Review: Xubuntu 23.04
Microsoft's decision to make millions of computers obsolete with Windows 11 left those with Windows 10 boxes in a quandary: what to do with a machine that otherwise worked?
Install Xubuntu, of course.
In this case, the latest release, Xubuntu 23.04 - code named Lunar Lobster. And it did all I hoped it would do - revive an ancient computer, a Dell Optiplex desktop (with an Intel Core 2 processor, no less) that I bought used a decade ago to play Windows games on.
Lunar Lobster runs more quickly and with less lag than the machine did under Windows 10. Booting is still slow (about 70 seconds), but the Snap version of the Firefox browser works more or less efficiently. And, and even at its worst, Firefox is much better on Lunar Lobster than it was under Windows 10. That was so tedious that I sometimes went to the kitchen to get coffee while it was loading.
Most of the annoyances, in fact, had little to do with Xubuntu. The machine doesn't have wireless, so I had to scrounge a drawer to find a wi-fi dongle that was old enough to be compatible. Plus, the numlock key doesn't turn off after booting, which is apparently a common problem with hardware this old.
Otherwise, it's perfectly fine, and I would have no problems running it as my daily driver.