Xubuntu

Xubuntu is an official flavor of the Ubuntu operating system that uses the Xfce desktop environment. It is designed to be lightweight and energy-efficient, delivering a responsive experience on older or resource-constrained hardware while remaining compatible with the broader Ubuntu software ecosystem.

Xfce provides a lightweight, modular interface with a single panel, a window manager, and a set of small, fast applications. Xubuntu ships with Thunar as the file manager, Mousepad as the text editor, Xfce Terminal, Ristretto image viewer, and Xfburn for disc burning, among other lightweight utilities. The desktop can be customized with different themes, panels, and menus; the whisker menu is available as an option for convenient access to applications. The goal is to keep memory usage low and boot times short while preserving a familiar desktop experience.

Xubuntu originates as a lighter alternative to Ubuntu’s default GNOME environment and has been maintained as an official Ubuntu flavor since early in the distribution’s history. It is built from the same software repositories as Ubuntu and uses the same package management system (apt/dpkg), with access to the Ubuntu archive and PPAs.

Xubuntu releases follow Ubuntu’s cadence, with regular (non-LTS) releases and long-term support versions for LTS releases. The project emphasizes reliability, speed, and accessibility on modest hardware, and it remains a popular choice for users seeking a traditional, minimal desktop on Ubuntu.