Slackware is the oldest surviving Linux distribution. Now Patrick Volkerding has released version 13.0 of this distribution that aims to keep things simple.
The biggest news in the release announcement is the addition of the official 64-bit port. Of course, this should not be very exciting for the readers of Lightweight Linux as we are happy to continue using our 32-bit hardware. In addition to the KDE4.2.4, Slackware 13.0 provides the users with XFCE 4.6.1. And of course, you can always choose to install some of the lightweight window managers if you intend to use Slack with an old computer.
Showing posts with label Distributions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Distributions. Show all posts
Absolute Linux 13.0 rc1
From the Absolute Linux home page:
Absolute is a x86 Linux distribution based upon Slackware. It concentrates on "desktop" use so that it is ready for internet, multimedia, document and general home use as much as possible. Absolute is lightweight -- meaning 2 things: that it can run on on older hardware and that the OS interface stays out of your way.About the new RC:
It is version-compatible with Slackware so you can use almost any package from the same version of Slack on Absolute. It is what I use all da y, every day, and I am very thankful for Linux and Slackware and I hope others find benefit from my work on Absolute.
Pre-release that includes fixes for slapt-get and wicd, addition of a control panel, centralizing control and eliminating the sometimes-confusing utilities menus. Big updates to Midori and inkscape on repositories (under /CD2). New theme, new logon, QT4 up and running several new applications along with QT4-based K3B. Overall a more cohesive look and simpler navigation. Wanted a release candidate so that 13.0 will not necessitate updates -- also wanted to have feedback on whether Midori is functional enough to become the default browser. (It uses about 1/3 the memory of Firefox in my tests.)Download the ISO image.
CrunchEee 8.10 Release Candidate 1
CrunchBang is only number 99 in the Distrowatch ranking but it has lot of dedicated users. CrunchBang is based on Ubuntu but it is designed to be more lightweight which of course can be seen in the default applications used by the distro. Ubuntu's GNOME has been replaced by much lighter and simpler Openbox. Desktop applications use GTK+. In addition, CrunchBang provides all the necessary multimedia codecs out of the box.
Even if CrunchBang has not been designed to be used on old computers, many users have reported it to be lightweight enough for older boxes. It certainly is worth a try if you want to have all the multimedia applications easily installed in an Ubuntu-like system running on reasonably recent hardware. But remember that the project does not guarantee anything at all:
CrunchBang Linux is not recommended for anyone needing a stable system or anyone who is not comfortable running into occasional, even frequent breakage. CrunchBang Linux could possibly make your computer go CRUNCH! BANG!
There is also a brand new CrunchEee edition which is certainly interesting if you are one of the happy owners of a new Eee PC. It is not yet finished but it is already available as a release candidate version. Another version of the distro is the CrunchBang Lite edition. The download links for the standard CrunchBang can be found here.
Ttylinux is a distribution for 486s with 8 mb
Quite accidentally, I found the homepage for ttylinux. Ttylinux is a minimalistic Linux distribution that should run on just about any old computer you still have somewhere. Once the system is installed, the memory requirement is reduced to about 8-10 Mb. This can be reduced by installing a minimalistic custom kernel by hand. With a minimal 2.4.x kernel configuration, for example, the memory usage can be cut to about 5-6 Mb.
The minimal requirements are really low:
Ttylinux is not meant for novice users, but if you are an experienced user you might like to try building a custom system based on this minimalistic distribution.
The minimal requirements are really low:
- 486SX processor or better
- 5 MB of RAM
- 8 MB for hard disk installation
- modem or ISDN card for Internet dial-out)
Ttylinux is not meant for novice users, but if you are an experienced user you might like to try building a custom system based on this minimalistic distribution.
Linux From Scratch
Linux From Scratch is a "distribution" I've always wanted to try but never had time to build a system of my own. A couple of years ago, I used Gentoo for a few months as my main desktop. At that time it was a bit too much for my skills and I had difficulties in keeping a usable system together.
Linux From Scratch would be even more hard core solution. But the documentation is excellent and I think I might have enough time some weekend to build my own minimal system from the sources. But it is another thing to have a minimal system and a usable system installed in an old computer I would have for this experiment. A usable desktop would take some more evenings and a couple of weeks reading Beyond Linux from Scratch.
You can read the documentation for building your own system online. There is also a LiveCD available to be used as the host system when building LFS.
Linux From Scratch would be even more hard core solution. But the documentation is excellent and I think I might have enough time some weekend to build my own minimal system from the sources. But it is another thing to have a minimal system and a usable system installed in an old computer I would have for this experiment. A usable desktop would take some more evenings and a couple of weeks reading Beyond Linux from Scratch.
You can read the documentation for building your own system online. There is also a LiveCD available to be used as the host system when building LFS.
