[axytol]

As a fellow alternative Ubuntu user, one additional difference is the LTS support schedule which is shorter for Ubuntu alternatives. For example, Xubuntu 24.04 is supported until 2027, while Ubuntu 24.04 is supported until 2029.

Interestingly, as I understood it, when a release such as Xubuntu goes out of support it does not stop getting updates that are not specific to that respective flavor, so in a way you still have some indirect support, but feels a bit like a gamble.

[karmakaze]

One could install Ubuntu and `sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop` then tweak from there.

[zaikunzhang]

Good point. My strategy is to buy a new laptop (Thinkpad X1 Carbon) every one or two years and install the latest LTS of Xubuntu, so that a 3-year support is long enough for me.

Over the years, I have developed my notes and scripts to configure quickly a newly installed Xubuntu system on a new computer, so that everything works in the same way as on my old computer. Since I stick with the same brand of laptop (Thinkpad X1 Carbon), I do not feel any difference after the configuration, except that the computer becomes more powerful. I do not want to spend my time on adapting myself to a new system or a new computer.

Buying a new laptop so frequently may sound a bit expensive. It is indeed not if you spend so much time on your laptop as me. A more powerful laptop means that I can finish my work (e.g., numerical experiments) in (much) less time. In this sense, my life is prolonged. This is the only case I know that a common person can effectively trade an affordable amount of money for a longer life, as I often tell my students.

[hnarn]

If you’re ever feeling adventurous, I would suggest trying out Debian with XFCE instead of Xubuntu. I recently migrated and even though the installation isn’t as pretty, I find both the installation and the distribution itself to be much more stable and lightweight without sacrificing any important functionality.