Megaupload seized by feds. All my hard work is now lost forever.

I predicted a while back that the feds would soon seize Megaupload and effectively send all my hard work down the memory hole.

Well, my prediction has come true.

Gone forever is XXCE 2.2.3, XXCE 4.1, XXCE 5.0, XXCE 6.0, XXMCE, UNEX 1.0, UNEX 2.0, UNEX 3.0, UNEX 4.0, LXCE 1.0, and LXCE 1.5.

However, don’t fear. UNEX and LXCE will live on, thanks to dedicated web hosting from HostGator! Work will soon begin on LXCE 2.0 as well as UNEX 5.0.

As a result of this development, this will be the final post on this blog. Please visit http://www.xxcelinux.com from now on.

XXCE Linux website is now up!

After several months of planning, the XXCE Linux website is finally up and running!

http://www.xxcelinux.com/index.html

Release announcement: LXCE 1.5

LXCE 1.5 is available!

LXCE 1.5 is a customized remaster of Lubuntu 11.10, featuring extra software, enhanced multimedia capabilities, and web apps.

Featurs include:

• Linux kernel 3.0.0-13-generic
• All software/security updates to December 4, 2011
• Ubuntu One
• Banshee with Ubuntu One Music Store plugin
• GIMP
• Skype
• Classic game console emulators (ROMS and BIOS files not included)
• Google Chrome
• Thunderbird
• Brasero
• Sound Juicer
• Ristretto image viewer
• Oracle VirtualBox 4.1.6
• VLC 1.1.12
• and much more

Unfortunately, LXCE 1.5 is too large to fit on a CD, so you will have to burn it to a DVD, USB flash drive, or SDHC memory card.

Look for LXCE 2.0 in April 2012!

To download LXCE 1.5, click here.

Coming soon: LXCE 1.5

I am currently working on LXCE 1.5!

LXCE 1.5 is a customized remaster of Lubuntu.11.10 with everything that comes with a standard LXCE/XXCE release.

This OS is ideal for those with older hardware or for those with newer hardware but wanting a super-fast and reliable OS.

LXCE 1.5 will be too large to fit on a CD, so you will need to burn the disc image to a DVD, USB flash drive, or a SDHC memory card.

As with LXCE and XXCE, LXCE will come with Google Chrome.

Stay tuned for a release announcement!

Release Announcement: LXCE 1.0

I am proud to announce the immediate release of LXCE 1.0!

LXCE 1.0 is a special customized remaster of Lubuntu 10.04 LTS. This means that LXCE 1.0 will be supported with software and security updates until April 2013!

LXCE is the successor to XXCE Linux. LXCE features all the multimedia goodness and the web apps from XXCE.

Features include:

• All software and security updates to November 28, 2011
• All multimedia codecs from ubuntu-restricted-extras and xubuntu-restricted-extras
• libdvdcss2, w32codecs, lame, faac, faad, and flac
• Google Chrome replaces Chromium
• Thunderbird replaces Sylpheed
• xchat removed
• Skype
• Downloader for X
• GIMP
• Ristretto
• Classic console emulators SNES9X, Stella, VisualBoyAdvance, GFCEUX, and GENS/GS; NOTE: No game ROMS or BIOS files included.
• Brasero
• Sound Juicer
• Rhythmbox – including Shoutcast plugin
• Ubuntu One, including the Ubuntu One Music Store plugin for Rhythmbox

And surprisingly, all this goodness fits in just 683 MB! Yes, LXCE 1.0 can be burned to a CD and used with older desktops and laptops which have a CD-ROM drive but no DVD drive!

Because of issues with Megaupload, I am hosting LXCE 1.0 on Wupload. If the Megaupload issues are resolved, I will upload to Megaupload and edit this post to add a Megaupload link.

I will not be doing versions of LXCE based on Lubuntu 10.10 or Lubuntu 11.04. I plan on working on LXCE 2.0 when Lubuntu 12.04 LTS comes out; it will be supported for 5 years. In the meantime, I may do a version based on Lubuntu 11.10 as LXCE 1.5.

To download LXCE 1.0, click here.

Blast from the past: Linux Mint 5 Fluxbox Cloud

This is one of my earliest works. This was a customized remaster of Linux Mint 5 Fluxbox Community Edition given the XXCE treatment. This is for archive purposes only, as neither Linux Mint 5 nor Ubuntu Hardy – upon which Linux Mint 5 was based – are supported on the desktop.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EAHLKPH9

Stop Online Piracy Act, and what it could mean to my projects

If the Stop Online Piracy Act passes, I may have to shut down all my projects (XXCE, UNEX, LXCE) for the following reasons:

1. My derivatives include multimedia codecs (MP3, MP4, AVI/DIVX/XVID) and encrypted DVD playback which cannot be legally offered for free in the United States.
2. I cannot afford dedicated web hosting. I do this on my free time and use a free blog to post links to my work, and I use Megaupload to host my files. If SOPA passes, there is a strong chance that Megaupload will be blocked in the United States, which is where I live.
3. There is also the strong possibility that because Ubuntu offers the aforementioned illegal multimedia codecs on their vast software repositories for free, the SOPA could be used to block all Ubuntu websites from being accessed in the United States. If this were the case, I would no longer be able to download Ubuntu or to use their software repositories.

If SOPA passes, it could mean the end of not only my Linux projects, but Linux in the United States period.

XXCE + Lexie OS = LXCE

I have decided that now is the time to revive the Lexie OS project, and I am currently working on the first version of  what is now known as LXCE!

LXCE 1.0 goes back to the lightweight roots of XXCE, using Lubuntu 10.04 LTS as the base. LXCE 1.0 will include Google Chrome (Chromium OS is removed), Thunderbird, tons of multimedia enhancements, Rhythmbox (including the Ubuntu One Music Store plugin and a Shoutcast plugin), Brasero, GIMP, and Ristretto.

Tons of extra wallpapers will also be added.

LXCE 2.0 will most likely be basded on the forthcoming Lubuntu 12.04 LTS. However, I may do a separate version – LXCE 1.5 – based on Lubuntu 11.10.

Stay tuned!

XXCE Linux is discontinued.

With all my work being concentrated on the UNEX series, I am discontinued the XXCE series.

I am extremely proud of my work with XXCE. I will always be fond of my work on XXCE, especially XXCE 2.x. XXCE 2.3 will be the pinpoint of the XXCE series, as it delivered not only on excellent multimedia support, but also on the wide variety of web apps which opened right up in Google Chrome.

When I started the XXCE series, Firefox was the default browser. But as I became a fan of Google Chrome, I felt that Chrome needed to be the default web browser. I don’t regret the decision to replace Firefox with Chrome one bit. In fact, all my releases of UNEX include Google Chrome!

Thanks to everybody who downloaded and used XXCE Linux!

Right now I will be concentrating on UNEX. But in the future, I would love to develop a new lightweight OS for those who loved and used XXCE Linux.

 

Coming soon: UNEX 4.0

I am remastering the UNEX 4.0 ISO as we speak!

UNEX 4.0 is the latest in the UNEX series. UNEX 4.0 is a remaster of Ubuntu 11.10.

UNEX 4.0 includes:

• all software and security updates as of October 26, 2011
• all multimedia codecs from ubuntu-restricted-extras
• Google Chrome
• GIMP
• Skype
• Pidgin
• Broadcom wifi support

UNEX 4.0 also includes the Unity 2D interface for those whose video hardware does not support Unity 3D out of the box.

A release announcement will come later today. Stay tuned!