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From LXDE.org

LXDE
Developer	The LXDE Team
First released	2006
Latest preview version	0.3.2.1
Release date and age	2009-01-26
Frequently updated	yes
Programming language	C, GTK+
Platform	Cross-platform (Linux, BSD)
Language	Multilingual (more than 35 different languages)
Status	active
Genre	Desktop environment
License	GNU General Public License, LGPL
Website	lxde.org
Download	download.lxde.org

LXDE, Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment, is a desktop environment which is lightweight and fast. It is designed to be user friendly and slim, while keeping the resource usage low. LXDE uses less RAM and less CPU while being a feature rich desktop environment. Unlike other tightly integrated desktops LXDE strives to be modular, so each component can be used independently with few dependencies. This makes porting LXDE to different distributions and platforms easier.

A good starting point is the General Information page, where you find information on system requirements and compatibility. You also find an overview of distributions including LXDE with installation instructions, plus more general installation instructions, information on LXDE components and our future plans on the wiki. More about LXDE on the lxde.org website, the LXDE blogs, and in the LXDE forum.

Here is a complete LXDE setup guide from the creator of LXDE.

LXDE Components

See also status of LXDE Components

• PCManFM, is a fast and lightweight file manager with features like Drag & Drop support, tabbed browsing (Similar to Firefox), Built-in file searching utility, fast load of large directories, File association support (Default application), Thumbnail for image files, Bookmarks support, correct handling of non-UTF-8 encoded filenames and more
• LXLauncher, an easy-mode application launcher
• LXPanel, desktop panel. The panel can generate a menu for installed applications automatically from *.desktop files. It can be configured from GUI preference dialog, and there is no need to edit config files. The component provides a "Run" dialog with autocompletion.
• LXSession, a session manager. The LXSession manager is used to automatically start a set of applications and set up a working desktop environment. Moreover, the session manager is able to remember the applications in use when a user logs out and to restart them the next time the user logs in.
• LXSession Edit, an edit manager for session management. The window manager in use in LXDE can be changed, the tool offers the ability to turn on disabled applications.
• LXAppearance, a theme switcher. You can change the theme, icons, and fonts used by applications easily.
• Leafpad, a text editor
• Xarchiver, archiving
• GPicView, an image viewer. GPicView features lightening fast startup and intuitive interface.
• LXTerminal, a terminal emulator
• LXTask, a task manager / system monitor
• LXNM, a lightweight network connection helper daemon for LXDE supporting wireless connections (Linux-only)
• Openbox, a window manager and obconf
• LXRandr, a screen manager. Manages screen resolution and external monitors.
• LXShortCut, an easy way to edit application shortcuts
• LXMusic, a minimalist xmms2-based music player
• LXDE Common, the default settings configuration file for integrating the different components of LXDE. LXDE Common manages the system behavior and functions to integrate icons and artwork.
• GtkNetCat, a Graphic User Interface for netcat. Netcat provides system functions as a computer networking utility for reading from and writing to network connections on either TCP or UDP.
• Menu-Cache now moved to libexec
• LXInput, a config tool to configure your keyboard and mouse under LXDE
• lxde-settings-daemon, configures theme, keyboard and mouse for you. (works with lxinput config tool)
• LXDM, a lightweight display manager
• LXMenu Data, a collection of files, intended to adapt LXDE menus to the freedesktop.org menu specification

How to install LXDE with different Linux distributions

Please use the installation page as your starting point.

How to customize LXDE

• Change keyboard layouts
• Automatically start some applications
• Change window manager in LXDE
• How to get Folders, Files and Icon Launchers on the Desktop
• How to start applications on specific desktops
• How to add entries to the menu
• How to set hotkeys

more in the category How tos

LXDE Design Principles / Guidelines

• If only several simple APIs of another big library are needed, try to extract them and add them to your program instead of depending on the whole library whenever possible.
• Only use libraries from other desktops when they are small or efficient enough and have few dependencies.
• Only create a daemon if there is a really good reason.
• Basic configuration options of applications should be editable via GUI whenever possible.
• Keep the user interface simple and intuitive. Never design some geek-style GUI.
• Consider the conventions of both GNOME and Windows, and try to follow the habit of most users. Do not deliberately make the GUI quite different only because you want to be different from Windows. Usability is always the top one concern. Windows might not be good in some areas, but like it or not, most computer users in the world get used to it. Trying to fight your users is apparently unwise.
• Try to shorten the startup time since this greatly affect user experience.
• Try to keep maximum compatibility with lower gtk versions (gtk 2.6 is preferred). Try to make features requiring higher gtk versions optional with proper conditional compilation and compatibility macros.Gtk version can be check in C program like this:

#if GTK_CHECK_VERSION( 2, 10, 0 )
    /* write some gtk 2.10 specific stuff here */
#endif

More on LXDE Design Principles

How to join the LXDE team

Development

Please check out the LXDE source code from our git repository at sourceforge.

 git clone --verbose git://lxde.git.sourceforge.net/gitroot/lxde/PROJECT

Each project needs to be checked out alone by replacing PROJECT with one of the project names found on

 http://lxde.git.sourceforge.net/git/gitweb-index.cgi

SVN is no longer used but still available in read only mode.

 svn co https://lxde.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/lxde/trunk/ lxde

How to write plugins for LXDE

• How to write plugins for LXPanel

Publish free content about LXDE with our friends

	Commons Upload your freely licensed media - photos, screenshots, audio, videos, interactive content to the commons project and tag it LXDE		Wikinews Grab LXDE Press Releases and write LXDE news for the free-content news resource on the net		Wiktionary Translate and script the name of LXDE into other languages
	Wikibooks Write a free LXDE textbook or manual		Wikiversity Publish a free course and other learning materials about LXDE		Wordpress.com Set up a blog with the free and open source blog cms Wordpress and start writing about your experience with LXDE
	Wikipedia Write entries about LXDE or help improve pages about LXDE and its components on the biggest encyclopedia of the world		Creative Commons Publish your research papers content about LXDE using a free license of the Creative Commons Project		Jamendo Write a song about LXDE and publish it under the free art license at Jamendo

LXDE Wiki in other languages