More (Mostly) Linux Discussion Forums
And here follow ten more discussion forums for mostly different Linux distributions but also for OpenSolaris and BSDs. As a general rule, I would say that if the forum for a certain distribution is not active, I would not recommend the distribution for a complete newbie.
Newbies should probably choose some of the more mainstream distributions even when installing Linux on an old computer. After some experience with installing and using Linux, it is much easier to solve to possible problems presented by some niche distributions.
Newbies should probably choose some of the more mainstream distributions even when installing Linux on an old computer. After some experience with installing and using Linux, it is much easier to solve to possible problems presented by some niche distributions.
- Sabayon
- TinyME
- Absolute
- Frugalware
- Fluxbuntu
- LinuxConsole
- Ultimate Edition
- OpenSolaris
- OpenGEU
- BSDnexus (all BSDs)
Linux (and BSD) Discussion Forums - Right Forum for Right Distribution
Linux discussion forums exist for practically every distribution. They are a useful source of information both for newbies and more experienced users.
Many newbies don't realize they should probably send their questions to the relevant discussion forum instead of posting only to the Ubuntu Forum's discussions for other distributions. Usually the more knowledgeable users can be found in the right forum.
The following is a pretty random selection of the discussion forums for the most important distributions.
Edit: Because of popular demand, I added the forum for Puppy Linux!
Many newbies don't realize they should probably send their questions to the relevant discussion forum instead of posting only to the Ubuntu Forum's discussions for other distributions. Usually the more knowledgeable users can be found in the right forum.
The following is a pretty random selection of the discussion forums for the most important distributions.
Edit: Because of popular demand, I added the forum for Puppy Linux!
Linux Distributions for Really Old Computers
Sometimes, you might want to install Linux on a really old computer. If this is the case, you will most probably not succeed in installing the latest and greatest desktop oriented distributions with all the bells and whistles, desktop cubes and shadows. Your old 486 or P100 with limited RAM just is not enough for all the modern eyecandy and probably unnecessary services running in the background.
If you are willing to try some less known distribution with less functionality, you certainly will be able to install Linux in just about any old computer you have in your garage or basement. You just have to be ready to learn something new and not expect to get everything running without user intervention.
In Ubuntu discussion forum, the user darreljon has collected an extensive list of lightweight Linux distributions that can be used even with very old computers. Some of the distros are not very current, some of them are still active. Check out the list and you might find a distribution that satisfies your needs.
If you are willing to try some less known distribution with less functionality, you certainly will be able to install Linux in just about any old computer you have in your garage or basement. You just have to be ready to learn something new and not expect to get everything running without user intervention.
In Ubuntu discussion forum, the user darreljon has collected an extensive list of lightweight Linux distributions that can be used even with very old computers. Some of the distros are not very current, some of them are still active. Check out the list and you might find a distribution that satisfies your needs.
Zenwalk 5.2 Gnome released
GNOME is not considered especially lightweight desktop environment. In my experience, however, any computer with at least 1GHz Pentium and 256 MB RAM can be used to run GNOME desktop. You might consider it unusable, but I have noticed it is better to install GNOME to be used by my non-geek wife than to force her use some lightweight window manager that does not pop up icons for memory sticks on the desktop...
If you are looking for a lightweight Linux distribution with GNOME, you should seriously consider Zenwalk 5.2 with GNOME. Zenwalk has for years been a nice lightweight distribution that is based on Slackware. Thus it has been a delight to hack and tweak.
Read the release notes before deciding. The Zenwalk Gnome 5.2 iso weighs 597.7MB and can be downloaded from the following locations:
http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/dis ... me-5.2.iso
http://pnboy.pinguix.com/gapan/zengnome ... me-5.2.iso
http://zen-repo.meticul.eu/i486/zenwalk ... me-5.2.iso
http://ftp.nux.ipb.pt/pub/dists/zenwalk ... me-5.2.iso
http://zenwalk.linuxish.net/i486/zenwal ... me-5.2.iso
http://chronos.iut-bm.univ-fcomte.fr/di ... me-5.2.iso
If you are looking for a lightweight Linux distribution with GNOME, you should seriously consider Zenwalk 5.2 with GNOME. Zenwalk has for years been a nice lightweight distribution that is based on Slackware. Thus it has been a delight to hack and tweak.
