compiz with, say Xubuntu 12.04.1 LTS, your system needs a bit of RAM and CPU power. Compiz works really well in modern laptops with 2 or more cores and I have tested that compiz works well with Gnome fallback, KDE, LXDE and XFCE.

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How to customize and decorate Ubuntu desktop? Simple steps to customize Linux Desktop: Give your Fedora or Ubuntu a face-lift!

As I have been saying in my last few articles, Linux desktops like Gnome, KDE, LXDE, XFCE, etc. (except Unity) can be customized - so much that even at times it becomes difficult to identify what desktop environment (DE) actually it is! I do some very basic level customization to give a face lift to otherwise bland DEs like LXDE, XFCE, Openbox, etc. and in this article I'll take you through customization involving

• Transparent panels (LXDE, XFCE)
• Docky or Cairo dock
• Conky
• Compiz and desktop cube (couldn't do it in Unity, other than that it works will rest of the DEs)

From Enabling Desktop Effects in Linux http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

From Enabling Desktop Effects in Linux http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

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Linux Lite 1.0.4: With added Steam!

When I reviewed Linux Lite 1.0.0 last year, I was pretty happy with the lightweight XFCE distro. The release was based on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and was quite lighter than Xubuntu 12.04. Once the 1.0.4 update for Linux Lite came out in February 2013, I was a bit curious to try out and see the incremental additions that the developers have made to the updated release.

I found a few changes from 1.0.0 in 1.0.4, namely:
1. Linux kernel is updated to 3.2.18 and it seemed to be more stable than the previous release.
2. A new gaming application added with variety of games for Windows and some games for Linux - Steam.
3. A few applications like LibreOffice Impress added to the application list.
4. The ISO is now lighter by about 160 MB which is a welcome change.

From Linux Lite 1.0.4 http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

Other than that, it is pretty much the same as the past release. I'll cover my experience with Steam in the later part of the article. I expected a little bit more especially on desktop environment and application aspect, namely:

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Voyager 12.10 Review: Xubuntu spiced up and overkilled!

Make no mistake, I really like Xubuntu - for it's simplicity and efficiency! But, the looks of default Xubuntu bore me a lot and most of the time I resort to making transparent panel, adding a nice conky, replacing the bottom panel with a docky, etc. to make it palatable. Functionally, though, I don't have anything to fret about and Xubuntu works as good as any other Linux distro.

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

Enter Voyager, a Xubuntu remaster, a French distro with a spiced up XFCE desktop and plenty of apps to showcase, aiming for a different level of user experience on XFCE. Does it succeeds? Let's check!

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

I downloaded the 32-bit Voyager 12.10 ISO, 991 MB in size, for the review. I did a live-boot, followed by installation for assessment on Asus K54C 2.2 Ghz Core i3 processor with 2 GB RAM. Given XFCE has the capability to run on low resource systems, I tried booting Voyager 12.10 on a netbook, Asus EeePC 1101HA with 1.38 Ghz Intel Atom processor with 1 GB RAM. On netbook, it was live boot only.

Voyager 12.10 has the same XFCE 4.10 and Linux kernel 3.5.0 as Xubuntu 12.10. The default file manager is Thunar 1.5.1. It detected my sound card, touchpad, Wifi and screen resolution very accurately without any manual effort. So, no issues in detecting hardware, just like Xubuntu 12.10 or Linux Mint 14 XFCE.

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

The boot up screen with XFCE icon and Voyager 12.10 written below it, is stylish and looks good with black background. Boot up is quick and takes to the login window, which is similar to Xubuntu 12.10.

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

The desktop looks stylish with conky showing Date, Time and resource usage, with two dockies on the right and bottom. I saw some really original wallpapers in Voyager's collection. However, on the counter-side, desktop is a bit crowded. On the bottom panel, icons could have been better than FFOX, TMNAL, etc. written on the AWN. For the new applications pinned by the user, the bottom dock takes icons and it looks a bit funny with some applications written in letters and some as icons! Not good!

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

In overall, the interface looks colorful and good to look at. Further, you can set up 4 different wallpapers for the 4 desktops, which is pretty cool. Added to that there is an application Variety which can change wallpaper after a scheduled time interval, download wallpapers from online repository and delete old downloaded wallpapers after the download size crosses a preset limit (say, 500 mb).

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

Applications
Voyager 12.10 is loaded with utility applications, namely:

• Office: Abiword, Gnumeric, Dictionary, Orage Calendar, Document viewer

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

• Internet: Firefox 17, Hotot, Thunderbird 17, Pidgin Chat client, Transmission, Xchat IRC

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

• Graphics: Darktable, GIMP 2.8, gThumb, Image Magica, Mcomix, Ristretto image viewer, Simple Scan

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

• Multi-media: Audio recorder, Cheese, Clementine, Format junkie, Freetux TV, Kazam screencaster, Minitube, Parole, Pitivi video editor, VLC 2, Radio tray, Xfburn

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

• Accessories: Application finder, Catfish file search, Cover Gloobus, Leafpad, Notes, Keepass X, PyRenamer, Screenshots, Synapse, terminal, Tilda, Variety, Xarchiver

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

I found Internet, Multi-media and Graphic applications quite rich in Voyager. Further, multimedia codecs are provided by default in the ISO and I could see movies in VLC and listen music in Clementine even in live-boot. Adobe flashplugin is not there in live-boot but downloaded during installation.

