Xubuntu has introduced a new slimmed down version of the main distro called Xubuntu Core.

Yes, one of the lightest of Ubuntu flavours has gone on a diet. (And no, it’s not related to Ubuntu Snappy Core.)

Xubuntu Core ships, surprise, the core Xfce desktop and selected extras to make it ‘look and feel’ like Xubuntu.

The rest of the stuff one might usually find pre-installed is cut out. No bloat, no frills, and no extraneous apps like media players, photo editors and even a web browser! You do a get the command line, so anything you need is but a tip-tap away.

“Xubuntu core will be a slimmed down version of Xubuntu that doesn’t come with all the additional features of a full and modern desktop,” the team say in the official announcement.

Official release ISOs of Xubuntu Core are planned for the 15.10 cycle.

Lightweight Linux Distro Goes on a Diet

The full version of Xubuntu 15.04 is distributed as a ~950MB ISO image. Big, large and full of all the stuff most people want and need from Xubuntu.

But it’s not perfect for all use cases.

Xubuntu Core images are around ~600MB. This makes it faster to download and able to fit on a regular CD.

These considerations could make Xubuntu Core an ideal choice for those with limited network connectivity, who use an older machine or want fair more control over their desktop experience.

Interested? Well, good news. Xubuntu Core is already available to install as of the most recent release, Xubuntu 15.04, by using the Ubuntu minimal install images (a tiny 33MB!)

How to Install Xubuntu Core 15.04

The recommended way to install Xubuntu Core 15.04 is to use the Ubuntu Minimal ISO. This is a network installer image that will downloads the packages it needs to install a desktop (instead of providing those packages on the disc).

For Xubuntu Core, this means booting the mini.iso and selecting the ‘Xubuntu Minimal Installation’ option listed in the text prompt.

If the Ubuntu Mini ISO base system is already installed (using the ‘cli’ command) then Xubuntu Core can be installed by running the following command in full:

sudo apt-get install xubuntu-core^

Community ISOs are also available. These have been put to together by an Xubuntu developer but are not “official” releases.

Download Xubuntu Core 15.04 ISO (Unofficial)