I found out that xubuntu spams users including me, which to me is a no go.
I’m looking for a linux based ad free distro that lets me work with libreoffice, vlc, tbb, transmission, okular, pdfarranger, hexchat, gimp and ocr.
I’m going to use it to edit text, watch movies, download multimedia, chat and edit audio with audacity.
it’s not going to be a server and I’d like to work with the terminal as much as possible. At the same time, I’m a newbie.
How do you mean they are spamming?
Mint is a good alterative. It has an xfce edition.
OP answered this in another comment: They are getting prompted to sign up for Ubuntu Pro whenever they upgrade.
Ubuntu what now
Pro
Linux Mint Xfce Edition should be right up your alley.
Just use Debian. Why use the inferior downstream distros when you can go right to the OG? You are already halfway there.
Debian doesn’t have a corporate sponsor so there is no risk of getting spammed or giving someone your personal information.
There is a reason there are tons of Debian distros. They all make a difference.
They do have corporate sponsors. It just that the corporate sponsors do not want to see ads anymore than you do. They are have strong community leadership that is powered equally.
just go stock debian xfce, keep it simple.
It’s what my 70 year old mother is perfectly happy with for several years since I told her to drop lubuntu.
install flatpack +flathub f you want even more app convenience.
MX > stock
Would you mind elaborating?
I’m aware that MX works on a lot of excellent GUI tools that are shipped with it. Which is great, but perhaps necessary; because they ship a systemd-less distro. Which, in the end, might cause more work than it should. (I’m aware this is in part caused by software just assuming that systemd is installed by default.) And while I think it’s a noble endeavour to maintain a relatively easy systemd-less distro, I don’t think it’s enough to justify a recommendation to a relatively new Linux user. Would you mind sharing your thoughts on this?
sysVinit is only the default, it comes with systemd as well.
The tools are useful no matter the init system, and make life easier, especially for beginners.
In essence MX is just Debian with tools to make desktop use easier.
TIL. Thank you!
This is the answer. Current stable Debian already has the latest release of Xfce (4.18); and for recent gui apps there’s flatpak.
For packages like syncthing you can enable official apt repos to get the latest versions.
Other packages for which the latest versions are desirable though the flatpak versions get a bit too finicky (like vim & emacs), you can compile from source. It’s not hard, even for a newbie.
@merompetehla Linux Mint XFCE is basically the same thing as Xubuntu, except without Canonical’s bad proprietary decisions like snaps. It’s much more of a drop-in replacement than, say, Debian.
If you are using Xubuntu 22.04, it should be possible to switch without reinstallation, as Linux Mint and Ubuntu are binary compatible as Mint uses Ubuntu’s repos and only adds Mint-specific packages in its own repo.
Have you tried that?
No, but somebody else has done it and it is basically like the standard procedure for switching between releases.
I think they are just referring to the Ubuntu pro ads.
This is not spam. If you have random outdated packages from the universe repo on your system it will tell you that they would ALSO offer support for those if you get Ubuntu pro.
Maybe too often, idk. But Linux Mint will “fix” this by also running these old maybe insecure packages but not even offering security fixes.
People need to step down their weird Linux-entitlement horses, and get that Free Software is not free as in free beer.
Can I ask what you consider “spamming ads” to be? That could be relevant to suggesting alternatives.
I need to use one of these https://github.com/Skyedra/UnspamifyUbuntu not to get an invitation to join ubuntu pro each time I upgrade.
this never happened before. To me this is invasive, but otherwise it has worked well so far.
according to the github readme, you can just run
sudo pro config set apt_news=falseto disable thoseif you have things set up the way you like on xubuntu, it’s maybe worth it to just do that rather than start fresh
thats just a short term fixes too though. the ads will get more intrusive and annoying. and at some point pro ads will just turning themselves back on. because this is a company and it wants to sell things.
Afaik you will get this message because you use Ubuntu LTS. Which ships outdated, “stable” packages.
