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[About XPubuntu]
There are literally dozens of web tutorials instructing linux users on how to make their linux installations look like Windows; I'm not sure why, as I don't know a single linux user who wants to make their sweet-looking linux distro resemble "fugly" old windows?! On the other hand, I know several Windows users who would be willing to give linux a try, if only it looked a little less strange and intimidating, or perhaps a little more familiar to what they're used to. Again, these web tutorials are of little use to the windows-user who hasn't even installed linux yet and hasn't a clue how to use it, let alone change the theme.

I've been saying for years that someone needs to take a basic Linux Distro and do all the things that need to be done to make it as user-friendly as possible for a Windows user to give linux a try. This includes themeing it to look as much as possible to good-old-familiar-looking WindowsXP (as fugly as that is!!!), thereby making it easier for a Windows user to migrate to Linux...a "smoothing of the curve", if you will. Years later, no one has truly done it yet, so I figured "what the heck, I'll give it a shot!"

XPubuntu is the results of my effort. There is nothing new or ground-breaking here. For a little background of what I was thinking, I took the base installation of Lubuntu 14.04, using the lightweight LXDE desktop environment. The i386-32bit version was utilized for universal compatibility with all machines. Additional information about Lubuntu can be found here: http://lubuntu.net/ The base installation of Lubuntu was then modified in an attempt to make it look as much like WinXP as possible, including:

Aesthetics:

• WinXP themes (blue, olive & silver XP defaults); blue is my default, but olive & silver can be selected through Start>Preferences>Customize Look & Feel and selecting XP olive or XP silver themes in "widgets" and "window borders"
• Windows wallpaper background
• Windows start menu buttons
• removal of all virtual desktops, leaving the user with ONE to work with (I've seen new users accidentally switch to desktop 2 and FREAK OUT over what happened)
• addition of Lubuntu Control Center, serving a similar purpose as Windows Control Panel

Software:
Default Lubuntu 14.04 lightweight software was utilized, such as Firefox, Sylpheed, Audacious, Gnome MPlayer, etc... However, in order to make it more "user-friendly" for an XP-migrator to find their way, application items were edited to describe their functions, such as:

• Sylpheed E-mail
• Audacious Music Player
• Gnome Movie Player
• Xpad Sticky Notes
• File Manager PCManFM
• AbiWord Processor
• Xfburn Disc Burner

and so on... Also AbiWord was modified to save in *.doc format by default.

Desktop:
Additionally, although I HATE icon shortcuts on desktops, I notice that is EXACTLY what most Windows-users do; so I placed Firefox, E-mail, and My Document shortcuts on the desktop. As a suggested alternative not available to windows users, I also created a "side panel", acting as a "hiding dock", with shortcuts to what I expect will be the most-frequently used & sought after applications. Due to it's "hiding" nature, and invisible opacity, I'm hoping this will be a transition feature for new users...an introduction to a "better way" of accessing programs, but still "out of the way" for those who don't like it. While the LiveCD shows unusual "placeholder artifacts", I can assure you that installation to disk replaces any "placeholder" artifacts on the hiding dock area with the appropriate icons. This seems to be wholly attributable to the edited menu items of software titles, but has not effect on installation.

Please keep in mind that my goal here is simply to build a "bridge" distro that doesn't look "difficult" or "foreign" to WinXP users, thereby removing the "scary" of the unfamiliar and dreaded LINUX! Ha, ha, ha! At a minimum, I'm hoping to provide a stable and secure replacement for their WinXP machines, and get them OFF of WinXP for no charge! Realistically, I'm hoping XPubuntu will be a nice teaching tool, and introduction to the basics of Linux and how to customize XPubuntu with Linux-features they just can't get in Windows, such as virtual desktops, etc... At best, I'm hoping XPubuntu will be a transition distro that will allow them to get familiar with Linux conventions and programs, allowing them to move onto another Linux distro that they like better once they're acclimated!

Inasmuch as WinXP has already been abandoned for support and updates, anyone still using WinXP is in a dangerously exposed position, whether they realize it or not! And most users still using WinXP, generally speaking, are not savvy enough to update/change their system, or simply cannot afford to upgrade to a newer version of Windows, or newer hardware. XPubuntu is the perfect solution for these situations!

Installation:
If you're a WinXP user and don't know how to proceed, please talk to your "geeky" computer friends and there's a very good chance someone you know will be able to help you, with no problems whatsoever. If you're one of those "geeky" computer people, please assist these people with upgrading their machines! (and lest anyone get offended..."geek" is a term of endearment...I AM a geek!) Simply download the XPubuntu.iso file, burn the image to DVD disc (IMGBurn is recommended http://www.imgburn.com/) or USB Stick (UNetbootin is recommended http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/), as the ISO is too large for a CD. If the WinXP machine to be updated does not have a DVD drive, or does not support booting from USB device, then PLoP Boot Manager is the only viable solution; fortunately How-To Geek has an excellent tutorial at http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/16822/boot-from-a-usb-drive-even-if-your-bios-wont-let-you/

Once XPubuntu is booted from the LiveDVD/USB medium, you can test this distro for hardware compatibility with your system. As a general rule of thumb, the live medium will run slower than a hardware installation, as it runs completely in your computer's RAM memory. If the Live system runs on your machine without glitches, you should have no issues whatsoever with a hard installation, and feel free to use the "Install XPubuntu 14.04" icon!

HELPFUL HINT: Whenever possible, please use ethernet connection during installation; this includes laptops!!! For detailed reasons I don't care to enumerate here, it's just a good idea...use the ethernet! Once installation is complete, and the machine has received all initial updates, feel free to remove the ethernet cable forever from your wireless machine. But things will go a lot smoother if you use an ethernet cable during installation!

Enjoy XPubuntu!