Today, August 12, 2016, Lubuntu Linux maintainer Simon Quigley has announced the long-awaited move: the switch from the traditional LXDE interface to the modern LXQt desktop environment. This decision has been eagerly anticipated by many, and it’s a major step forward for the popular lightweight Ubuntu flavor. LXQt, which is based on the latest Qt technologies rather than GTK+, is seen by many as the future of lightweight Linux desktops. In fact, some predict that it will eventually replace LXDE altogether, making it even more essential for distributions to make the switch to LXQt sooner rather than later.
According to Quigley, “The Lubuntu team is ready to begin the migration process to LXQt, and one of the first steps is getting an image ready. We have prepared the lubuntu-qt-desktop metapackage and are now ready to create an image.” This means that Lubuntu 16.10 (Yakkety Yak) might be built on top of LXQt, and if all goes according to plan, it could become the default interface for Lubuntu 16.10.
For a long time, the Lubuntu team was hesitant to make the switch from LXDE to LXQt because the desktop environment was still in development. However, the latest version, LXQt 0.10.0, is now considered the most stable release, and development is ongoing to make it even better. With the development cycle of Lubuntu 16.10 underway, now is the perfect time for the transition to LXQt.
Following the announcement, the Lubuntu developers will be working on creating the first Live ISO images of Lubuntu with LXQt for public testing. These images will be put together as soon as the merge proposals from Canonical’s Adam Conrad are accepted. As always, we will keep you updated on the progress of the merge and the migration to LXQt. Stay tuned for more exciting news from Lubuntu!
