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.
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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
- A Vortex of Beacons (or "Bluetooth Everywhere" Vision)
- If someone (or someones) calls you paranoid for taking about "beacon"-like functionality, there will be no lack of authoritative citations (e.g. Web links) they can be provided to prove them wrong
- IBM May be Sued for Mass Layoffs Via PIPs
- Some whole threads (with all the long comments in them) recently got nuked by thelayoff.com
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- GAFAM Loyalty Has Come to an End, Morale Low, People Whose Future is Uncertain Choose to Become "Lifers"
- morale is low and there's no loyalty anymore
- SLAPP Censorship - Part 152 Out of 200: Injunctions Do Not Cover Criticism, They Have Scope
- self-incriminating communications
- Clownflare Sees About Quarter of Web Requests in Ireland Coming From GNU/Linux
- Well, in Ireland it seems like many people adopted GNU/Linux
- Clownflare: In Australia and New Zealand GNU/Linux Peaks at Over 10% During Working Hours
- That right there is interesting in its own right
- Slowing Down by Intention
- At the moment we have 6 or 7 ongoing series
- Gemini Links 17/08/2026: Chamboree, Partial Solar Eclipse, Lady Macbeth
- Links for the day
- Links 17/08/2026: "Bluesky Is Down Again!" and "Anti-Social Media"
- Links for the day
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Sunday, August 16, 2026
- IRC logs for Sunday, August 16, 2026
- Falkland Islands: GNU/Linux Elevated to 6%
- GNU/Linux usage seems to have increased a lot there
- Links 16/08/2026: Reading Outside, Going Offline More, and Art of Computer Programming
- Links for the day
- The Question of Patience
- Is there a lesson here somewhere?
- Links 16/08/2026: Ceuta Reports Social Control Media Used as a Weapon
- Links for the day
- Links 16/08/2026: Europe in Crisis of Droughts While Energy- and Water-Consuming, Pollution-Emitting Chatbots Are Spread by GAFAM (US) to Keep a Ponzi Scheme Going
- Links for the day
- GNU/Linux is a Platform for Work (Usage Surges in Daytime)
- GNU/Linux 15% in daytime
- We Need Rain, Not Chatbots
- There's no "anti-AI" (it's not even AI), there's opposition to fraud, to plagiarism, and to companies that profit more when there's global warning (caused in part by their business activities)
- SLAPP Censorship - Part 151 Out of 200: Dealing With Sleazy People and Companies That Steal (While Employing These Sleazy People)
- we offer a quick summary and we're reflecting
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Saturday, August 15, 2026
- IRC logs for Saturday, August 15, 2026
- Gemini Links 16/08/2026: Sterrenkijker Releases, Solar Gemini Server
- Links for the day
- What I Learned in London
- some ministers still help us in our fight for press freedom in the UK
- At IBM, Workers 'Expire' Early ("Next Step" is 'Voluntary' Layoffs Decades Before Retirement Age)
- It seems like the "new normal" is layoffs not existing or barely existing because companies hide them
- EPO "Cocaine Communication Manager" - Part XVI - The German State Does Not Enforce the Law Against European Patent Office Officials
- It's not acceptable that Europe's second-largest institution can get away with crime time and time again
- Germany's National Broadcaster (DW English) to Air Julian Assange Film This Coming Week
- It seems rather sad that we live in a world where rich thugs can get away with so many horrible things
- WordPress is Bloatware and Bloated Software Guarantees Security Incidents
- This site turns 20 in about 11 or 12 weeks from now and it was never cracked, not even when it ran WordPress
- Too Many Chiefs (or Chefs) at IBM, They Don't Know How to Run a Company (With a 100+ Year or Century-Old Brand Recognition Advantage)
- It seems like a consensus opinion; some line managers or middle managers are too selfish or self-deceiving
- Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on Gym Equipment Can Endanger Several Parties
- Joy oh joy! Give us more "smart" things
- Microsoft Silent Layoffs This Month (PIPs and More "Buyouts", Driving Out the Workforce), According to Insiders
- They know it's happening because they see it and fellow workers talk about it, even if the media keeps mum
- Clacton's Election Was a 'Show Election'
- At least some people squeezed out some "free press" out of this charade [...] That the media kept boosting parodies as the alternative/s to the bigot is a topic we wrote about a great deal over the past 3 weeks
- Omarchy is Already Dying
- Same as the life cycle of slopfarms
- Windows is Burning
- Windows is the "burning platform" of the year
- Gemini Links 15/08/2026: Stress, Jetlag, and GPU Hype (Waste of Energy for Amusement, Fake 'Currencies', and Now for Mass Plagiarism)
- Links for the day
- Links 15/08/2026: XBox Rotting Further, "France’s Top Court Strikes Down Ban on Social Media for Children"
- Links for the day
- SLAPP Censorship - Part 150 Out of 200: Always Independently Verify What People Claim to Be (or Find Yourself in a Jason Arday-Type Moment/Dilemma)
- I'm not a cardiologist and Garrett was never a security expert
- Links 15/08/2026: "There Is No A.I." (Slop Plagiarism Isn't Intelligence) and Its "Impact on the Environment Is Absolutely Horrifying"
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 15/08/2026: Gratitudes, "Microflier" Drones, and Literate Programming
- Links for the day
- IBM's PIPs and RAs (Layoffs) Going on, Interns as 'Scabs'
- It seems like a consensus (also in Reddit, we took a quick look)
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Friday, August 14, 2026
- IRC logs for Friday, August 14, 2026