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This is a page to track the status and provide details about the "light-desktop" environment and meta-package.  This is a near identical reproduction of the Lubuntu desktop interface. ``*[It] uses the minimal desktop LXDE, and a selection of light applications. We focus on speed and energy-efficiency. Because of this, [it] has very low hardware requirements.*'' The goal is to provide a consistent, standard desktop that is tuned for NetBSD and supported and maintained by NetBSD. Lubuntu's desktop was chosen because:

- It works for a known audience. (Ubuntu's popularity contest shows 16037 installations and 2779 very recent uses.)
- It is a simpler case than maintaining Gnome, KDE, or XFce.
- It is considered "lightweight" versus more popular alternatives.
- By using outsider's choices it alleviates bikesheds. Let's stay with this decision for at least six months. (No bikeshedding until mid-November 2012.)

The two main packages in pkgsrc-wip include:

* netbsd-light-desktop-default-settings -- this provides NetBSD-themed default configurations and startup script
* light-desktop -- meta-package to bring in the entire environment

The main components:

* lxsession -- LXDE session manager and Xsettings daemon
* lxpanel -- menu, taskbar launcher, and notification area.
* openbox -- window manager
* pcmanfm -- file manager that also manages icons on desktop

The meta-package has many dependencies even though it is called "light". It uses cups, foomatic-filters, dbus, abiword, dejavu-ttf, liberation-ttf, elementary-icon-theme, leafpad, xpad, audacious, gnome-system-tools (no GNOME libraries), evince, file-roller, gnumeric, galculator, scrot, pidgin, and many other packages. It is a complete, usable operating system.

Note that some features of Lubuntu are Linux specific and so NetBSD alternatives are needed.

The desktop is currently in use and is basically usable. See a screenshot at <http://ftp.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD/misc/reed/light-desktop/2012-05-19-154242_640x480_scrot.png>. For basic usage steps, see here: [[light-desktop-usage]]

The lists of work to do and bugs is here: [[light-desktop-TODO]]