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

Apart from regular applications, I found a few interesting apps in Voyager like:

• Hotot microblogging client for twitter and identi.ca with features like extension support, geo-tagging, threaded conversations and several other good features.

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

• FreetuxTV: with multilanguage television live streams in built and flexibility to add live streams from national and international TV channels available on internet.

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

• Radio with added music channels, visible by the side of Wifi icon on the top panel.

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

• Y PPA Manager to add PPAs from say Linux Mint, etc.

All of them more or less worked for me and I feel they are good addition to the distro.

Repository
Voyager 12.10 sources its applications from Ubuntu 12.10 repository, which is undoubtedly the richest repo in Linux world.

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

Installation
Installation is similar to Xubuntu and takes about 30 minutes to get done (including the time required to download various codes, flashplugin and updates). Live boot has an option "Install Xubuntu" on the top left of the screen and clicking it takes to Xubuntu installation process. Initially, I was a bit confused on whether I am installing Xubuntu or will it install Voyager. I felt here the developers could have done a bit of branding for the Voyager itself.

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

Installation process is simple and asks for location, language, keyboard language & type, installation location, username, password, etc. and even new users won't feel lost during installation.

Performance
Voyager 12.10 consumes about 1-5% CPU and 190-200 MB RAM to load desktop with task manager running. It is 30-40 MB higher than Xubuntu 12.10 or Linux Mint 14 XFCE. I did a live boot on Asus netbook with limited specs and Voyager ran smoothly without any issue. The distro is stable and I didn't see any crash report in 3 days of continuous usage.

Improvements over Voyager 12.04
Dedoimedo reviewed the 12.04 version and pointed out some glitches which I found to still continue in Voyager 12.10

1. Right click on files having redundant options like Reparation Aide, Television, Test Security, etc. - it is still there in 12.10. Even I am not sure what Reparation, Television, etc. would do and whether required at all! Crazy options!

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

2. Annoying transparent terminal: still it retains that annoying terminal with green fonts! Even Tilda is irritating to look at and not aesthetically pleasant. Why go for 100% transparency at all? Luckily it can be changed and I brought it down to 40%.

From Voyager 12.10 XFCE

3. Crazy customization of Firefox: continues a bit even with 12.10. I like the true and original Firefox.

Overall
Voyager is definitely one of the most stylish XFCE spins that I have seen and used. The conky looks cool and can be customized to suit your taste. Performance and utility-wise I feel it is a good Xubuntu spin with some cool elements of design. The distro is stable and smooth to use.

However, I feel the developers went for an overkill and in between, the aesthetics part got lost a bit. Further, some glitches are there as well like 100% transparent terminal with little readability, messed up bottom dock, crowded desktop and at times poor choice of colors and transparency. In nutshell, Voyager 12.10 looks stylish but could have been really better had the developers not gone for overkill.

You can download the ISO from here. Both 32 and 64 bit ISOs are available.

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Sabayon Linux 9: Impressive out of the box distro

I came to know of Sabayon from Distrowatch. And no experience of working with Gentoo and Gentoo-derived distros, I thought of trying Sabayon in my virtualbox. And I am really impressed with a slick and serious OS.

As the OS claims to provide out of the box applications, the distro is is slightly heavier in size. 32-bit KDE is 2.4 GB, Gnome 1.8 GB & XFCE, the lightest, 1.5 GB. You can download both 32-bit & 64-bit versions from Sabayon Download page. I booted them in virtualbox with 2 GB RAM allotted to each. The initial screen is similar, as shown below.

From Sabayon 9 Gnome KDE XFCE

Interface-wise, all of the three look no-nonsense interface, with the typical blue-black interface. Gnome is 3.2.1 & Linux kernel 3.4.0.

From Sabayon 9 Gnome KDE XFCE

From Sabayon 9 Gnome KDE XFCE

From Sabayon 9 Gnome KDE XFCE

Application-wise, almost all common apps that we require in a linux distro, are covered, except VLC being absent in Gnome & XFCE versions (present in KDE). Chromium, GIMP, Shotwell photo manager, Adobe Flash support, full LibreOffice suite, Basero, Cheese webcam booth, empathy, bit-torrent, movie player ... the list is really healthy. I really liked the marble view globe. App-wise I am not complaining. The Rigo application repository is rich as well.

CPU & RAM usage:
KDE:         7%        300MB
XFCE:       1%        140 MB
Gnome:    6%        180 MB

XFCE & Gnome are pretty light it seems.

I have put the screenshots of Sabayon at Picasa https://picasaweb.google.com/115526653443007105911/Sabayon9GnomeKDEXFCE?authuser=0&feat=directlink

In overall, I really liked Sabayon and will install the XFCE version in one of my computers. The interface is serious and looks like a fantastic distro meant for productivity.

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