The solution is not just silencing that message and continuing to use them, but some way to get updates OR security backports for them.
Who needs stable anyway. We all should just use Arch. (Not an excuse Ubuntu showing ads)
Edit: this is a joke
We all should just use Arch.
This is the way.
Apparently I need a /s
I mean, I did get the joke.
Stable means randomly cut off package updates.
Continuous testing and integration is the best way for normal usage. With the iterations “bleeding edge” “fresh” “slightly tested” and “tested”
I disagree
Fedora works way better than Arch ever will and requires much less upkeep
Yes but Fedora is semi-rolling, something in the middle. This is about Ubuntu LTS, a traditional LTS version that cuts off packages on some random version.
This should really only be done if
- The programs have a supported LTS/ESR version (Linux Kernel, Firefox, Thunderbird…) (btw GNOME, Chromium etc. dont have one)
- The packagers have a lot of time, the users pay money and the packagers actually make those versions as bug free and secure as possible, while keeping the feature freeze
Ubuntu is trying to do 2. but have this separation in there to get money.
I would use Debian way before I would use Ubuntu. If 3 years of support isn’t enough I would use something RHEL
So if one wanted to run Arch but were of a similar opinion to you, then they could run Manjaro, which is also a semi-rolling release distro. It’s just on the monthly cadence.
Everyone has their opinions on distros. Doesn’t mean any one opinion is wrong.
Debian Stable
Mint XFCE
Lots of xfce distros. My favorite is Zorin Lite
Any software that is in the Xubuntu repositories will also be available in other Ubuntu derivatives, and most likely Debian and all its derivatives as well. Only the official spins are likely to advertise Ubuntu Pro.
Mint XFCE is a good replacement, but I’m also partial to KDE Neon, which keeps preinstalled software to a minimum and is by far the most performant KDE distro I have tried. I myself use regular Debian, with KDE, though you can choose XFCE during the install.
Do you have any thoughts on KDE neon vs kubuntu? I’m looking to get back into daily driving Linux after a multi year break
I haven’t had much experience with Kubuntu, but I do know it has more preinstalled apps, slightly older versions of those apps (where KDE Neon has the latest version of every KDE app the day it releases), but slightly newer non-KDE apps in the non-LTS releases, and is more beholden to Canonical’s decisions, such as advertising Ubuntu Pro during upgrades or forcibly installing some programs as snaps. Kubuntu might hold your hand a bit more under certain circumstances, while KDE Neon keeps things simpler, but the difference in ease of use is not that significant, especially if you have any experience with Linux in the last ten years or so.
Cool ty. Advertising is a non starter for me so it sounds like KDE neon is the way to go. I also prefer a more minimalist approach (but not at the cost of stability) so that seems like a better fit too.
I would advise taking either fedora or Mint KDE spins. The KDE 6 update was hard scuffed on Neon, and I take that as pretty strong evidence that their test infrastructure is not mature enough.
This sort of event would be totally unacceptable to me on a system I needed to use.
Oof. Thanks for this. Looks like Tuxedo OS might be the best of both worlds
i just installed it about a week ago and it’s been good to me. used arch for years but i’m tired of fixing random shit in updates
Btw, OP, I foresee a switch to Linux Mint Xfce Edition. Please consider writing about your experiences in which you compare Xubuntu to Linux Mint Xfce Edition. Thanks in advance!
@merompetehla
With that question only gonna get you people likes.
If you can explain what do you need in the system and what do you need it for, the answers would be much betterLinux mint
PeppermintOS everything you need and nothing you don’t. Debian based with extra on top. Runs on 2gb ram , fast. Click install and setup but all the terminal stuff you want.since everyone mentions mint , it was a while since I used it. Felt bloated , perhaps better now. I stil say peppermint even for someone coming directly from Windows
Pop OS?
Good but also a little buggy and resource intensive
