Difference Between Ubuntu and Xubuntu

Ubuntu vs. Xubuntu

Ubuntu is an operating system which takes its name from the Zulu and Xhosa meaning – ‘humanity towards others’. Its nomenclature directly correlates to the operating system’s design, as an open and free source software – meaning that users are allowed to use, study, change, and improve the design of the operating system as they see fit. The focus of the system is usability and ease of installation. Its vast array of software packages is distributed under a free software license, allowing its constituents the opportunity to continue to develop the software, and improve it for its users.

Xubuntu is a permutation of the Ubuntu software. It is a combination of the Xfce (Xforms common environment) and the Ubuntu operating system. The system’s goals are identical to those of the Ubuntu program – to provide an easily installable and usable operating system. This permutation uses Xfce as the graphical desktop, and has an added focus of utilising a low memory footprint.

Ubuntu was meant to be a fork operating system – meaning that it was developed independently to allow for multiple branches of the system in the future. Originally, the creators wanted to release a new version of the Ubuntu technology every six months, meaning that the system would be continuously updated. Xubuntu was intended to be released at the same time as the 5.10 Breezy Badger version of Ubuntu; however, work was stalled and incomplete at the time of Ubuntu Breezy Badger’s release. Xubuntu updates are released every two years – their release coinciding with Ubuntu update releases. Thus, Xubuntu uses the same version numbers and code names as Ubuntu.

The main focus of Ubuntu is usability. As a means to ease the installation process, the Ubiquity installer makes it possible for the Ubuntu system to be installed to the hard drive from the Live CD environment – eradicating the need to restart the computer to complete the installation. Its system requirements also connote user ease -supporting Intel x86, AMD64, and ARM architectures. Xubuntu also allows for easy installation; however, there are two options for installation – one disc requires 192 MB of RAM, while the other only requires 64 MB of RAM.

Summary:

1. Ubuntu is an operating system which takes its name and theme from the Xhosa meaning ‘humanity towards others’; Xubuntu is a combination of the Xfce and Ubuntu systems.

2. Ubuntu updates are released every six months; Xubuntu updates are released every two years in conjunction with Ubuntu update releases.

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