LXLE 14.04.1 (64bit)

LXLE is based on Lubuntu which is an Ubuntu OS using the LXDE desktop enviroment. It is designed to be a drop-in and go OS, primarily for aging computers. Its intention is to be able to install it on any computer and be relatively done after install. At times removing unwanted programs or features is easier than configuring for a day. Our distro follows the same LTS schedule as Ubuntu. In short, LXLE is an eclectic respin of Lubuntu with its own user support.

What is a Respin?

A respin is a remastered version of a major Linux distro tailored for a specific purpose or group.

OS Philosophy

Stick with LTS only releases of Ubuntu to ensure hardware & software support.
Based on Lubuntu Linux to ensure a fast capable desktop for aging computers.
Keep desktop and other major software updated to the latest stable version.
Provide a complete drop in and go replacement for XP, Vista, 7 Starter/Basic.
Cover most users everyday needs by providing an excellent set of default apps.
Add useful necessary mods and tweaks, to improve performance & functions.
Develop a beautiful modern looking intuitive desktop for anyone to use easily.
Save system resources and spend them wisely on capable, feature rich apps.



The official release of the incremental update to LXLE 14.04 and 12.04 has undergone minor changes and a few bug fixes which is as follows:

Panel and menu layout adjustments were made to encourage checking for updates in addition to the automatically installed security updates.
Gnome 2 (G2) Paradigm has been corrected, in the last release an oversight of the bottom panel was not transparent by default, now fixed.
Bash has been updated with all the latest security adjustments available.
Desktop Pager has been updated to allow movement of programs between active desktops and show icons of open windows.
32bit 'printscreen' keyboard omission/error has been corrected to reflect the 14.04 version.
64bit double network icon in the panel was fixed as well, this was due to a upstream bug in nm-applet and lxsession.
BlueTooth pairing bug fixed and updated through the LXLE PPA.
Arista Trancoder issue corrected using backported gstreamer codec.
Brightness control has been updated to auto config per machine.
Additional monitor settings tool to better support stubborn hardware.
uTox, a tox client, replaced Linphone to provide an easy to use/private alternative to Skype. It was also backported to support 12.04.5.
BitSync was replaced with Syncthing (now pulse) to provide an opensource alternative to cloudless file sharing among devices.
PhotoPrint was added to provide a quick easy way to print photos which garners some nice image tools to customize different print options.
SystemBack was added allowing users to back up their desktop, create a custom version of their system and a way to go back to previous states of the OS.
Editor note: xZoom is a strange zoom tool provided with LXLE, to use it simply 'click and hold' within its window and move your cursor to any area you want to zoom in on, this was a common question.
All system software and end user software has been updated to their latest stable version.
LXLEs' only official social networking platform Diaspora has been given the official Domain name TechTyranny.com which is used as a tech news post focussing on the shadier side of todays technical landscape.

UEFI is still unavailable by default, which currently has three reasons for the lack of support.

LXLE is geared for aging computers, many of which didn't have any UEFI boot process to begin with making the necessity, at least for now, a moot point.
I simply don't have a machine with UEFI in which to test/build an ISO with native support of the boot process. Most likely UEFI will be addressed in 15.04.
And most importantly; Many claim UEFI and Secure Boot are two different processes and while technically true consider the following. Linus Torvalds quote“… the problem with UEFI is that it actually superficially looks much better than the BIOS, but in practice it ends up being one of those things where it has few real advantages, and often just a lot of extra complexity because of the ‘new and improved’ interfaces that were largely defined by a committee.” Microsoft will be requiring that all Windows 8 devices have the hardened boot, which means a certificate-signed operating system is the only thing that will run on such a system. You can’t replace the UEFI system on the device with other, unencrypted, firmware. If all parts of the chain need to have a CA signature, then swapping out a machine’s signed UEFI layer with, say, an unsigned BIOS or UEFI would not work.
So to me, for the most part anyway, they are one in the same at least as far as supporting it is concerned since most PCs are still built with Windows in mind. Currently distributions have to pay Microsoft for a special certificate to boot, in essence getting paid for Linux installs. Plain UEFI support however is planned for future releases.

Lastly, LXLE will be sticking with torrent only downloads which is a decentralized open source choice that was heavily influenced by Crunchbang. There is nothing wrong or inherently bad about using torrents vs direct downloads, plenty of questionable software is hosted on a server. Torrents receive a bad rap because many choose to use it for piracy, that's not the fault of the protocol that's the fault of users in general. Considering the size of the LXLE ISO it also makes technical sense since downloads speeds are far greater than with traditional direct downloads.

As a final note, release doesn't mean bug free, perhaps close but never perfect as proven often.