Linux Lite 5.8 is now available as a stable release to continue the trajectory of this famous Ubuntu derivative, aimed at running on less powerful computers and at the same time being friendly to the average user. To achieve its goal, it uses Xfce as its desktop environment, a classic when you want to reduce the “execution weight” of the Linux operating system.
Linux Lite 5.8 is based on Ubuntu 20.04.3, the last supporting release of the current LTS, so the derivative should provide good compatibility with third-party software available for the Canonical distribution. Otherwise, most of the changes are cosmetic or just updates to common components and applications, such as Firefox, which in the system image comes in version 96 and will obviously be updated.
The current version comes pre-installed with Neofetch for basic computer and system information, and Mintstick, a Linux Mint tool for creating bootable USB operating system devices and formatting USB keys for use as external drives.
As for aesthetic changes and improvements, the Papirus icon theme has been updated and nine new wallpapers created by the project’s resident artist have been added. On the other hand, the Lite Widget, which is based on Conky, received a syntax update by reprogramming.
Otherwise Thunderbird 91.5.0, LibreOffice 6.4.7.2, VLC 3.0.9.2 and GIMP 2.10.18 can be updated via PPA or some universal package format. The default kernel is 5.4 LTS, which can be officially changed to 3.13 or 5.16. Since Linux 5.4 has been around for over a year, it is probably a good idea to install 5.16 if you have very fresh hardware. It is important to note that despite its focus on modest hardware, Linux Lite has not offered 32-bit support for some time.
All the details about Linux Lite 5.8 are published on the official distribution forums, which also have things like upgrade instructions, system requirements and UEFI support issues, and the system itself can be obtained from the corresponding download section on the project’s official website.
