Lubuntu - The fast and lean Linux dis­tri­b­u­tion

Lubuntu is an Ubuntu spin-off that is par­tic­u­lar­ly lean and fast. Although the operating system has the rep­u­ta­tion of being par­tic­u­lar­ly suitable for old computers, the newer versions are great for a more modern desktop en­vi­ron­ment.

Lubuntu is a de­riv­a­tive, i.e. a spin-off of the popular Linux dis­tri­b­u­tion Ubuntu. The name Lubuntu stands for “Light­weight Ubuntu” and gives a first in­di­ca­tion of what the system is primarily intended for. Even computers with poor per­for­mance and old hardware can upgrade to a Lubuntu operating system that offers many pos­si­bil­i­ties with only low demands. Lubuntu uses LXQt as a desktop en­vi­ron­ment in order to be able to make as few demands as possible.

The origins of Lubuntu go back to 2009, when Mario Behling started the min­i­mal­ist system as a community project in March of that year. The first version could be tested from September 2009 as a live CD, but could not be installed. In­stal­la­tions were possible the following year. Initially, however, this option was un­of­fi­cial, since the status as a genuine LTS version had not yet been granted at that time. This step was taken in 2013 with version 11.10, which was shipped as a 64-bit live CD and counts as the first official member of the Ubuntu family. Ever since, new versions and updates have followed every six months, being released at the same time as Ubuntu.

Lubuntu lives up to its self-pro­claimed rep­u­ta­tion as a light­weight by way of its hardware re­quire­ments. Even com­par­a­tive­ly weak or old computers are often com­pat­i­ble with Lubuntu. Exactly what the re­quire­ments are depends on the version. Over time, re­quire­ments have become a bit more demanding, but compared to most other Linux dis­tri­b­u­tions, they are still very man­age­able. The minimum re­quire­ments are a 700 MHz single processor, 512 MB of RAM, and 5 GB of memory. Since version 19.04, which was released on April 18, 2019, 32-bit systems are no longer supported.

Besides the mentioned desktop en­vi­ron­ment LXQt, Lubuntu offers some pre-installed programs that run without problems and ensure that even an older, weaker computer can still be used for daily work. These include the office tools Feath­er­pad as well as Li­bre­Of­fice Writer and Calc, the scan program Skanlite, Mozilla Firefox as the default browser, the VLC player for media playback, Net­work­Man­ag­er, and some other ap­pli­ca­tions for daily needs. Many other programs can be ad­di­tion­al­ly installed.

Lubuntu is based on Ubuntu. Both dis­tri­b­u­tions not only release si­mul­ta­ne­ous­ly, but also share software resources. However, the biggest dif­fer­ences between them are the graphical user interface and the low hardware re­quire­ments. The user interface LXQt, which Lubuntu uses, is very clean and min­i­mal­is­tic. It’s therefore resource-saving and ensures that all ap­pli­ca­tions run quickly and without delays, even on old computers. Due to its tidy structure, even new users quickly find their way around. In turn, the slim system forgoes some graphic effects.

The low hardware re­quire­ments ensure that Lubuntu gets the maximum out of weaker computers and gives slower notebooks or older desktop PCs a new lease on life. Simple ac­tiv­i­ties are still or again feasible. As long as the ap­pro­pri­ate ap­pli­ca­tions are installed, Lubuntu runs very reliably.

When con­sid­er­ing whether Lubuntu is the right operating system for your purposes, it’s worth taking a look at the ad­van­tages and dis­ad­van­tages of the Linux dis­tri­b­u­tion.

• Low re­quire­ments: Lubuntu doesn’t have any major re­quire­ments and can run on numerous different computers. Nev­er­the­less, the system is very fast and reliable.
• Free: You don’t have to pay for Lubuntu. The system is not only free, but also comes without ad­ver­tis­ing.
• Software: In many cases, this also applies to the software. There are numerous ap­pli­ca­tions for Lubuntu that are not only free, but actually make working with the system much easier. Office work, media con­sump­tion, or even Internet access are possible with almost any computer. In addition to the pre-installed programs, there are numerous other com­pat­i­ble ap­pli­ca­tions.
• User-friendly: Es­pe­cial­ly since Lubuntu relies on LXQt, users easily find their way around and get an appealing interface to boot. Once the system is set up, it’s very intuitive to use.
• Support: Just like Ubuntu or Xubuntu, Lubuntu is regularly updated. This means that not only are bugs fixed quickly, but support for all ap­pli­ca­tions is also always up to date.

• Lim­i­ta­tions: Not all programs are able to run on Lubuntu. Es­pe­cial­ly bigger ap­pli­ca­tions can push the operating system to its limits. Windows software often only works in con­junc­tion with ad­di­tion­al help.
• Optics: Although Lubuntu has become more aes­thet­i­cal­ly appealing, the system is primarily designed for fast and energy-efficient use. Effects and the like are therefore found in vain.
• Set up: For ex­pe­ri­enced Ubuntu users the setup of the de­riv­a­tive isn’t a problem, as they are almost identical. But if you’re switching from Windows or Mac to Linux then it quickly becomes clear that a little know-how would be helpful. If you’re looking for a quick and seamless tran­si­tion, then this may pose a little dis­ad­van­tage.

Lubuntu has the rep­u­ta­tion of being an operating system for old and un­der­per­form­ing computers. The de­riv­a­tive def­i­nite­ly lives up to this rep­u­ta­tion. Due to the low re­quire­ments, the system acts as a lifesaver for old notebooks or desktop PCs that would otherwise no longer be usable. However, newer versions of Lubuntu are no longer only suitable as an operating system for old models. With its modern desktop en­vi­ron­ment, the Ubuntu de­scen­dant is also worth con­sid­er­ing for newer computers due to its ef­fi­cien­cy and speed. However, if you want to pri­or­i­tize per­for­mance and use many different ap­pli­ca­tions, there are more suitable Linux server dis­tri­b­u­tions out there.