by 
Linux Lite lead developer and maintainer Jerry Bezencon announced today the final release of the Linux Lite 5.6 distribution, a major update to this Ubuntu-based OS for home and office users mostly targeted at those who want to make the switch from Windows or macOS to Linux.
After several months of development, Linux Lite 5.6 is here based on the recently released Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS point release in the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa) operating system series, but it ships with the Linux 5.4 LTS kernel by default instead of its newer Linux 5.11 HWE (Hardware Enablement) kernel borrowed from the Ubuntu 21.04 (Hirsute Hippo) release.
However, Linux Lite users will be able to install any kernel they want from Linux 3.13 to the latest Linux 5.14 from the distro’s repositories. On top of that, the Linux Lite 5.6 release ships with Python3 as default Python implementation, the ability to install Linux Lite directly from the Lite Welcome tool, updated Help Manual and Papirus icon theme, new wallpapers, and various bug fixes.
In addition, Linux Lite 5.6 introduces two new features to the in-house built Lite Tweaks utility, such as complete support for the Brave browser for cleaning the cache and the ability to set it as the default web browser, as well as the ability to edit the GRUB boot menu to display the correct naming entry as “Linux Lite”, but this works only if Linux Lite controls the GRUB bootloader.
An important change in this release is the fact that the Linux Lite developers adopted a “Pay what you want” model for new Linux Lite downloads, similar to that of the elementary OS distribution, allowing the community to contribute money to the project. However, users should keep in mind that Linux Lite will always be free.
“This is a road I’d never thought I’d go down, but we have no choice,” said Jerry Bezencon. “Either we stagnate and accept the big G’s ever changing algorithms, or we boldly go where others have dared.”
If you want to use Linux Lite on your personal computer, you can download the Linux Lite 5.6 release right now from the official website. Existing Linux Lite users need only to upgrade their installations following the instructions from the release announcement.
Last updated 3 years ago
