Ubuntu vs. Xubuntu Questions
 

so i like ubuntu, but i feel like it's a little bloated. then i checked out xubuntu's site, and i noticed that it can increase system performance because of the lighter desktop environment, but i had some questions.

- will it really be a significant performance jump going from ubuntu to xubuntu on new-ish hardware? (i can run ubuntu comfortably, but i'd like my linux to perform it's best)

- is it possible to change ubuntu to xubuntu without losing your setting and installed packages etc.?

- is there any difference in the complete-ness of xubuntu vs. ubuntu? or is it just as filled out with a more streamlined environment?

The difference between ubuntu and xubuntu on new(ish) hardware is tough to quantify. Say you're carrying 10 kilos of books while trying to walk 20 kilometers. If you reduce the weight of the books to 5 kilos, will you be able to walk faster? Probably you will, but will it make much of a difference? Benchmark it and see. My guess is it won't make a huge difference, but you will always see things performing slightly better under xubuntu due to the smaller resources XFCE should use compared to Gnome/KDE.

I don't use ubuntu myself, but changing from ubuntu to xubuntu is probably similiar to changing debian stable to testing or unstable. You would have to edit the apt sources.lst file, changing all the ubuntu to xubuntu, then do apt-get update and apt-get dist-upgrade. That could get ugly however. It would be cleaner to remove Gnome and replace it with XFCE, but I don't know if that might break some things. You should google that and/or wait for the advice of a buntu expert.

There is no internal software difference between any of the buntu family. The only difference is in the wrapper they come in. The core 90%+ of ubuntu, xubuntu, kubuntu is all the same programs. The X, K, or null before ubuntu just describes the wrapper on the box, not the present itself. Many people concerned with maximizing their performace use XFCE or others from the lightweight window manager group to minimize what their machine needs to do to run, and leave the most resources free for "work".

Peace,
JimBass

The only main difference is that Xubuntu uses XFCE and Ubuntu uses Gnome.

You should notice some performance increase, but probably not much. Gnome runs quite efficiently on a modern machine. Xubuntu includes similar packages to Ubuntu.

Xubuntu is part of Ubuntu - it uses the same repositories as Ubuntu. You can install Xubuntu using "sudo aptitude install xubuntu-desktop". You will be able to select either XFCE or Gnome when you boot your system.

--Ian

so would i select xfce or gnome after i've selected Ubuntu in GRUB?

when i run xfce like that is it running as Xubuntu or just Ubuntu in a different wrapper? and also, once i've done this can i remove gnome so i'm just running Xubuntu?

will it make a significant dent in my memory and performance to run like this?

which file to i download to install like this? do i get the whole iso?

Yes, after you tell grub to boot ubuntu it will give you your choice of gnome or XFCE.

As all the posters have told you, all the buntus are the same. The window manager is just a wrapper, and makes no functional difference to the buntu core. You could remove gnome, but why? Programs not being run don't hurt your computers performance in any way. With the size of modern drives, I doubt very much you particularly need the 800 Mb of space that gnome takes up.

It will not effect your performance in any way to have the option of both gnome or xfce. Only one can be run at a time, so they can't compete for resources.

IBall already gave you the command to install xfce ontu an existing Ubuntu system. You don't need a full iso unless you are installing some version of ubuntu for the first time on that computer.

Peace,
JimBass

Yes, you select your desktop environment (XFCE, Gnome, KDE) when you log in. After GRUB.

When you choose the desktop environment, it's as if the others aren't installed (sort of). It wouldn't do you much good to remove Gnome unless you're short on disk space. I run xubuntu, but I prefer k3b (a kde application) for disc burning and install that. In order to run it, some kde libraries need to be installed. So even though I'm running xfce, kde is partially installed (that's why the sort of above).

In short the only thing you gain by running xfce is a little performance. You gain a bit of disc space by removing gnome.

Well I just bought an Asus EeePC which has Xandros installed. I then installed a full xandros desktop enviorment. I wanted to know which should I get Xubuntu or Ubuntu. The computer 12 gb of space due to its small size. Please contact me at my email if possible marceloyanez111@gmail.com


Thanks
Happy Holidays!! :-)

On my P2-400mHz, 384MB memory haven't noticed much difference speed wise between xUbuntu and Ubuntu. Because networking with samba is easier I like Ubuntu and Gnome a little better.

Briefly used Xubuntu and found xfce desktop inferior to gnome. This may be because I am new to it but it seemed difficult to move between folders and search for files. As I have successfully used gnome on old machines (266 & 500) I would recommend staying with it.

Similarly I prefer samba networking and GNOME interface. However for some strange reason, I CANNOT detect WiFi networks using Ubuntu but works fine with Xubuntu when I run Xubuntu off the CD.

So I think the difference between the two is a bit more than just the user interface. Some of the network drivers might be different as well.

Any ideas on why my Wifi works on Xubuntu but not on Ubuntu?

The issue here is you are "running off the CD". There is no difference in the networking between any of the *buntu family, but the live CD has ndiswrapper installed, and the base install doesn't give you that functionality. That program can be installed on any of the *buntu, but if it is done by default, you still need to grab firmware to make the wireless NIC work. Depending on your particular wifi card, you may have kernel support, which for my money is far superior to using ndiswrapper. So check the results of 'lspci' and find what you need to get your wireless card working in linux. That isn't the fault of the type of *buntu you're using, you simply didn't have everything needed when you installed. Its like trying to use a wired NIC without the driver/module for it, it simply can't work.

Peace,
JimBass

This is not true. I did what you said, installing Xubuntu from my Terminal, and it now boots straight to Xubuntu. I do not get a choice. and so far, Xubuntu is running "buggily", with my mouse clicks often hanging badly. Yes, I rebooted; second reboot seems to be working better.

Machine: Sony Vaio PCG-FX36 (mfg. 2001)
Processor: Athlon 1.0 GHz
RAM: 512 Mb (max for machine)
*buntu version: Karmic Koala (Note: Lucid Lynx runs but slowly, needs another half-Gb of RAM to run right; Maverick Meerkat or later does not run, drivers not available for Unity)

Which leads me to ask,

(A) What am I doing wrong? or
(B) How do I *uninstall* XFCE?

I should know the answer to B but it eludes my frazzled brain right now.

I have read some things at wikiepedia inidicating that Xubuntu is little, if any, lighter than Ubuntu.

I have also read that Lubuntu is significantly lighter, especially in RAM requirements.

This thread is over 5 years old with less than 20 posts in that time. Xubuntu, and Ubuntu, have changed immensly in that time. While your response is accurate now, it has little bearing on the OP back in 2006.