Learn how to – Top 10 Linux Desktop Distros Based on Ubuntu 22.04.
Canonical’s Ubuntu which is a potent child of Debian has succeeded in giving birth to a multitude of other projects out there and it is now official that Debian is a happy grand parent with a rich posterity. The Ubuntu desktop is by far the world’s most widely used Linux workstation platform, powering the work of engineers across the globe. Ubuntu Core sets the standard for tiny, transaction operating systems for highly secure connected devices.
This article digs into Ubuntu’s pedigree to find out the different kinds of offsprings and their various flavors. We shall look at the projects that are based on the new Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy Jellyfish).
1. Xubuntu 22.04
Xubuntu is a Canonical Ltd.–recognized, community-maintained derivative of the Ubuntu operating system. The name Xubuntu is a portmanteau of Xfce and Ubuntu, as it uses the Xfce desktop environment (which is stable, light and configurable), instead of Ubuntu’s GNOME desktop (Wikipedia)
Xubuntu team assure that it is perfect for those who want to make the most of their desktops, laptops and netbooks, featuring a modern look and enough features for efficient, daily usage. It works well on older hardware too. Xubuntu 22.04, codenamed Jammy Jellyfish (derived from Ubuntu 22.04), is a long-term support (LTS) release and will be supported for 3 years, from the time of release April 2022 until April 2025.
Features of Xubuntu 22.04
- Kernel: Powered by Linux Kernel version 5.15. Linux Kernel 5.15 brings support for new hardware and processors, support for exFAT filesystems, built-in support for the WireGuard VPN.
- Xfce 4.16: Comes with Xfce 4.16
- File Manager: Thunar 4.16.10
- Codenamed “Jammy Jellyfish”
- Support up to:supported with security and maintenance updates, until April 2025.
Accessories and applications
Xubuntu 22.04 comes with many default apps in a bid to fit the needs of users.
- GNOME Disk Utility 42.0
- Mousepad 0.5.8
- Greybird 3.23.1
- LibreOffice 7.3.2
- Thunderbird 91.8.0
- Snapd 2.55.3
- SGT Launcher 0.2.7
- Thunar File Manager 4.16.10
- Catfish 4.16.3: File search utility
- Firefox 99.0.1 (snap)
2. Kubuntu 22.04 (Jammy Jellyfish)
Kubuntu is an official flavour of the Ubuntu operating system that uses the KDE Plasma Desktop instead of the GNOME desktop environment (Wikipedia). It is a free, complete, and open-source alternative to Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X which contains everything you need to work, play, or share. The installation includes productivity, office, email, graphics, photography, and music applications ready to use at startup. It will continue to receive system updates for 3 years until April, 2025.
Features of Kubuntu 20.04
- Codenamed “Jammy Jellyfish”
- KDE Plasma 5.24 LTS: simple by default
- Kernel: Linux 5.15-based
- KDE Frameworks 5.92, KDE Gear 21.12.3 and Plasma 5.24 LTS
- FireFox 99
- Kubuntu 22.04 ships with Qt 5.15.3
- LibreOffice 7.3.2.2
- VLC Media Player version 3.0.16
- Digikam 7
Other applications
Elisa, the wonderful new music collection player from KDE replaces Cantata as its default. KDE connect has a major new feature release. Krita, Kdevelop, Digikam, Latte-dock, and many many more applications are updated.
More on Kubuntu
3. Lubuntu 22.04
Lubuntu is an official Ubuntu flavor which uses the Lightweight Qt Desktop Environment (LXQt). The project’s goal is to provide a lightweight yet functional Linux distribution based on a rock-solid Ubuntu base. Lubuntu provides a simple but modern and powerful graphical user interface, and comes with a wide variety of applications so you can browse, email, chat, play, and be productive.
Lubuntu is targeted at PC and laptop users running on low-spec hardware that, in most cases, just don’t have enough resources for all the bells and whistles of the “full-featured” mainstream distributions. Members of the team take care of LXDE and other packages that are part of Lubuntu.
Now onto Lubuntu 22.04, it is codenamed Jammy Jellyfish and is the 22nd release of Lubuntu, the fourth release of Lubuntu with LXQt as the default desktop environment. This distribution will receive updates for 3 years, that is until, April 2025.
Features of Lubuntu 22.04
- Codenamed “Jammy Jellyfish”
- Support up to: Lubuntu 22.04 LTS will be supported until April 2025
- Desktop Environment: Lightweight Qt Desktop Environment (LXQt)
- Installer: Lubuntu uses the Calamares 3.2.41.1 system installer
- Architecture: 64 bit support only
Applications and toolkits installed by default
- LXQt 0.17.0
- Qt 5.15.3
- Mozilla Firefox 98.0.2, which will receive updates from the Ubuntu Security Team throughout the support cycle of the release.
