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The upcoming Linux Lite 5.0 distribution now has a Release Candidate that you can test on your personal computer and get an early taste of the new features and changes.
Based on the soon-to-be-released Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa) operating system, Linux Lite 5.0’s biggest new feature is out-of-the-box support for UEFI computers.
This means you can now run Linux Lite on Secure Boot PCs. However, the developer recommends you disable Secure Boot before installing the distribution because “it’s a huge hassle to have it enabled.”
This release also brings a new Integrity Check feature that will ensure your computer is in good state. The checking is done during boot and can be canceled using the Crtl+C keyboard shortcut.
Moreover, the GUFW firewall app was replaced with FireWallD, which looks to be more configurable. Also replaced is the Leafpad app, as Mousepad is now the default text editor.
A new update notifier is present as well in Linux Lite 5.0, enabled by default, and the latest WhiskerMenu applications menu has been included and it features a new default sorting, showing Install Updates at the top of the Favorites list.
As far as the software selection goes, Linux Lite 5.0 will include two new apps, namely GNOME Paint and Xfce Screensaver, as well as Mozilla Firefox 75.0, Mozilla Thunderbird 68.7.0, LibreOffice 6.4.2.2, VLC 3.0.9, and GIMP 2.10.18.
The in-house built Lite Welcome and Lite User Manager apps have been updated to use the latest GTK 3 and Python 3 technologies. Also update is Lite Software, which now features Zim note taking app instead of CherryTree and Google Chrome replaces Chromium web browser because the latter is now a snap .
Under the hood, the distro is using Ubuntu 20.04 LTS’ Linux 5.4 LTS kernel. However, users will be able to install any other kernel from Linux 3.13 to the latest Linux 5.6 release if they need better hardware support.
Of course, there are many other smaller changes included in this release, such as dual architecture support, language choice on login screen, an OEM installer for retailers, new default wallpaper location, and new logout screen options.
If you want to give Linux Lite 5.0 a try, you can download the Release Candidate right now from the official website. However, please keep in mind that this is a pre-release version and it’s not recommended for use in production environments.
Image: Linux Lite/Jerry Bezencon
Last updated 4 years ago
