Xfce, long term support, based on Ubuntu, modern Libre Office. maybe a challenger to Mint for newbies, and peep's sick of the GWX malware? Mentioned in Distro Watch - here Web site - here Manual - here feandur Mint Maya
I don't think there are any really. I tried the previous version of Linux Lite 2.0 and it was alright, but didn't have as many of the "modern conveniences" that Mint has. It seemed mostly like a stripped down distro, which I guess fits with the name. Very minimalist and simple. If that's what one wants, then I guess it could be an advantage..
Modern libre office.? Mint has an updated libre office installed. Looks a nice alternative for new users to linux.
If a super-light Linux distro is the goal , I think there are much better options. For example , I've got Lucid Puppy running live on a 250MB stick and it has a persistent save-file. Damn Small Linux was good in it's time but it is now listed as "dormant" on DistroWatch. ...... the odd thing is that it also shows it as being updated this year . There are no posts on their forum later than 2012 .... all a bit puzzling. I'd have to agree with others on here who recommend Mint for people who have simply had enough of M$ and their attitude towards their users.