LINUX: Linux Lite - viable 1st Linux alternative for XP and Vista users

[40hz]

The good folks over at Linux Lite have just announced the release of version 2.0 beta of their already fine distro which is geared up for first time Nix users and reluctant refugees from Windows XP and Vista.



Based on Ubuntu LTS releases, the goal is stability, ongoing software support, a familiar interface, and high out-of-box usability. System requirements (700Mhz CPU/512Mb RAM/5Gb disk space/VGA 1024x768) are very modest and should run smoothly on anything Windows XP is currently running on.. If you're interested in seeing what this whole Linux thing is all about - or you're reaching the point where you have to move off Windows XP for whatever reason, this is an excellent distro to at least try out.

Here is a quick overview of the current v1.0.8 stable release:

Look for more information on Linux Lite here.

(Note: the homepage does not seem to be working correctly. So if you have trouble navigating the site, just return to www.linuxliteos.com/linuxlite.html. The tour and other pages don't appear to have this problem.

The 688MB 32-bit ISO can be directly downloaded from here.

[rgdot]

 

Thanks

[Stoic Joker]

Posting From Linux Lite running in Hyper-V on Windows 8.1




...I can't really say I'm excited about it, but it does at least run. It also appears to have some native provision for the Hyper-V extensions as it's not capturing the mouse and forcing me to break it out with a hot-key when I transition from guest to host.

 

[40hz]

It also appears to have some native provision for the Hyper-V extensions as it's not capturing the mouse and forcing me to break it out with a hot-key when I transition from guest to host.

-Stoic Joker (May 16, 2014, 01:48 PM)

That is really interesting. Maybe I'll ask the maintainers if they did do something with that.

And no...I'm not excited about it that much either. But I've been at this for a long time and very little in the Linux world is so "Oh wow man!" that It'll make me want to blow off the rest of the day and go party.

That said, I do like this little distro. It works and has just enough "enough" to be genuinely useable, easy for a newcomer to get their head around, and simple (for closet BOFHs like us) to support if we had to.

For what it is, I think it's actually a nicely balanced little penguin.

[Deozaan]

A requirement of 1024x768 rules out my netbook. )c: It's a measly 1024x600.

[40hz]

A requirement of 1024x768 rules out my netbook. )c: It's a measly 1024x600.

-Deozaan (May 16, 2014, 02:53 PM)

I don't know how hard and fast that requirement is. An older version (v1.0.4) of Linux Lite was demoed on a 1024x600 Dell Netbook and it seemed to be fine with it.

Since it ships as a live CD it's easy to try on whatever you want to use prior to installation.

--------------------------------------

@Deo - ADDENDUM: Just dropped over to their IRC channel and one of their devs (Valtam) confirmed 1024x600 screen res should work just fine on all LL releases to date.

[lanux128]

my netbook, MSI Wind U100 only appears in the archived H/W Database for version 1.0.6. does that mean the newer 1.0.8 won't run on my netbook? just want to clarify before taking the leap.

[40hz]

my netbook, MSI Wind U100 only appears in the archived H/W Database for version 1.0.6. does that mean the newer 1.0.8 won't run on my netbook? just want to clarify before taking the leap.

-lanux128 (May 17, 2014, 11:24 PM)

I specifically asked about the new v2.0 beta. Valtam said they all should be fine at 1024x600. I can't personally vouch for it because I don't own a netbook to test it on. Their IRC is on Freenode - #Linuxlite.  Why not drop by with your specifics and chat with them? Or visit their support forum here.

Again, it's a "live" CD -so you can run it without installing it first. That's always a good idea no matter which distro you're interested in.

[lanux128]

I specifically asked about the new v2.0 beta. Valtam said they all should be fine at 1024x600. I can't personally vouch for it because I don't own a netbook to test it on. Their IRC is on Freenode - #Linuxlite.  Why not drop by with your specifics and chat with them? Or visit their support forum here.

Again, it's a "live" CD -so you can run it without installing it first. That's always a good idea no matter which distro you're interested in.

-40hz (May 18, 2014, 02:23 AM)

thanks for the reply! since they're on Freenode, i will drop by and have a chat there.

the thing with netbooks is i can't use the "live cd". instead i have to go the "live usb drive" route which is a hit and miss with some of the thumb drives going undetected at boot-up but that's a story for another topic.

[Deozaan]

Mine is also a MSI Wind, but it's a U120. I just installed Linux Mint Petra XFCE on it a month or two ago when XP was officially unsupported. It seemed to run really well for a day or two, but now is sluggish even though I don't think I installed anything since when it was still running pretty well. So maybe I'll try this Linux Lite as a Live USB.

[bobc4012]

What will be the killer for XP users is it won't run on non-PAE processors (Intel M series - including Celerons which were popular on many laptops). Depending upon the particular "M" series processor, "ForcePAE" may or may not work, but an XP (or Vista) user won't know about that option during boot! Most likely scenario is they try it, the system hangs (no explanation), they go to some Linux forum, be told they had a bad download (or to "F" off with their ID 10T error), get discouraged and end up buying a new Windows 8 machine (Win. 8 does not support non-PAE either)!!!

Unfortunately, too many are spouting off that Linux will run better on old H/W that Windows - until one encounters an older non-PAE H/W. BTW, Linux Mint DE (Debian Edition) does handle non-PAE H/W and also has "rolling updates" so there is no requirement to re-install every time one wants to update to the next release.

[40hz]

^The single biggest challenge I've seen Mint Debian users run into is wifi support. Not so much on modern laptops. But on older ones (especially with non-builtin wireless) it's an absolute showstopper for the new user.