Read the release notes before deciding. The Zenwalk Gnome 5.2 iso weighs 597.7MB and can be downloaded from the following locations:
http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/dis ... me-5.2.iso
http://pnboy.pinguix.com/gapan/zengnome ... me-5.2.iso
http://zen-repo.meticul.eu/i486/zenwalk ... me-5.2.iso
http://ftp.nux.ipb.pt/pub/dists/zenwalk ... me-5.2.iso
http://zenwalk.linuxish.net/i486/zenwal ... me-5.2.iso
http://chronos.iut-bm.univ-fcomte.fr/di ... me-5.2.iso
Basic Linux - a Distribution for Really Old Computers
Some of you might want to try Linux even on very old computers of "Prepentian" era of the early 1990's. Some of the distros I mentioned in my earlier post about lightweight distros can be used with a 486. Most of the modern distributions, however, require a Pentium.
Three are still some distributions meant for these dinosaurs. They might not be very useful for doing everyday computing like word processing or playing TuxRacer, but using them should be taken as learning experiences.
One of these truly minimalistic distributions is Basic Linux. Its download size is incredible 2.8 MB, so it could easily be downloaded even by those who still use a dialup connection.
Basic Linux is one of the few distributions that still can be installed on a 386. It requires 12 mb of RAM to run. Unfortunately my old 386 has only 2 mb RAM which makes it impossible for me to test this distribution. I'll return later to Basic Linux if I can get my hands on appropriate hardware!
Three are still some distributions meant for these dinosaurs. They might not be very useful for doing everyday computing like word processing or playing TuxRacer, but using them should be taken as learning experiences.
One of these truly minimalistic distributions is Basic Linux. Its download size is incredible 2.8 MB, so it could easily be downloaded even by those who still use a dialup connection.
Basic Linux is one of the few distributions that still can be installed on a 386. It requires 12 mb of RAM to run. Unfortunately my old 386 has only 2 mb RAM which makes it impossible for me to test this distribution. I'll return later to Basic Linux if I can get my hands on appropriate hardware!
News: ZevenOS RC1 released
More information can be found in the official home page for ZevenOS (in German). The developers of ZevenOS want to build a distribution "with a certain BeOS touch", including speed and compatibility with old hardware. ZevenOS is based on Ubuntu.
ZevenOS does not demand latest hardware: only a Pentium 200 with 128 MB RAM (for installation, 196 MB) are needed. Minimum hard disk space is 2 GB, though 4 GB is recommended. For graphics, a video card with 16 MB is needed. In addition, your brains are listed among the system requirements :-)
ZevenOS uses IceWM as its window manager. In addition, the developers have chosen lightweight software that should run well on old computers. Thus, Abiword and Gnumeric are the chosen office packages instead of OpenOffice.Org.
Release Candidate 1 was released a few days ago. You can download it here.
News: GoblinX 2.7 and Absolute Linux 12.1.02 released
GoblinX 2.7 was released July 10th 2008. It is a Slackware-based desktop distribution that includes several window managers. Amongst them, Fluxbox and WindowMaker should be usable even with computers built in 1990s. GoblinX uses slapt-get for package management.
Absolute Linux 12.1.02 is another Slackware-based distribution that can be used for lightweight installations. But, please use a non-root account for day-to-day computing unless you prefer danger to security and completely trust in yourself :-)
Absolute Linux 12.1.02 is another Slackware-based distribution that can be used for lightweight installations. But, please use a non-root account for day-to-day computing unless you prefer danger to security and completely trust in yourself :-)
Ubuntu for old computers
I already mentioned Fluxbuntu and Minibuntu. Also Ubuntu can be installed as a minimal system, using alternate CD to install a command-line system.You will find more information about building a custom lightweight system on this page ginving information about installing Ubuntu on low memory systems (Pentium III and earlier machines, with 32-192 MB RAM).
Unfortunately, this information has not been updated for the newest releases.
Cubuntu is one more alternative for those seeking a lightweight alternative for Ubuntu. It is a command-line desktop including email clients, web browsers and a media player.
Unfortunately, this information has not been updated for the newest releases.
Cubuntu is one more alternative for those seeking a lightweight alternative for Ubuntu. It is a command-line desktop including email clients, web browsers and a media player.
Ubuntulite and Fluxbuntu - Ubuntu for old computers
Ubuntu is probably the most popular distribution amongst newbies. It is not, however, especially good for running on old computers without some serious tweaking.
Ubuntulite is a project for those who want to run Ubuntu on old hardware. It combines programs from Ubuntu's repositories with Ubuntulite's own repositories.
Fluxbuntu is a project with similar aims: Fluxbuntu should be lightweight, productive, agile, and efficient. It is based on Ubuntu and uses Fluxbox window manager by default.
Both of the distributions are certainly worth considering, if you want to install an Ubuntu-like system on an old computer.
Ubuntulite is a project for those who want to run Ubuntu on old hardware. It combines programs from Ubuntu's repositories with Ubuntulite's own repositories.
Fluxbuntu is a project with similar aims: Fluxbuntu should be lightweight, productive, agile, and efficient. It is based on Ubuntu and uses Fluxbox window manager by default.
