Xfce & Xubuntu 2018 Year In Review
January
News
Major Releases
MenuLibre 2.1.4 introduced some useful new features to the popular menu editor, including a Test Launcher button to try out a launcher before saving and the Parsing Errors dialog to easily identify menu configuration issues.
Other Notable Releases
Catfish 1.4.4 (performance and error handling improvements)
Xfce Timer Plugin 1.7.0 (GTK+ 3 port and UI improvements)
The Parsing Errors dialog in MenuLibre simplifies menu cleanup and debugging.
February
News
Major Releases
Exo 0.12.0 was the first stable Xfce 4.14 release for the Xfce application development library. The new release included support for both GTK+ 2 and 3, and added Brave, Geary, Google Chrome, and Vivaldi to the natively supported application defaults.
MenuLibre 2.1.5 expanded it’s support of desktop environments. With this release, MenuLibre’s powerful menu editing options are available for Budgie, GNOME, KDE Plasma, LXDE, LXQt, MATE, Pantheon, Unity, and Xfce.
Other Notable Releases
Thunar 1.6.14 (stable bugfix release)
Thunar 1.7.1 (development bugfix and feature release)
Thunar Media Tags Plugin 0.3.0 (GTK+ 3 port)
thunarx-python 0.5.1 (Python 3 documentation fixes)
Xfce PulseAudio Plugin 0.3.5 (improved device and media player management)
Xfce Terminal 0.8.7 / 0.8.7.1 (bugfixes and new configuration options)
xfce4-volumed-pulse 0.2.3 (GTK+ 3 port)
March
News
Major Releases
MenuLibre 2.2.0 was finally released with an expansive list of improvements. Expanded desktop environment support, easy window identification, launcher testing, and parsing error reporting are just a few of the key improvements.
Parole Media Player 1.0.0 included playback performance updates, automatic video output selection, and improved podcast and live stream support. The new Mini Mode reduces the player to a small window that simultaneously stays out of the way and in reach.
Xfce PulseAudio Plugin 0.4.0 introduced device management and MPRIS support to the audio management plugin. Available input and output devices can be selected from the plugin menu, immediately moving streams to the new device. MPRIS support adds media player controls for supported applications.
Xfce Settings 4.12.2, 4.12.3, and 4.13.2 improved multi-monitor support for both stable and development releases. The mouse cursor can now be shown with the press of a key, configurable with the Xfce Settings Manager.
Other Notable Releases
LightDM GTK+ Greeter 2.0.5 (improved defaults and theme support)
Thunar Shares Plugin 0.3.0 (GTK+ 3 port)
Tumbler 0.1.33 and 0.2.1 (bugfix releases)
Xfce Indicator Plugin 2.3.4 (fixed builds with Xfce 4.14 development libraries)
Xfce Notifications 0.4.2 (improved stability and several bug fixes)
Xfce Terminal 0.8.7.2 and 0.8.7.3 (bugfix releases)
The Xfce PulseAudio Plugin makes it easy to manage devices and play your jams.
April
News
Xubuntu 18.04 Community Wallpaper Contest winners were announced
Xubuntu 18.04 was released! I featured some screenshots here.
Major Releases
Xubuntu 18.04 “Bionic Beaver”, an LTS release supported for 3 years, was released with 32-bit and 64-bit downloads available. This release included some new desktop applications: Some MATE components replaced their GNOME counterparts for improved desktop consistency; Xfce PulseAudio Plugin replaced the Sound Indicator; and the Xfce Notifications plugin, featuring a new Do Not Disturb mode, was added to the panel.
Other Notable Releases
Parole Media Player 1.0.1 (translations)
Thunar 1.6.15 and 1.7.2 (bugfix releases)
Xfce PulseAudio Plugin 0.4.1 (translations)
Xfce Verve Plugin 1.1.1 (GTK+ 2, translations and feature release)
Xfce Verve Plugin 2.0.0 (GTK+ 3 port)
Xfce Whisker Menu Plugin 2.1.6 and 2.1.7 (translations and bug fixes)
The results of the Xubuntu 18.04 wallpaper contest were exceptional.
May
This was the first month I started published monthly news roundups. For an in-depth look at May’s development progress, check out the June Development Update.
News
New Xubuntu Testers Wiki Pages, written by the testers themselves, were announced
The last of Xubuntu’s repositories were migrated from Bazaar to Git
The codename for Ubuntu 18.10, “Cosmic Cuttlefish”, was announced
Kubuntu, Ubuntu Budgie, Ubuntu Kylin, Ubuntu MATE, and Ubuntu Studio announced that they would no longer provide 32-bit ISOs for 18.10 and forward
I chatted about Xfce and Xubuntu on Destination Linux and Late Night Linux Extra
Notable Releases
Xfce CPU Frequency Plugin 1.2.0 (GTK+ 3 port)
Xfce Screenshooter 1.9.2 (various enhancements and dropped Zimagez support)
Xfce Sensors Plugin 1.3.0 (bug fixes and code quality improvements)
Xfce Panel 4.13.3 (bug fixes and usability improvements)
Xfce Terminal 0.8.7.4 (bugfix and feature release)
Xfce Whisker Menu Plugin 2.2.0 (performance and usability improvements)
June
Major Releases
Thunar 1.8.0 and 1.8.1 were the first stable GTK+ 3 releases of the Xfce file manager, offering major usability and developer-friendly improvements. The pathbar now includes navigation buttons and a much tidier location selector. GObject Introspection for Thunar’s plugin library makes it possible to develop plugins in a number of programming languages.
