19 Oct

Lubuntu 17.10 (Artful Aardvark) released!

Thanks to all the hard work from our contributors, Lubuntu 17.10 has been released! With the codename Artful Aardvark, Lubuntu 17.10 is the 13th release of Lubuntu, with support until July of 2018.

What is Lubuntu?

Lubuntu is an official Ubuntu flavor based on the Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment (LXDE). The project’s goal is to provide a lightweight yet functional distribution. Lubuntu specifically targets older machines with lower resources, but also runs great on newer hardware. Along with a simple but usable graphical user interface, Lubuntu comes with a wide variety of applications chosen for their small footprint so you can browse, email, chat, play, and be productive.

Where can I download it?

On the Ubuntu cdimage server, we have images for the following architectures:

  • amd64 (commonly referred to as 64-bit)
  • i386 (commonly referred to as 32-bit)

The release notes are here if you wish to read them. We have left out some notes that are common to all flavors, so read the Ubuntu release notes if you wish.

What’s improved since 17.04?

  • We now ship with Linux Kernel 4.13.
  • General bug fix release as we prepare to switch to LXQt.
  • LXDE components have been updated with bug fixes.
  • The artwork has received an update.
  • The latest release of Audacious, 3.9, is included by default.
  • Hardinfo has been updated to the latest upstream snapshot.

System Requirements

Lubuntu is a good operating system for many old computers, but not for all of them. Some computers have too little horsepower or memory. A rule of thumb is that the computer should not be more than 10 years old (although some older computers are known to work as well).

  • Memory (RAM): for advanced internet services like Google+, YouTube, Google Drive, and Facebook, your computer needs at least 1 GB of RAM. For local programs like LibreOffice and simple browsing habits, your computer needs at least 512 MB of RAM.
  • Processor (CPU): the minimum specification for CPU is Pentium 4 or Pentium M or AMD K8. Older processors are too slow and the AMD K7 has problems with Flash video.

How do I get support?

We recommend that you email the lubuntu-users mailing list. Send an email to lubuntu-users AT lists DOT ubuntu DOT com.

If you prefer IRC, our support channel is #lubuntu on freenode IRC. If you don’t have an IRC client, click the link in the earlier sentence, type in a nickname, press start, state your question and press Enter to speak. If your question is not answered right away, stick around, and if you don’t get an answer, email the lubuntu-users list.

How do I contribute?

We always need more help! If you would like to contribute, head over to our Getting Involved page. If you have any questions about contributing, please join #lubuntu-devel on freenode or email the lubuntu-devel mailing list at lubuntu-devel AT lists DOT ubuntu DOT com.

Known Issues

For known issues, please see the release notes.

Lubuntu Next

Alongside Lubuntu 17.10 featuring LXDE, the Lubuntu Team is proud to announce an early adopter’s release of Lubuntu Next, featuring the LXQt 0.11.1 Desktop Environment, which is the Qt 5 port of LXDE. While this release is available to install using the links below, we do NOT recommend that people use it in production unless they are aware of the somewhat critical bugs associated (which are more than 10 at the point of writing this). It also wouldn’t be a bad idea to be in contact with us as well. A rule of thumb is that if you do not know what we are talking about, don’t install it quite yet.

You can install Lubuntu Next by using the links available on the cdimage server or by using the Minimal ISO for 17.10 and selecting the Lubuntu Qt desktop.

Connect With Us

If you would like to connect with us on various platforms, we have several ways to stay in touch.