Ubuntu Derivatives News: Trisquel, elementary OS, Ubuntu Studio, Linux Mint, Peppermint, Bodhi, and Lubuntu
- Dr. Roy Schestowitz
- 2014-04-08 08:36:18 UTC
- Modified: 2014-04-08 08:36:18 UTC
Trisquel
The developers take pride in the fact that Trisquel is a completely free operating system and it will remain free forever. The Linux distribution also doesn't integrate any applications that are not completely free.
elementary OS
Ubuntu Studio
Mint
The biggest challenge for Windows XP users switching to Linux Mint is having to change the programs you've known and used for years. Fortunately, some programs are available on both Linux and Windows. In addition, there are Linux programs that duplicate the functionality of your favorite Windows programs.
Some Windows XP users might be considering Linux MInt as a replacement operating system. But just replacing the operating system isn't enough, you'll also need Linux applications that will replace the ones you used in Windows. ZDNet has a roundup of Linux Mint applications that might fill the void when making your move from Windows XP to Linux Mint.
It's been a while since I've done a review. In fact, it's been a while since I've posted in any form, because this semester has turned out to be a lot busier than I anticipated. It likely will remain so until it ends; the only reason why I can post a review right now is because of spring break, and even that has been busy for me. Anyway, I initially wanted to do a review of Frugalware because it looked intriguing, but I couldn't get the live USB to work. I'm reviewing this (which I had planned for later) instead. If you've passed by this blog, you've probably already seen my thoughts on Linux Mint, so I'll skip the introduction. I tried this updated ISO file as a live USB made with MultiSystem. Follow the jump to see what it's like. There isn't too much that has changed since last year, so I will simply link the review from then, point out any changes, and put out any other thoughts that occur to me about this.
Linux Mint is a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu, but that wasn't always the case. Now, the creator of Linux Mint has just announced Linux Mint 17 “Qiana,” which will be released almost a couple of months after Ubuntu 14.04 LTS (Trusty Tahr) is made available.
The MintBox 2 is a small form factor, fanless PC designed to run quietly at low power.
The machine features a die-cast, solid metal case which acts as a passive heatsink and cools down components without needing any fans. While the case design adds to the weight it reduces noise, with the only sound coming from the internal 500GB SATA hard drive.
Clement Lefebvre, the creator of the Linux Mint distribution, has just announced that the next version of the Mint operating system will be called “Qiana” and it should be available by the end of May 2014.
Linux Mint is one of the most popular Linux distributions out there and it's only superseded by Ubuntu. Actually, Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu and makes use of its repositories, but that may not happen for very long anymore.
Peppermint
This time however I have been lucky enough to get not just one member of the team but two. I recently sent an email to the Peppermint Linux team with a series of questions and what follows are the answers provided by Shane Remington (COO of Peppermint) and Kendall Weaver (CTO of Peppermint).
When I’m introducing someone to Linux, I don’t believe the “all or nothing” approach works, so if you are new to Linux and would like to see the benefits it can offer you, download and burn onto disk the latest version of Peppermint and follow these steps.
As you may or may not know, I have recently acquired a HP Chromebook and my first article about the Chromebook looked at whether it was possible to run another operating system alongside ChromeOS.
Today I am taking a look at Peppermint 4. Peppermint 4 is designed as a hybrid operating system aimed at cloud computing and also average ordinary everyday home use.
I last reviewed Peppermint Linux in August 2012 (Peppermint 3) and my overall impression then was positive. In this review I will review Peppermint Linux from scratch and I will also look at what has changed since version 3 to show how Peppermint has moved on.
Open source makes a lot of sense in rural areas and in third world countries. Lightweight and open source systems that are easy to use, and which allow normal users to become power users and contribute back to the open source community, can be ideal for countries like Cameroon, located in middle Africa.
As the program has grown over the past years, the cost of licensing for the video editing software has grown as well, beyond the operating budget of the organization. Faced with this challenge, PAGE turned to open source technology. Elizabeth McIntosh, a member of the Steering Committee for PAGE, led the charge. "I'd heard about the open source movement through my friendship with Brendan Szulik at Duke, and thought it might be able to help us." PAGE participants historically used Final Cut Pro to document and edit their digital stories, but this year will use open source alternatives Kdenlive and Blender. Both offer a good user experience, without the heavy scale-up costs associated with non open-source solutions. The ability to rapidly learn the technology and to use it as the program continues to grow are the largest benefits.
