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Ubuntu is my first and last Linux distribution, which I have used for 16 years without discontinuation, since my early PhD days up to today. The only change du

Ubuntu is my first and last Linux distribution, which I have used for 16 years without discontinuation, since my early PhD days up to today. The only change during the 16 years is that I switched from Ubuntu (with Gnome) to Xubuntu (with Xfce) [1], but I still call it Ubuntu. When people ask me about the difference between the two, I respond "color". I spend 90% of my time on the terminal, and I prefer the gray-blue style of Xfce and its lightness when I use the window system during the other 10%. Before starting Linux, I had a very limited idea about what a computer is and how it works. An anecdote I often relate to my students is that I once copied the icon of an application (Turbo C) from one computer to another, believing that I could use the application on the second computer. Linux has taught me what a computer really is. An "achievement" may be worth mentioning: in the past 16 years, essentially all my work as an applied mathematician has been typed under terminal using Vim, including papers, lecture notes, slides, programs, and particularly my 200-page PhD thesis in Chinese. It was not quite trivial to type Chinese in Vim --- think about it: how to get a Chinese inputting system that can work seamlessly with Vim's key bindings? Fcitx would not work (at least it was the case 13 years ago). [1] Xubuntu 24.04 released! https://xubuntu.org/news/xubuntu-24-04-released https://xubuntu.org/news/xubuntu-24-04-released

queuebert 2y ago
Have you tried Ubuntu Kylin [1]? If so, what did you not like about it? 1. https://www.ubuntukylin.com/ https://www.ubuntukylin.com/
- zaikunzhang 2y ago
  Not really. But I have introduced (enforced ...) deepin [1] to my wife, who is definitely not a "computer person". She essentially uses only WPS, WeChat, and Chrome. She did complain a few times in the beginning, requesting me to "get her Windows back", but I resisted and the complaints somehow stopped after the first month. This may be a sign that the system is not toooo difficult to use, and that I am an extremely lucky man with an extraordinarily forgiving wife --- I do not advise you to try the same unless you are as lucky! [1] https://www.deepin.org/index/en https://www.deepin.org/index/en
  - fragmede 2y ago
    What is WPS?
    - prometheon1 2y ago
      An alternative to Microsoft Office
    - zaikunzhang 2y ago
      https://www.wps.com https://www.wps.com
axytol 2y ago
As a fellow alternative Ubuntu user, one additional difference is the LTS support schedule which is shorter for Ubuntu alternatives. For example, Xubuntu 24.04 is supported until 2027, while Ubuntu 24.04 is supported until 2029. Interestingly, as I understood it, when a release such as Xubuntu goes out of support it does not stop getting updates that are not specific to that respective flavor, so in a way you still have some indirect support, but feels a bit like a gamble.
- zaikunzhang 2y ago
  Good point. My strategy is to buy a new laptop (Thinkpad X1 Carbon) every one or two years and install the latest LTS of Xubuntu, so that a 3-year support is long enough for me. Over the years, I have developed my notes and scripts to configure quickly a newly installed Xubuntu system on a new computer, so that everything works in the same way as on my old computer. Since I stick with the same brand of laptop (Thinkpad X1 Carbon), I do not feel any difference after the configuration, except that the computer becomes more powerful. I do not want to spend my time on adapting myself to a new system or a new computer. Buying a new laptop so frequently may sound a bit expensive. It is indeed not if you spend so much time on your laptop as me. A more powerful laptop means that I can finish my work (e.g., numerical experiments) in (much) less time. In this sense, my life is prolonged. This is the only case I know that a common person can effectively trade an affordable amount of money for a longer life, as I often tell my students.
  - hnarn 2y ago
    If you’re ever feeling adventurous, I would suggest trying out Debian with XFCE instead of Xubuntu. I recently migrated and even though the installation isn’t as pretty, I find both the installation and the distribution itself to be much more stable and lightweight without sacrificing any important functionality.
- karmakaze 2y ago
  One could install Ubuntu and `sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop` then tweak from there.
karmakaze 2y ago
I've tried many Linux flavours and some BSDs. In the end I've always come back to Xfce. I haven't tried the more recent Kubuntu's though, but put it off thinking I'd migrate away from a Canonical managed OS.

queuebert 2y ago

Have you tried Ubuntu Kylin [1]? If so, what did you not like about it? 1. https://www.ubuntukylin.com/ https://www.ubuntukylin.com/

zaikunzhang 2y ago
Not really. But I have introduced (enforced ...) deepin [1] to my wife, who is definitely not a "computer person". She essentially uses only WPS, WeChat, and Chrome. She did complain a few times in the beginning, requesting me to "get her Windows back", but I resisted and the complaints somehow stopped after the first month. This may be a sign that the system is not toooo difficult to use, and that I am an extremely lucky man with an extraordinarily forgiving wife --- I do not advise you to try the same unless you are as lucky! [1] https://www.deepin.org/index/en https://www.deepin.org/index/en
- fragmede 2y ago
  What is WPS?
  - prometheon1 2y ago
    An alternative to Microsoft Office
  - zaikunzhang 2y ago
    https://www.wps.com https://www.wps.com

axytol 2y ago

As a fellow alternative Ubuntu user, one additional difference is the LTS support schedule which is shorter for Ubuntu alternatives. For example, Xubuntu 24.04 is supported until 2027, while Ubuntu 24.04 is supported until 2029. Interestingly, as I understood it, when a release such as Xubuntu goes out of support it does not stop getting updates that are not specific to that respective flavor, so in a way you still have some indirect support, but feels a bit like a gamble.

zaikunzhang 2y ago
Good point. My strategy is to buy a new laptop (Thinkpad X1 Carbon) every one or two years and install the latest LTS of Xubuntu, so that a 3-year support is long enough for me. Over the years, I have developed my notes and scripts to configure quickly a newly installed Xubuntu system on a new computer, so that everything works in the same way as on my old computer. Since I stick with the same brand of laptop (Thinkpad X1 Carbon), I do not feel any difference after the configuration, except that the computer becomes more powerful. I do not want to spend my time on adapting myself to a new system or a new computer. Buying a new laptop so frequently may sound a bit expensive. It is indeed not if you spend so much time on your laptop as me. A more powerful laptop means that I can finish my work (e.g., numerical experiments) in (much) less time. In this sense, my life is prolonged. This is the only case I know that a common person can effectively trade an affordable amount of money for a longer life, as I often tell my students.
- hnarn 2y ago
  If you’re ever feeling adventurous, I would suggest trying out Debian with XFCE instead of Xubuntu. I recently migrated and even though the installation isn’t as pretty, I find both the installation and the distribution itself to be much more stable and lightweight without sacrificing any important functionality.
karmakaze 2y ago
One could install Ubuntu and `sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop` then tweak from there.

karmakaze 2y ago

I've tried many Linux flavours and some BSDs. In the end I've always come back to Xfce. I haven't tried the more recent Kubuntu's though, but put it off thinking I'd migrate away from a Canonical managed OS.