Both of the distributions are certainly worth considering, if you want to install an Ubuntu-like system on an old computer.
News: Sidux 'Erebos' released
Sidux 2008-02 "Έρεβος" was released today. Erebos means, according to Liddel & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon, "a place of nether darkness, above the still deeper Hades." In the Greek mythology, Erebos was also the son of Chaos.
The more courageous Linux users might want to try this distribution based on Debian unstable.
The more courageous Linux users might want to try this distribution based on Debian unstable.
News: Arch Linux 2008.06 released
Arch Linux is not a beginner's distribution. On the contrary, it is oriented towards an user who is willing to hack text files in order to get the system running.
Some years ago I had considerable difficulties in configuring Arch Linux. Now that there seems to be more documentation available, I might try it again.
Arch Linux 2008.06, a.k.a. Overlord (why on earth do they have to use these silly names for every release of every distribution??) was released June 24th, 2008. You can download your own Arch from this page.
Some years ago I had considerable difficulties in configuring Arch Linux. Now that there seems to be more documentation available, I might try it again.
Arch Linux 2008.06, a.k.a. Overlord (why on earth do they have to use these silly names for every release of every distribution??) was released June 24th, 2008. You can download your own Arch from this page.
Top 10 of lightweight Linux distributions
In this post, I will introduce ten most useful and best known lightweight distributions. Eight of these distros are meant to be lightweight, and do not demand newest hardware. The rest two can be used as the basis of a custom lightweight system.
I will not present any detailed review of the distributions as I intend to present them later one by one in more depth. During the next few months I will install them on one of my computers. I have already during the last seven years used most them for at least some time as my main desktop system. It will be interesting to see how they have developed in the last years.
First four miniature distributions:
The next four could be called mid-sized distributions:
And finally two full-size distros which lend themselves especially well to custom lightweight installs:
These two classics should not need any introduction. These ten distros are of course not the only possibilites for installing Linux on an low end computer, but to make a list of ten I had to leave something out. Did I forget to mention Your favourite lightweight distribution?
I will not present any detailed review of the distributions as I intend to present them later one by one in more depth. During the next few months I will install them on one of my computers. I have already during the last seven years used most them for at least some time as my main desktop system. It will be interesting to see how they have developed in the last years.
First four miniature distributions:
- Damn Small Linux, a.k.a DSL is a popular extremely small distro. It is a 50 MB live CD, but it can also be installed on the hard drive. DSL can be run completely in RAM, and it can install more programs from an online repository. DSL recommends a P200 and 64 MB.
- Puppy Linux is another installable live CD. It should run on any Pentium with at least 32 MB and boot under 60 seconds. It aims to be as easy to use as possible and assumes no technical expertise.
- Feather Linux is a Linux distribution which runs completely off a CD. It takes up under 128Mb of space. It is just like DSL a Knoppix remaster (based on Debian), includes software which most people use every day. Feather can be installed on a USB stick, but AFAIK not on a hard drive.
- DeLi is a Linux Distribution for old computers, from 486 to Pentium III or so. It's focused on desktop usage and it includes email clients, graphical web browser, an office programs with word processor and spreadsheet, and so on. A full install, including XOrg and development tools, needs only 750 MB of harddisk space.
The next four could be called mid-sized distributions:
- Vector Linux. Vector Linux Standard GOLD is the freely downloadable distribution, which includes applications for every task. It is based on Slackware and specifically designed for use on older computers with slower processors and less RAM. It can be run effectively on a Pentium 200 with 128MB of RAM and 3GB of hard drive space. The forthcoming VL Light will take only 350 MB in full install and needs only 64 MB RAM to run.
- Zenwalk is another distribution based on Slackware. It is designed to be fast and simple, with no redundant applications. It is optimized for i686, but is still compatible with i486. Zenwalk requires for comfortable use a Pentium III class processor, 128 MB RAM and 2Gb free disk space.
- Antix is a lightweight, installable live-cd remaster of Mepis. It should run on most computers as long as you have a P266 with 64MB. antiX-M7 will not run on older processors such as Pentium I, AMD K5, and AMD K6 as it uses an i686 kernel.
- PClos TinyME is a lightweight remaster of PCLinuxOS. It includes Abiword, Opera web browser, Audacious for playing music, Sylpheed email client and other famous programs. TinyME requires a Pentium processor and at least 64 MB RAM. Screen resolution 800×600 is recommended.
And finally two full-size distros which lend themselves especially well to custom lightweight installs:
These two classics should not need any introduction. These ten distros are of course not the only possibilites for installing Linux on an low end computer, but to make a list of ten I had to leave something out. Did I forget to mention Your favourite lightweight distribution?
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