- The LibreOffice 7.3.2 suite
- VLC 3.0.16, for viewing media and listening to music
- Featherpad 1.0.1, for notes and code editing.
- Discover Software Center 5.24.4,, for an easy, graphical way to install and update software.
Find out more about Lubuntu here
4. Ubuntu Mate 22.04 –
Ubuntu MATE is an Open Source Linux distribution takes Ubuntu base operating system and adds MATE Desktop to come up with Ubuntu Mate. The MATE Desktop has a rich history and is the continuation of the GNOME 2 desktop, which was the default desktop environment on many Linux and Unix operating systems for over a decade. This means that MATE Desktop is tried, tested and very reliable.
Features of Ubuntu Mate 22.04
- Linux Kernel 5.15
- Native exFAT support and support for WireGuard VPN
- Ubuntu MATE 22.04 LTS will be supported until April 2025.
New Additions in Ubuntu Mate 22.04
- MATE Desktop 1.26.1
- Yaru Theme
- FireFox 99.0
- Celluloid 0.20
- Evolution 3.44
- LibreOffice 7.3.2.1
Find out more about Ubuntu Mate here
5. Pop!_OS 22.04
Developed and maintained by System76, a US-based Linux hardware company, Pop!_OS is an operating system for STEM and creative professionals who use their computer as a tool to discover and create. Unleash your potential on secure, reliable open source software. Based on your exceptional curiosity, we sense you have a lot of it.
Features of Pop!_OS 22.04
Auto-Tiling With Pop Shell
Auto-tiling helps you be both organized and efficient, and is especially convenient on large displays. When you open new windows, the OS takes care of slotting them in on the available space while you focus on the window you are currently working on. To make it even better, you can resize, move, launch and search using keyboard exclusively. If you have used i3 before, you will have a lot of fun using Pop!_OS 22.04.
Fawless Development Toolkits
Develop software out of the box with a vast array of libraries and tools at your disposal. Pop!_OS uses APT and Flatpak package management, meaning it’s easy to install, remove, and update all software on the OS.
Update on Your Terms
Pop!_OS provides the latest features and security patches through rolling updates and periodic OS version upgrades, to be performed at your discretion
Encryption out of the box
Pop!_OS encrypts your installation by default, and is the only Linux distribution that enables pre-installed full-disk encryption out of the box.
Below is a summary of what has changed in Pop OS 22.04;
- Linux Kernel 5.16
- Based on Ubuntu 22.04
- GNOME Shell 42
- GNOME Settings 41.4
- Firefox 98
- GNOME Terminal 3.43.9
- GEdit 41.4
Get more details about Pop!_OS.
6. Greenie 20.04
Greenie Linux is a Ubuntu-based Linux distribution hailing from Slovakia that is developed to befit e-book readers and writers. The latest release (Greenie 20.04) includes features of both Ubuntu 20.04 LTS repositories and Kubuntu using KDE Plasma desktop 5.18. Greenie 20.04 uses KDE which replaces its previous MATE desktop.
Since it targets readers and writers of e-books, Therefore, Greenie 20.04 comes with additional fonts with complete support for Slovak and Czech languages along with its language packages.
Features of Greenie 20.04
- KDE Plasma 5.18 LTS: simple by default
- Kernel: Linux 5.4-based
- KDE Frameworks 5.68 and KDE Applications 19.12.3
- Support up to:supported with security and maintenance updates, until April 2023.
- Architecture: 64 bit support only
7. Regolith Linux 1.6
Regolith is a modern desktop environment designed to let you work faster by reducing unnecessary clutter and ceremony. Built on top of Ubuntu, GNOME, and i3, Regolith stands on a well-supported and consistent foundation. All of you i3-wm lovers will be rocked by Regolith. Imagine the convenience, the swift, and awesome usability of i3 combined with GNOME. Your favorite shortcuts are still viable and your desktop will have the same tiles you are used to. This is what Regolith does:
- Combines GNOME’s system management features with i3-wm’s productive workflow.
- Enables new users a fast and fun way to try out a tiling window manager.
- Supports easy customization and ricing via a consistent Xresource configuration.
- Relies on Ubuntu’s app store and package repositories for a large, high quality selection of software.
- Built to be taken apart. Swap in UI components of your choosing easily.
- Ships with a toggle overlay of basic keybindings to make getting started easier.
- Provides a build script and package metadata
Remontoire app makes keyboard shortcuts (“keybindings”) easier
A new default theme, called Lascaille.