Bodhi
One of the things I am working on for our Bodhi 3.0.0 release this summer is a simple GUI system update tool written in Elementary and the Enlightenment Foundation Libraries. Today I would like to share an early version of this tool I am calling eepDater (pronounced epp-date-er), which is written in python utilizing the EFLs.
-
As promised I've put together our first Bodhi Linux disc that is built on top of the upcoming Ubuntu 14.04 release. Keep in mind this is a very early image not intended for production machines. There will be issues.
Lubuntu
Lubuntu is based on LXDE, a very light desktop environment that probably has even lower hardware requirements than Windows XP. It's a favorite for older systems and it's the lightest distro in the Ubuntu family.
Cleide Isabel! She managed to grab the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th place with her photos: 'Vista Do Fitz Roy', 'Vale', 'Arvore', 'Daisie' and 'Copan02'.
Lubuntu 14.04 LTS Beta 2 (Trusty Tahr) has been officially released and it has joined its brethren from the Ubuntu family, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, and Ubuntu GNOME.
Recent Techrights' Posts
- Censorship of Information Unflattering to IBM (or GAFAM)
- Years ago we gave a platform to a censored Microsoft whistleblower
- Silent Layoffs at Microsoft in 2026
- Time will tell is there are investigative journalists out there who will quit parroting Microsoft (e.g. false layoff figures) and relying on LLMs controlled by Microsoft to spew out false "facts" for them
- SLAPP Censorship - Part 91 Out of 200: Legal Aid in Support of Freedom of the Press and British Women (Attacked by Americans)
- bolstered by prominent counsels
- Codecs and Software Patents - Part XII - GNU's Web Site Will Soon Have Many Recent Talks by Chief GNUisance Richard Stallman (RMS)
- GNU videos being transcoded or converted into AV1
- The Fall of Slop (Even Microsoft Admits There's a Problem)
- If Microsoft admits that slop is too expensive and is for "entertainment purposes" because it cannot be relied upon, why would anyone other than the pushers and profiteers still insist that slop bears potential?
-
- It's Friday Night Again, So Microsoft is Again Shelving (Under Weekend Lull) Nightmare News for XBox Staff
- It did the same thing when the chiefs of XBox got canned
- Links 29/05/2026: "Spyware Economy" and Cuba's Energy Crisis
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 29/05/2026: Rap Rant and LLMs Criticised
- Links for the day
- Akira Urushibata on Misleading Numbers From Anthropic's Project Glasswing (False Marketing by FUD Tactics)
- Posted yesterday and approved a short while ago
- [Video] Richard Stallman's Rapperswil (Switzerland) Talk Online
- accessible without proprietary software
- Trusting Trust is an Old Issue, Predating Rust and LLM Slop by Over Half a Century
- Microsoft Lunduke wants to make a case against Rust and slop (LLMs), but the issues he addresses aren't exactly new or unique
- California Should Have Abandoned So-called 'Age‑Verification Laws', Not Make Exemptions (for Now)
- This has nothing to do with 1) children 2) safety 3) safety of children
- Links 29/05/2026: Cory Doctorow on Why the Internet Feels So Broken, American Pope on Defederation
- Links for the day
- Techrights Does Not Censor Information About IBM, It Platforms and Retains Suppressed Voices From Inside IBM
- They don't like it when people criticise the management [...] panic attacks mentioned
- Bob (Robert) Cringely Devoted Three Years of His Life Trying to Profit From LLM Slop and Now He Sounds Off, It's Just Not Working and It Can Crash the Economy Soon
- "The labs raising money at valuations with too many zeros are happy"
- Techrights After About 60,000 Articles in 20 Years
- Sites fail if they don't offer anything new or if they wrongly believe that adopting slop to parrot other sites will give them exposure
- Organised Plunder or Robbery: GAFAM and Hardware Companies Rely on Media Bribery to Perpetuate False Narratives and to "Drive Sales" (and Drive Prices Upwards)
- The price-fixing seems plausible and, if so, we need to demand action
- Linux Foundation Destroys the Identity and History of Linux
- Groklaw's PJ was thorn on the side of LF sponsors
- The Problem of Microsoft Crimes
- Opposing crime isn't "hatred"
- Red Hat Will Die Inside a Dying IBM
- IBM isn't where Red Hat came to thrive but where it came to die
- Very Large Strike at the European Patent Office Today, "Production" Sank a Huge Deal
- At this pace, we might be looking at tens of thousands fewer European Patents being granted this year
- Gemini Links 29/05/2026: Leadership and Religion, the Board Game (Second Edition)
- Links for the day
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Thursday, May 28, 2026
- IRC logs for Thursday, May 28, 2026
- Links 28/05/2026: Pakistan and Afghanistan Are Still Fighting, Iranians Back Online
- Links for the day
- "LLMs Are Not Much More Than Plagiarism Engines"
- the impact of LLMs on communities and software projects
- Is Slop Profitable Yet? No.
