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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">No two respondents are probably going
to give you the same answer. You're going to find a lot of 2-cent
currency in your pocket.<br>
<br>
My own 2 Cents: Don't worry about whether it's LTS. That's
overblown in my opinion. A Linux machine whose expiration date has
expired is still safer than an up-to-date Windows machine. Every
now and then some user at Ubuntu forums will pipe up, bragging
that he's still using 9.04 (dead and loving it), right before all
the nervous nellies start wringing their hands. Whatever... I say.
If you're going to use Xubuntu, I think it's worth getting the
latest refinements<br>
<br>
Beyond that, you know your friend better than anyone.<br>
<br>
Your subject header implies you're only considering Xubuntu, but
then you mention Gnome in the body of your message, so what
follows is my own experience doing (and having done) exactly what
you're doing.<br>
<br>
If they like the "looks" of Vista & 7, then they're probably
not going to like Xubuntu. Xubuntu is going to look like a cheap
knock-off of who knows what. Install the latest NetrunnerOS (KDE).
It's Ubuntu/Mint based and runs well on low end machines and is
gorgeous. It just works. No problem with the screensaver, for
example, and that can't be said of Xubuntu -- yet. Also, for all
the "lightness" of thunar, it's presentation is a pale shadow of
explorer/dolphin/nemo. I like Thunar, but sometimes find it too
Spartan.<br>
<br>
I would be careful recommending Gnome. That DE can be like wearing
a straight-jacket after the comparative freedom of Windows (let
alone Xubuntu). Sure, they have the Gnome Extensions Page, *if* it
works. Gnome is an incredibly frustrating DE in my experience,
unless you've drunk the Kool-aide (it's slick, plastic bling
not-withstanding). For the most part, it's their way or the
highway.<br>
<br>
To be honest, I might recommend the latest Mint 16:<br>
<br>
Clem has made some really impressive progress with Cinnamon (now
2.0). It now uses its own code base (no longer Gnome/version
dependent). Associating Mime types (unintuitive and missing in
Xubuntu) is vastly easier in Cinnamon 2.0. (I have a friend for
whom I installed Xubuntu a couple years ago -- a former Windows
user -- and the PITA which is file association in Xubuntu is a
feature he complains about -- I'll be installing Mint 16 for him
this coming month.) Also, where Xubuntu can look like it's stuck
together with chewing gum and band-aids, Mint presents a much more
cohesive experience. <br>
<br>
If your friend likes to tweak, tweak, tweak... then Xubuntu can't
be beat. Xubuntu is the most tweakable DE on Linux.<br>
<br>
Unity is kind of cool, but as with Gnome, it's their way or the
highway. All Unity desktops, in my opinion, look the same. On the
upside, Unity feels cutting edge, it works well on small screens,
but it's also a little dumbed down for my tastes -- user
management being an example (unless they've changed that). Unity
still doesn't feel as finished and cohesive as KDE or Mint (which
is surprising to me). One minute you'll be in bling-land, and the
next some dialog box from 1996 will pop up. If your friend likes
the old-school app-menu, then that also eliminates both Unity
& Gnome. Also, Ubuntu/Unity is a moving target in a way that
the other Distros aren't. They'll soon be moving to a completely
different display server, for example. So, with Unity, a
willingness to keep installing new versions is probably helpful.<br>
<br>
There's always Bodhi, but (subjective opinion) the Enlightenment
Desktop has always struck me as blingy in all the wrong ways.<br>
<br>
Good luck. :)<br>
<br>
<br>
On 11/20/2013 07:13 AM, Ali Linx (amjjawad) wrote:<br>
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<div>Tell you the truth, I am a bit confused as what
Ubuntu Based System shall I go ahead and install
on these machines? these two laptops aren't Low
Hardware Machines so any Ubuntu Flavour should do
the job.<br>
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I was thinking about using Xubuntu because, IMHO, I
think it would be a good choice for a Windows User. He
has never used Linux before :)<br>
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However, I am not too sure which release do you
recommend? I was thinking about 12.04 because it is an
LTS release but what do you recommend?<br>
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