Linux Mint LXDE 13 LTS?

[mikkoh79]

Hi!

I am considering trying Linux Mint LXDE 13 on my desktop pc, if it will be an LTS.

Lubuntu 12.04 would also be an option, but it will be supported only 18 months.

So my question is, will Linux Mint LXDE 13 be supported longer than Lubuntu?

/Mikko

[TBABill]

Most times Mint follows Ubuntu on support. Ubuntu supports the underlying system and Mint takes care of Mint-specific stuff.

[mikkoh79]

Thanks for replying, TBABill .

I just read, that Lubuntu 12.04 will probably get security updates for 5 years, like the Ubuntu main edition (because of the same repos). If that is the case, it might be enough for me to try it.

[cwwgateway]

While it depends on if Mint builds off of Ubuntu or Lubuntu (my guess is Ubuntu), so, assuming it does what it normally does (which is to build off of Ubuntu), it will be supported for 5 years.

Edit: I've heard in different places that Lubuntu 12.04 will be supported for 18 months, three years, and five years, so I'm not sure... According to the lubuntu site it will only be 18 months (Lubuntu 12.04 isn't an LTS). My guess is that Mint 13 LXDE will have 5 years of support.

[mikkoh79]

Ok, maybe it's better not to rush and just wait for mint lxde 13 and see what support period they are giving for it. I am using now Mint 10 Gnome and i have understood that the support is going down for it very soon.

Anyway, it is a big process to update the whole system, so i want to do it only once and go many years with the new setup.

Preferering mint over ubuntu too.

[ausmuso]

Thanks for replying, TBABill .

I just read, that Lubuntu 12.04 will probably get security updates for 5 years, like the Ubuntu main edition (because of the same repos). If that is the case, it might be enough for me to try it.

Be careful with Lubuntu, mikkoh79. It does not give access to the full range of Ubuntu repositories. My suggestion would be to wait for an update to Mint Lisa (main edition) which supports the Ubuntu 12.04 repositories, then load it and put an LXDE desktop on top of it. That way you'll have the best of both worlds

[gosa]

I'm sorry to say that according to an answer by Clem to the first comment to the "April Stats"-post there might not be another lxde-version of Mint LXDE:
http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=2000

Edit by Clem: No. As the poll suggests Xfce is more popular, so if beside MATE and Cinnamon another DE was to be supported on both package base, it would be Xfce. We’re looking into this at the moment. We want to focus our efforts on what matters most to most people and try to do less and do it better, so we might discontinue Fluxbox and LXDE and give Xfce better support.

I posted a question there asking if maybe lxde and fluxbox could get one last release (assuming they'll get discontinued) making it an LTS, but I don't have any reply to that yet...

[seppalta]

...there might not be another lxde-version of Mint LXDE...

There is substance in being very good at a few things rather than mediocre at many. Besides there are many very good LXDE systems available. My favorite is WattOS, http://planetwatt.com/.

[gosa]

There is substance in being very good at a few things rather than mediocre at many.

Absolutely. And there's no doubt about it - the user base (at least if you look at the poll, the "pie-chart" on the Community Page and the activity in the different forums makes it very clear that lxde (and in this case fluxbox) users are a tiny minority compared to other flavors.

Of course it would be a pity to see them both discontinued, but the loss would feel a little less "heavy" if we could at least get a LTS of them both before they go...

[nerbiyoso]

i'm still really confused about their decision in not creating an LM13 LXDE, and i still don't understand them basing this on the result of the poll. I mean, if you look at distrowatch, Lubuntu is > than both Xubuntu and Kubuntu by a large margin. Doesn't this show that LXDE > XFCE and KDE? Distrowatch > this_forums_poll

[gosa]

i'm still really confused about their decision in not creating an LM13 LXDE, and i still don't understand them basing this on the result of the poll. I mean, if you look at distrowatch, Lubuntu is > than both Xubuntu and Kubuntu by a large margin. Doesn't this show that LXDE > XFCE and KDE? Distrowatch > this_forums_poll

Hold your horses and relax - nothing is decided yet...

[nunol]

This was what Clem said in the blog:

We need to look into it. Whatever decisions will be made, it won’t be made now, but after the Mint 13 MATE and Cinnamon releases. Personally I’d like to document how to remaster our ISOs and share our build notes so that people in the community can roll their own Fluxbox and LXDE ISOs based on Mint 13.

It opens the doors to community editions again.

[cwwgateway]

i'm still really confused about their decision in not creating an LM13 LXDE, and i still don't understand them basing this on the result of the poll. I mean, if you look at distrowatch, Lubuntu is > than both Xubuntu and Kubuntu by a large margin. Doesn't this show that LXDE > XFCE and KDE? Distrowatch > this_forums_poll

Ubuntu > Xubuntu, Lubuntu, and Kubuntu combined. Is there a unity spin? Mint has a specific audience and Clem's trying to cater to that audience. In that audience, XFCE and KDE > LXDE. Also, there are 77 distros with Xfce releases and 49 with LXDE releases. Finally, distrowatch really isn't that accurate. Is Linux Mint twice the size of Ubuntu? No. It's certainly gaining, but it definitely isn't there. Anyway, like others said, it isn't at all decided. I'm personally super exited about the revival of community editions . Then we can have lots of different editions - Debian based KDE, Ubuntu and Debian based LXDE, Fluxbox editions, E17 editions, etc (assuming people build these different editions). I personally liked the community edition idea a lot better than the "all official" edition idea. I really like the idea have having some official editions and having lots of community editions.

[jcgr11]

I hope they would still continue Linux Mint LXDE...

I have Cinnamon installed, but it's a bit slow on my Eee PC 904...
or maybe because I am used to using LXDE so I anything slower is too slow

Although I like what they did with Cinnamon a lot, most of the time I like things simple and fast...

[usbtux]

...there might not be another lxde-version of Mint LXDE...

There is substance in being very good at a few things rather than mediocre at many.

Noooooooooo

[KBD47]

If it were me, and I wanted LXDE, I'd install it on top on Mint 13 MATE. That should give 5 years security updates and a very solid OS. I've installed LXDE onto Mint before with no issues, just use synaptic package manager.
kbd47

[247RDL]

If a framework is in place for fixes to be shared between editions, everyone's testing each other's stuff and everyone wins

[seppalta]

If it were me, and I wanted LXDE, I'd install it on top on Mint 13 MATE. That should give 5 years security updates and a very solid OS. I've installed LXDE onto Mint before with no issues, just use synaptic package manager.

I did this on a Mint 12 a few months ago and it worked very well. See http://douwil7.100webspace.net/linux/lubuntu.html for details and a list of removed items. Last night I started the process for Mint 13 Mate. So far it has really worked well, but I still have a lot of things to test. I'll report back in a few days as well as supplement the aforementioned Guide. It would be nice to get a good LXDE working on Mint 13 because it is long term, 64-bit and there apparently isn't going to be much further development of an LXDE edition from the Mint people.

[heavy metal]

apparently isn't going to be much further development of an LXDE edition from the Mint people.

That's too bad man, mint 12 LXDE is working very well on my PC, better than Gnome, KDE or Unity! The Applications works better too!

[gosa]

Last night I started the process for Mint 13 Mate. So far it has really worked well, but I still have a lot of things to test. I'll report back in a few days as well as supplement the aforementioned Guide. It would be nice to get a good LXDE working on Mint 13 because it is long term, 64-bit and there apparently isn't going to be much further development of an LXDE edition from the Mint people.

Music to my eyes!
(crossing my fingers for a happy ending of 5 years of stability)