Xfce Settings 4.12.4 and 4.13.4 featured improvements to display manufacturer recognition. The mappings were updated and various manufacturer names were simplified for better screen real estate. 4.13.4 introduced Xrandr display scaling, making it possible to scale the X display and all applications.
Other Notable Releases
Exo 0.12.2 (performance improvements and support for the latest GCC)
libxfce4util 4.13.2 (support for Vala bindings and improved documentation builds
Mousepad 0.4.1 (bugfix release)
Ristretto 0.8.3 (Port to GDBus and various bug fixes)
Thunar VCS Plugin 0.1.90 (GTK+ 3 port)
Xfce Desktop 4.13.2 (support for the Thunarx-3 API and various bug fixes)
Xfce Dictionary 0.8.1 (appearance improvements)
Xfce Task Manager 1.2.1 (bug fixes and a new –start-hidden commandline flag)
Xfconf 4.13.5 (bugfix release)
A comparison of Thunar’s old and new pathbar. Image credit: Andre Miranda (see link to Thunar 1.8 release announcement)
July
News
Catfish and Xfce Panel Profiles became official Xfce projects
Major Releases
Xubuntu 18.04.1, the first point release in the Bionic Beaver series, became available. At this time, users of a prior release should have received an upgrade notice. This release included several stability and performance improvements.
Xfwm 4.13.1 included a massive amount of updates, including a full port to GTK+ 3 and various fixes. This component is one of the critical pieces of the Xfce 4.14 release, so it’s great to see it humming along.
Other Notable Releases
Catfish 1.4.6 (improved thumbnailer and various bug fixes)
Thunar VCS Plugin 0.2.0 (GTK+ 3 port)
Xfce Mount Plugin 1.1.3 (translation updates)
Xfce Panel Profiles 1.0.8 (bugfix release)
Xfce Whisker Menu Plugin 2.2.1 (bugfix release)
Xfwm 4.12.5 (bugfix release)
August
Notable Releases
Mugshot 0.4.1 (bug fixes and code quality improvements)
Xfce Appfinder 4.13.1 (bug fixes and usability improvements)
Xfce Screenshooter 1.9.3 (bugfix and feature release)
Xfce Session 4.13.1 (numerous bug fixes and code quality improvements)
September
September & October Development Roundup
News
Elementary Xfce 0.13 switched to Manila folder icons, following upstream
Notable Releases
Thunar 1.8.2 (bugfix release)
Tumbler 0.2.2 and 0.2.3 (bug fixes and performance improvements)
Xfce Battery Plugin 1.1.1 (bug fixes and appearance improvements)
Xfce Cpufreq Plugin 1.2.1 (bug fixes and appearance improvements)
Xfce Weather Plugin 0.9.0 (GTK+ 3 port)
elementary Xfce’s Manila folder icons headline September’s development updates.
October
September & October Development Roundup
News
Major Releases
Xubuntu 18.10 “Cosmic Cuttlefish” featured a number of appearance updates and Xfce 4.14 components. Our icon theme, elementary-xfce, was updated with new manila folder icons and optimized, resulting in a smaller install size and improved performance. Many more GTK+ 3 Xfce applications were included.
Xfce Screensaver 0.1.0 (and 0.1.1) was announced as a new screen locker and screensaver for Xfce. This application is a port of MATE Screensaver, adapted to tightly integrate with the Xfce desktop. It shares theming with LightDM GTK+ Greeter to guarantee a consistent login and lock experience for users of both.
Xfce Settings 4.13.5 featured the new display profiles: saved multi-monitor layouts that are automatically applied when a new monitor configuration is detected. This works with multi-monitor layouts as well as switching a laptop to use only the external display when connected.
Other Notable Releases
Exo 0.12.3 (bug fixes and appearance improvements)
Gigolo 0.4.90 (GTK+ 3 port)
Xfce Clipman Plugin 1.4.3 (bug fix and appearance improvements)
Xfce Notifications 0.4.3 (bugfix release)
Xfce Sensors Plugin 1.3.90 (bug fixes and appearance improvements)
Xfce Whisker Menu Plugin 2.3.0 (bug fixes and appearance improvements)
November
Major Releases
Xfce Screensaver 0.1.3 is the first beta release of the new Xfce Screensaver. It features an expanded configuration dialog, better support for X11 Screensaver and XDG Screensaver, and fully documented functionality. With a focus on improved code quality, contributors should have a much easier time with the project going forward.
Other Notable Releases
Xfce Screensaver 0.1.2 (bugfix release)
Thunar Volume Manager 0.9.1 (bug fixes, appearance improvements, and Blu-Ray media support)
Xfce Dictionary 0.8.2 (bug fixes and appearance improvements)
Xfce System Load Plugin 1.2.2 (bug fixes and appearance improvements)
Xfce Screensaver is compatible with all Xscreensaver themes.
December
News
Lubuntu and Xubuntu announced that they will no longer ship 32-bit ISOs for Ubuntu 19.04 and onwards. Ubuntu 18.04 will continue to be supported for the 3-year LTS support window.
André Miranda published The Ultimate Contributor’s Guide to Xfce, which is definitely a worthwhile read for new and existing contributors.
Notable Releases
Garcon 0.6.2 (bugfix release)
Xfce Appfinder 4.13.2 (bugfix release)
Xfce MPC Plugin 0.5.1 (bug fixes and appearance improvements)
Xfce Task Manager 1.2.2 (bug fixes and usability improvements)
Cheers to 2019
Look out for Xfce 4.14, we’re so close! Keep an eye out for more updates in the coming months.