Re: [Trisquel-users] Using MATE for Trisquel 8 was smart, considering that some say Ubuntu MATE is the best version

[dguthrie]

To be fair, Xubuntu is also not very good in terms of consuming RAM by  
default. The live CD has lots of GNOME dependencies and applications, meaning  
it is just a bit bloated. If you want to see Xfce really shine (if memory is  
an issue as your post seems to suggest), try the Debian Xfce Live CD, from  
the "testing" distribution. It is really easy to use but without the baggage  
Canonical put in Xubuntu.