Now that Mint's main releases will all use LTS versions of Ubu as their base going forward, the rolling update feature of the Debian edition becomes less a factor. Especially for users who prefer rock solid stability over getting the "latest & greatest" - most of which is just stability and bug fixes anyway..

[bobc4012]

I agree wi-fi can be a problem. However, I have yet to find  a distro that can handle my Broadcom wi-fi card successfully. I have an old Acer laptop and it has the Broadcom IN2220. Going back to Ubuntu 6.4 and all the following releases, none will support that card. As I mentioned, other distros I have tried also fail. Fortunately, it has a PCI slot and I have found a Netgear adapter that works. But even trying a Netgear USB WG111 adapter, I had a problems. NDISwrapper will install it and it may work once or twice and then fail. I also picked up a couple of Linksys adapters (PCI slot) and have yet to get the "500 to work and the "300" is hit and miss. Interestingly, I have an even older Toshiba that had no wi-fi but does have a PCI slot too. All the adapters work in it without using NDISwrapper, including the USB adapter.

I have done a lot of googling on that Broadcom card and it seems to be a major problem for others too. There have been "fixes" posted, but they are also "hit and miss".  A lot of success seems to depend on who makes the PC/laptop.

As for the rolling releases, it is no different than running updates on other distros. The point is that there is no need to re-install and spend time re-installing and reconfiguring a lot of applications. I even had my home directory in another partition and a couple of times running Ubuntu (back around 8 or 9) and it didn't pan out. I ended up having to re-install everything again, which is a royal PITA!

My Acer has a Celeron "M" series chip (non-PAE). Linux Mint 14 and later plus later releases of Ubuntu and other current distros won't run on it. As I posted previously, "forcepae" didn't work either.

[Tuxman]

Oh, neat, another Linux whose devs misunderstood that Linux is not meant to replace anything.

[40hz]

I have yet to find  a distro that can handle my Broadcom wi-fi card successfully. I have an old Acer laptop and it has the Broadcom IN2220. Going back to Ubuntu 6.4 and all the following releases, none will support that card. As I mentioned, other distros I have tried also fail.

-bobc4012 (May 28, 2014, 02:56 AM)

Had similar problems in the past - and also had the best luck with Netgear CardBus cards. In my case the laptop I was using had a weird problem where the card wouldn't be recognized if it was plugged in when I booted up. If I waited until I had a desktop and then plugged it in, it would work just fine - except it would sometimes unexpectedly quit on large downloads. If I logged out and back in, it (usually) started up again. If it didn't (maybe one time out of ten or so) I'd need to shutdown, remove the card and do the "restart and wait for the desktop before inserting" bit again. ifup/ifdown (even with the --force option) wouldn't work at all once the card quit. And modprobe was no help either to fix or identify what the real problem was. But...if the card was running, the ifup/ifdown commands did work as often as you'd care to toggle it. Definitely some oddball combination of hardware, timing, and (probably) driver issues.

Never did get to the bottom of that one.

[40hz]

UPDATE: Version 2.0 is now finalized. From the announcement:

Release Announcement

Linux Lite 2.0 Codename 'Beryl' is now available for download.

This build is the work of 4 months of constant development and the implementation of the best ideas from the team and the wider community. This also marks the beginning of our own repositories for our custom software so that changes and improvements to the operating system can be offered regularly. Now Lite User Manager, Lite Manual, Lite Software ( Install Additional Software and Remove Additional Software) and Lite Fix can evolve more easily to meet the needs of the user.

In this release we wanted to combine the newest versions of well established and supported software like LibreOffice, VLC, Wine and Gimp so that people have access to the latest features in those programs. In Linux Lite 2.0 you get the carefully crafted combination of current software in certain programs on top of a stable operating system. We think this is the happy medium people are looking for between long term support whilst also having 'the newest stuff'. <more>

LINUX: Linux Lite - viable 1st Linux alternative for XP and Vista users

Full release announcement with screenshots here.

[zridling]

Love their choices of software. Well worth recommending to friends.

[Stoic Joker]

Okay, so I have LL2.0 x86 running in a Hyper-V VM on Windows 8.1, and have installed all the updates. So Far, so good ... But two things are bugging me:
  1. How do I get rid of the Floppy Disk icon on the desktop.
  2. What are my chances of getting the sound working? The system seems to think it is playing sounds. Youtube video made virtual audio level meter bounce ... But no (noise comes out) sound can be heard.

[40hz]

1. How do I get rid of the Floppy Disk icon on the desktop.

-Stoic Joker (June 05, 2014, 02:31 PM)

in the desktop setting cpanel deselect 'show mounted volumes' should remove it unless the Hyper-V does something weird that confuses LL.

2. What are my chances of getting the sound working? The system seems to think it is playing sounds. Youtube video made virtual audio level meter bounce ... But no (noise comes out) sound can be heard.

-Stoic Joker (June 05, 2014, 02:31 PM)

Chances should be pretty good. Check sound and make sure nothing is muted. (Which I'm guessing you probably already have.)

If still problematic, the Pulse Audio Volume Control will give you full control of your playback streams and available devices. Check the playback, output devices and configuration panels. The help manual has a section on sound configuration too.

LINUX: Linux Lite - viable 1st Linux alternative for XP and Vista users

FWIW I really dislike PulseAudio. I much preferred using ALSA for sound.

If none of the above get it to work, it's likely something with Hyper-V and your real hardware. Or LL getting confused about what Hyper-V is telling it.

Does sound work booting off a DVD or flash drive? That would help identify where the problem is occurring.