On March 10, Bento Openbox was released in an updated and improved version, localized in English as well as in French . This means there are now 2 different editions available in the download area.
The main difference we can notice is the removal of the language selection at startup (which was no longer working), and once the desktop is launched live, everything is already in English for the En version.
Apart from that, all components have been updated, and a few minor additions that have been made, including a localization package for the Smplayer multimedia player.
Built on the Ubuntu Openbox Remix 22.04 LTS version, available on the download page, here it is, arriving right on January 1st, 2025! If necessary, be sure to read this article on methods for downloading a disk image containing a system and verifying the file’s integrity after downloading.
We wish you a Happy New Year 2025 with plenty Linux Penguins in your homes!!!
Distribution content
The ISO image is 2.4 GB, contains most of the programs necessary for everyday use. You will find Firefox to surf the web, the Thunderbird client to manage your email, Libreoffice Writer, Calc, and Impress for office needs… In addition, the Synaptic package manager will allow you to install even more applications.
Desktop environment
The environment is composed of lightweight elements brought together and working together through ready-to-use configurations. This is how Bento Openbox Remix was designed from the start. Openbox, the advanced window manager, offers a complete menu from a right-click on the desktop, as well as on the panel. It also provides a session management menu: “Right-click → Quit” which allows you to shut down, restart, put the system to sleep, change users or quit the session.
The panel has changed since version 22.04. We had LXpanel, a very easy-to-configure panel thanks to graphical tools. In this new version, we have Tint2, lighter, more stable, but less obvious to customize. LXpanel has been set aside, following a bug that affects it in the latest versions of Ubuntu and makes it inoperative. However, the provided Tint2 panel is configured for most uses, and it is functional and stable. The session manager is still Lightdm.
Applications
Programs for everyday use are available from the “Cat head” menu on the left of the panel, and from the Openbox right-click menu “Applications”. (You can click on the screenshot below to display it full size).
Above in the accessories menu, we can notice an archive manager, a calculator, a file manager, a text editor, and other programs.
The Graphics section comes with a scan software, and image viewer, a pictures manager, and Gimp, the image editing software.
The Multimedia menu will allow you to discover the audio volume manager, a lightweight audio player, a webcam utility, and the SMplayer video player, along with MPV (lighter, and on which SMplayer depends).
The Internet menu includes a network configuration manager, an IRC client, and the previously mentioned Thunderbird and Firefox. These are provided by the Mozilla community to avoid relying on the snap package system. For those unfamiliar with this, we’ve chosen to keep things lightweight and use traditional installation methods for these applications. This ensures that updates are handled in the same way as the rest of the system.
The Office section includes the LibreOffice suite, offering spreadsheet, drawing, presentation, and word processing tools. PDF Arranger lets you manipulate PDFs by adding, removing, or merging pages. The Atril document viewer can open any PDF file. You can discover for yourself the following Settings and System sections, which offer extensive customization options.
Technical details
The kernel is Linux 6.8.0-49
The sound server is no longer Pulseaudio, but Pipewire
The software repository is installed, you will find it in the menu “System → Software”, or “Applications → System → Software” from the Openbox right-click menu
This edition has been enriched with a number of packages. Some applications more often requested have replaced others and are generally larger in size.
This edition has been rebuilt ton top of the Bento antiX x86_64 edition already available online, and comes with some additional packages. Also some applications have been replaced with some more often required and larger in size.
Bento antiXi686 PAE is a spinoff of the antiX Linux 32bit system rebuilt with the help from members of the antiX forum https://www.antixforum.com.
Wallpaper by Charlie Henson on https://gnome-look.org and logo letters made with Gimp.
User level: beginners and up.
Hardware requirements: 1 GB RAM at least, 2 GB recommanded, and 32bits CPU with 730 Mhz minimum + HDD 7200 RPM ou SSD (PATA ou SATA).
Continue reading
Bento antiX i486 is a respin from the distribution antiX Linux 32bit system with an i486 kernel,rebuilt with the help from members of the antiX forum https: //www.antixforum.com
Bento Openbox Remix 20.04 core 5 is the latest Ubuntu Openbox Remix version available.
Bento Openbox 20.04
The installation image is 734 MB large, and reducing the size below 700 MB is now proving difficult. Also, Ubuntu no longer provides versions for older computers equipped with 32-bit processors.
However, Ubuntu is still a very good choice for an easy use on most computers, and thanks to the LTS editions, can allow keeping your installation always up to date.
/!\ This very stripped “core” version is intended for users who prefer minimalism, so if you would rather want an edition fit to use “out of the box” with many codecs and applications for everyday use, you will prefer either an official version or one of the community editions supported by Canonical.
I had produced Ubuntu remixes on top of Ubuntu Mini Remix in 2012 and 2014, but I had to find a new basis to rebuild as Fabrizio BALLIANI gave up on his project.
A reminder : Bento Openbox comes with a set of light components easy to use which makes the system easy to use and very snappy while relying on Ubuntu GNU/Linux. Therefore less programs are needed in order to get a functional computer, and more computer power is available for the user’s software.
Additionnally some computers being able to start in CD only, or with the network, which isn’t always at reach for the users, the disk images size provided are less than 700 Mo as much as possible, which has become difficult to do when using these modern GNU/Linux distributions meant for a large audiance!
I had timidly produced a 16.04 version using Bento Openbox 14.04 as a basis, which led me to remove many user programs in order to obtain a small disk image.
The result was a usable system, however I was not fully satisfied.
At last this year I decided to start from another basis : the excellent Xubuntu Core produced by Unit193 !
No more 32bits versions : Ubuntu doesn’t provide them anymore.
We will have Bento antiX instead in order to continue providing for old computers, therefore rebuilt on antiX (i486 kernels for the 32bits computers and also for 64bits, plus UEFI might also be possible).
There is indeed a Bento Openbox Remix, there will also be Bento antiX versions which will evolve further.
Everything is still in test, already good for use, and needs some more improvements.
Stay tuned!
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{:}{:en}
Bento 2020 soon available!
First, have a look to the new Bento Openbox!
Bento Openbox
Previously
I had produced Ubuntu remixes on top of Ubuntu Mini Remix in 2012 and 2014, but I had to find a new basis to rebuild as Fabrizio BALLIANI gave up on his project.
A reminder : Bento Openbox comes with a set of light components easy to use which makes the system easy to use and very snappy while relying on Ubuntu GNU/Linux. Therefore less programs are needed in order to get a functional computer, and more computer power is available for the user’s software.
Additionnally some computers being able to start in CD only, or with the network, which isn’t always at reach for the users, the disk images size provided are less than 700 Mo as much as possible, which has become difficult to do when using these modern GNU/Linux distributions meant for a large audiance!
I had timidly produced a 16.04 version using Bento Openbox 14.04 as a basis, which led me to remove many user programs in order to obtain a small disk image.
The result was a usable system, however I was not fully satisfied.
At last this year I decided to start from another basis : the excellent Xubuntu Core produced by Unit193 !
No more 32bits versions : Ubuntu doesn’t provide them anymore.
We will have Bento antiX instead in order to continue providing for old computers, therefore rebuilt on antiX (i486 kernels for the 32bits computers and also for 64bits, plus UEFI might also be possible).
There is indeed a Bento Openbox Remix, there will also be Bento antiX versions which will evolve further.
Everything is still in test, already good for use, and needs some more improvements.
Stay tuned!
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