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Lightweight Debian based Distro

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Shelnutt2

Overclockers Team Content Editor
Joined
Jun 17, 2005
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I've got a AMD Athlon XP1400+ with 374mb ram and integrated graphics. It has a 30 gig hd. I'd like to make it a email and openoffice machine for a person who could you something. I've researched it out, and I know people like arch and or slackware based distros but I'm looking for something debian based. I'd use debian but I'm looking for something that works a little more out of the box, although I might revert to debian here. Any ideas?
 
I'd probably just do a standard ubuntu install and then go on a rampage with the package installer/uninstaller till it was the proper size. I don't know for sure, but it seems like the alternate cd might give you more install size options.
 
I can't say i'm a big fan of xfce either, but it does demand less in the way of resources.
 
I'd use debian but I'm looking for something that works a little more out of the box, although I might revert to debian here. Any ideas?

Debian Lenny works out-of-the-box, has all the apps one would use for everyday use.


I thought I was the only one who didn't like xfce...
 
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Actually that should run regular Ubuntu fairly well, though a bigger stick of RAM would do it wonders.

gOS should run well on it too, I had it on my laptop, which is 600Mhz, probably <512Mb RAM (don't remember anymore) and it ran fine. (Uses Enlightenment WM)

Currently I've got mini Ubuntu install (12Mb download all the packages are downlaoded and configured as needed) running JWM and like that too.
 
I would run debian lenny, if your looking for a lightweight gui I would look at fluxbox
In term of Ubuntu based distros I would consider crunchbang which runs openbox as the desktop gui
 
Look at wattOS. It was designed for aging hardware. I really meant to do a review of this distro. I was in the process of writing one up when my laptop blew up (along with the review that was on it)
 
AntiX --SimplyMEPIS variant, IceWM/Fluxbox for WM. Based off of Debian. Can't stand either WM though.

Going a bit riskier, there's always sidux, based off of Debian Unstable. Might not be the best choice if you don't have some experience under your belt though.

It was quite snappy on a Thinkpad X23 though, when I was doing some testing; (PIII 800, 640mb RAM, 8MB Radeon 7000 Mobility) Booted relatively quickly, very short time between login screen and desktop, which was XFCE.

The other choice would be to go with Lenny again, or even Squeeze. (testing)

Only difference, go with something like XFCE, or LXDE for your WM.
 
So I ended up trying wattOS and ubuntu on this machine, and turns out it has 1.2 gigs of ram (2x 512mb and 1x256 mb stick). I thought it was 374 because it comes up saying 1374 and I missed the 1 on the post. Ubuntu actually worked fairly well so I went with it.

I was looking for a "plug and play" distro just because I wanted to get the computer to the person today, and I didn't want to spend a lot of time teaching them (today). Gentoo would not have been ideal here :D
 
Sounds like you chose well then. With those specs almost any standard distro should run fine, though flash will probably be a little choppy. It almost always is.
 
^ +1. that's probably what i would do. i imagine the ram would be the most limiting factor for this system.
 
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