LXDE Blog

The First Alpha Release of LXDE-Qt (or LXQt) is in Preparation

Since the merge of the LXDE and Razor-Qt teams in July 2013, there has not been any releases to the public. After months of works, the merged product is in a good shape now. It’s quite stable and usable. So we are discussing about the possibility to make the first alpha release for the long awaited DE. The exact date of the release is still under discussion, but we will do it as soon as possible. Since it’s an alpha release, which means it’s for early testers and developers interested, please do not expect too much. Things are expected to be broken and some parts might still need some polishing. For example, translations are not done yet. They will be done before the final release of LXDE-Qt (or LXQt).

p.s.: If someone is willing to help test it on FreeBSD, please let us know.  🙂

PCMan

15 responses to “The First Alpha Release of LXDE-Qt (or LXQt) is in Preparation”

  4. Will there be arm releases of lxqt? On the Ubuntu ppa its only currently x64 i386 .. I would love to test on my arm systems

  5. I have very high expectations for this project, I hope you do not lose the lightness that characterizes to LXDE and separates it from the rest of desktops …
    It would be very good also that add the other components of LXDE in its respective Qt version, including: LXInput, LXTask, LXAppearance, etc… and do not forget LXTerminal and Leafpad!!! I know it’s hard work, but I think it will be worth it widely.

  7. For lxtask replacement, please try qps, which is much more powerful than lxtask. There is no need to re-invent the wheel.

  8. LXQt will still be relatively lightweight. I say relatively because it’s a little bit heavier than the gtk 2 version. However, since gtk+ 3 won’t be lighter and gtk+ 2 is dying, Qt is a quite reasonable choice.
    For leafpad replacement, please try juffed.
    For lxtask, please use qps.
    For lxterminal, qterminal is as good.
    There are existing good Qt alternatives so let’s not waste the development resources there.

  9. @Zoidberg
    Yes!! Qterminal is a good alternative 🙂

    Hi PCMan 🙂 , you’re right in what you say, but I meant to include the tools of LXDE (ported to Qt) is in the long term, once the desktop is really stable and consolidated.
    According to what I read it seems that Qps is an abandoned project, it is useful for now, but I think would healthier adopt it or make a port of LXTask in Qt.
    Best wishes and thanks for make LXQT (Or LXDE-Qt) real.

    PD: Sorry for my bad English

  10. @Zoidberg
    Yes!! Qterminal is a good alternative 🙂

    Hi PCMan 🙂 , you’re right in what you say, but I meant to include the tools of LXDE (ported to Qt) is in the long term, once the desktop is really stable and consolidated.
    According to what I read it seems that Qps is an abandoned project, it is useful for now, but I think would healthier adopt it or make a port of LXTask in Qt.
    Best wishes and thanks for make LXQT (Or LXDE-Qt) real.

    PD: Sorry for my bad English.

  11. Hi PCMan,
    As you said, the release date is under discussion, but can you speculate if it will be ready some time before October, to be used by Lubuntu 14.10? No hurries of course, just asking. Keep up the good work!

  12. I hope when a decision is ultimately made in regards to the desktop name that it will be the shorter LXQt rather than the awful LXDE-Qt moniker.

  13. I would like to suggest a more friendly name for the project.
    LXDE-Qt is a nice acronym for the tech savvy, but not for the rest of users. A different name could help the project to get more exposure, including more volunteer work.

    KDE already uses extensive branding, its UI its now called Plasma for example, is a word taken out of context for the purpose of branding. The same applies to Time magazine, which show on top on google search. The same for Ubuntu.

    Now the project is fusing with razor-qt, i can say:

    1) “Razor” this fits the principle of taking a word out of context for branding, and also is very simple, pronounceable word (unlike el ex de e). But it suffers from the same problem the word Time faced, need to build momentum using complementary techniques to gain a spot in peoples mind (as a magazine) and search engines.

    2) “Razor-X” or “Razor X” fits the catchy part, and its more search friendly.

    3) “Razor DE” is both catchy and descriptive, at least for those aware of what DE means in context, and is also closer to a “fusion of both names (lxde-qt & razor-qt)”

    4) “Razor Desktop” this is even more descriptive, for KDE the full name is also “Plasma Desktop” is a little longer than the others so its not as catchy and simple. It depends on which tradeoff to choose.

    I think the best is number 4, since it have the big plus that a search already shows razor-qt.org in the topspot, but what do you guys think?

    Source: Brand Leadership by David A. Aaker & Erich Joachimsthaler

    PS: PCBSD its working on its own Qt-based-DE from scratch, looking and learning from it could prove beneficial.

  14. Hi PCMan!
    I have some question. You plan doing Debian package for your release?
    With the best regards, nicholas.