- Everything is a giant minus
- Bob (Robert) Cringely Has Just Explained That After 3 Years of Hard Work It Became Apparent LLM Slop is Unfit for Purpose in Courts
- Added moments ago to Daily Links
- Links 28/05/2026: LibreSSL 4.3.2, "Jeff Bezos Is Afraid Of What Comes Next", Measles Making a Comeback
- Links for the day
- PCs That Are Made to 'Expire' and 'Secure' Boot Contributing to Planned Obsolescence
- People who are responsible for this ought to be held accountable
- Evil, Faceless Corporation: Google Steals Money From You If You Don't Purchase an Android Device for MFA
- At this point, under the guise of "hey hi" (slop) Google is firing tens of thousands of workers
- People Go Back to Basics, Abandon Microsoft's GitHub to Avoid Slop
- The media didn't pay any attention to GitHub's de facto chief quitting Microsoft only a few months ago
- SLAPP Censorship - Part 90 Out of 200: When Efforts to Silence His Spouse and Also the Wife of a Blogger in Another Continent Only Give More Exposure to Embarrassing Information
- The Garrett trial ended in October 2025
- IBM - Much Like the European Patent Office (EPO) - Gives the President (Head of Board and CEO) All the Money While Staff Drowns in High Inflation Rates
- They're discussing the same sort of thing we often see mentioned in the EPO
- "THE REGISTER EXPLAINER" as "Paid-for SPAM" at The Register MS With "AI" 40 Times in the Short Page
- What will be left of The Register MS in a few years?
- 2025: EPO President Campinos Breaks the Cookie Jar, Steals Another Million Euros While His "Brother-in-Law" Does Cocaine at the Office and Staff Prepares Rolling, Indefinite Strikes
- any additional month of Campinos in charge of the EPO is a liability not just to the EPO but the EU as well
- Gemini Links 28/05/2026: Dumping Microsoft GitHub, Gopher Rabbit Hole
- Links for the day
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, May 27, 2026
- IRC logs for Wednesday, May 27, 2026
- Links 27/05/2026: TSMC Workers Next to Consider Strikes, Ceasefire Cracking
- Links for the day
- SLAPP Censorship - Part 89 Out of 200: SRA Admits Malfunction, That's Why Transparency is Paramount
- There have been more efforts than we can to count or can enumerate (probably over 100 such efforts) to gag us and to prevent us writing about what has happened
- Our Free Software Activist in Connecticut (USA)
- We'll soon revisit the latest round of legislation on "age" (surveillance, ID)
- Links 27/05/2026: Living Without 'Smartphoones' and "Russia’s Biggest Attack on Ukraine in 18 Months"
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 27/05/2026: The USA as an "Experiment" and Some Ubuntu Manuals
- Links for the day
- [Video] Full Video of Richard Stallman's Talk in Rome
- It seems inevitable that the official GNU site will have it
- Slop is a Passing Fad, It's About Faking Productivity (Plagiarism, Misinformation, and False Positives)
- Slop is a bubble. Some people accept it later than others.
- Anderon - Like Kyndryl - Could be Far Deeper in Debt Than Its Alleged Worth (Vapourware)
- Time will tell, but it seems like a Federal-enabled (by the Federal Government) accounting scam, nothing more, nothing less
- The Media That Keeps Covering "AI" Because the Pushers of It Pay for Spam
- 23 times in the page they mention "AI"
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, May 26, 2026
- IRC logs for Tuesday, May 26, 2026
- Codecs and Software Patents - Part XI - The Stance of RMS (Dr. Stallman) Reassured GNU Regarding AV1
- cautioned against software patents since the early 90s if not earlier