Find out more about Regolith Linux here
8. Ubuntu Budgie 22.04
Ubuntu Budgie is a community developed distribution, integrating the Budgie Desktop Environment with Ubuntu at its core hence a proud official member of the Ubuntu family. Whether you are using it on an old computer, or a powerful workstation, Ubuntu Budgie is adaptable to any device, keeping them fast and usable.
22.04 is a Long Term Support (LTS) release and is supported from April 2022 to April 2025.
Built-In Security: Ubuntu Budgie is designed with security in mind. Unlike operating systems that update only once a month, Ubuntu Budgie receives updates continuously.
Easy Migrations: Connect your accounts, sync your calendars and download your favorite apps. Ubuntu Budgie is your very own Operating System.
Pre-Configured Yet Flexible: Using Ubuntu Budgie provides you with the freedom to run a complete, full-featured operating system, pre-configured with most, if not all, of the applications you will need for your daily computing.
A summary of what is in Ubuntu Budgie include;
- Firefox browser (Snap)
- Budgie Desktop layout
- Budgie Welcome
- WhiteSur GTK+4 compatible version of Arc Theme
- GNOME 42 RDP
- Mesa 22
- No more Catfish
- The 22.04 Pi4 image is available
Base requirements include;
Ideal for computers with: 4GB or more of RAM
64-bit capable Intel and AMD processors
UEFI PCs booting in CSM mode.
Modern Intel-based Apple Macs
If you would wish to check out more about Ubuntu Budgie, click here
9. Ubuntu Studio 22.04
Ubuntu Studio is a free and open source operating system, and an official flavor of Ubuntu that is most widely used for multimedia-orientated projects in the world. This is a very different kind of spinoff with a lot of tools that I personally found quite alien to me. It comes preinstalled with a selection of the most common free multimedia applications available, and is configured for best performance for various purposes: Audio, Graphics, Video, Photography and Publishing.
Major Objective of Ubuntu Studio
The project aims to be a multimedia-oriented operating system configured to work out-of-the-box for multimedia applications and to be especially easy-to-use for the complex processes required by professional audio production while still being a good all-in-one studio for various creative types.
Features of Ubuntu Studio 22.04
- Kernel: Linux Kernel 5.15
- Support for 64 bit only
- Supported for 3 years (until April 2025)
- KDE Plasma 5.24
- Studio Controls v2.3.0
- Pipewire 0.3.48
- Blender v3.0.1
- KDEnlive v21.12.3
- Krita v5.0.2
- Gimp v2.10.24
- Ardour v6.9
- Scribus v1.5.7
- Darktable v3.6.0
- Inkscape v1.1.2
- Carla v2.4.2
- OBS Studio v27.2.3
- MyPaint v2.0.1
Ubuntu Studio makes available some of the most popular and recently updated audio software in the Linux world such as:
- Studio controls: for audio management and control
- Ardour: a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), suitable for recording, mixing and mastering.
- Carla: a virtual Audio Rack and Patchbay, otherwise known as a plugin host.
- Krita: animation and graphics drawing
- Scribus: an application that will let you creat professional PDF publications.
- Blender: a full fledged 3D content creation suite.
- Inkscape: a superb vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.
- GIMP: raster graphics drawing
- OBS Studio: used for app streaming
- MyPaint: just for simple drawing
- Darktable: a photography workflow application and RAW developer.
If you would wish to check out more and support Ubuntu Studio, click here
10. Ubuntu Kylin 22.04
The objective of the Ubuntu Kylin project is to create a variant of Ubuntu that is specifically suited for Chinese speakers across the globe, especially those without any experience using operating systems other than Microsoft Windows. Development is driven by a commitment to providing a simpler and more enjoyable experience out-of-the-box. The following features are associated with Ubuntu Kylin 22.04;
- Display of remaining charge time
- Anime teaching
- Light mode system setting
Below are a summary of what is in Ubuntu Kylin 22.04;
- Linux Kernel 5.15 LTS
- UKUI 3.1 desktop environment
- NTFS file system improved support
- (KSBMD) SMB3 file server
- Supports Intel 12th Gen CPUs
- AMD Zen 3 based APUs support
- ASUS ACPI support
- And a Merged Realtek RTL8188EU WiFi driver to replace older one
- Self developed Kylin apps
The project is found at Ubuntu Kylin
Learning Linux courses:
Conclusion
The flavors presented above distribute installation images that are curated groups of software packages to be installed over Ubuntu Core, producing unique computing experiences for users with specific needs. As it can be observed, users ranging from those with scientific interest to those who produce music and publish content are covered by the various spinoffs that concentrate on those areas of interest. It is now up to you to choose the one that suits your needs best. Otherwise, it has been a pleasure having you and we appreciate reading till the end.
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