[Lvlug] Recommendations on a More Suitable Distro

[Patrick Bartek]

--- On Mon, 3/22/10, John Mc <jmcneill2 at earthlink.net> wrote:

> Introduction to Linux Mint 8 LXDE
> RC1:
> http://www.linuxmint.com/blog/?p=1325
> Based on Linux Mint 8 Main Edition, Linux 2.6.31, Openbox
> 3.4.7.2, PCManFM 0.5.2, and Xorg 7.4, Linux Mint 8 LXDE
> Edition features a complete and familiar desktop experience
> while being low on resource usage and is suitable for a good
> variety of older hardware.
> 
> Benchmark:
> Here's a quick benchmark comparing this edition to the
> Fluxbox and Xfce editions of Linux Mint. All 3 editions were
> tested on the same hardware (a computer with 384MB RAM).
> 
> RAM usage at idle:
>     * Fluxbox: 131MB
>     * LXDE:    141MB
>     * Xfce:    154MB
> 
> Maximum RAM usage during the installation:
>     * Fluxbox: 235MB
>     * LXDE:    246MB
>     * Xfce:    262MB
> 
> Boot time from Grub to the login manager:
>     * Fluxbox: 31.16 seconds
>     * LXDE:    26.79 seconds
>     * Xfce:    26.46 seconds
> 
> Boot time from the login manager to the desktop:
>     * Fluxbox: 3.32 seconds
>     * LXDE:    3.77 seconds
>     * Xfce:    9.63 seconds
> 
> System requirements:
>     * x86 processor
>     * 256 MB of system memory (RAM)
>     * 3 GB of disk space for installation
>     * Graphics card capable of 800×600
> resolution
>     * CD-ROM drive or USB port

Based on these numbers, my Thinkpad 240X with a 500 MHz (166 on battery) Pentium and 192 MB RAM would be marginal for running Mint even with just a window manager for the GUI.  Unfortunately, no USB port booting possible.  And that means the external CD drive, too.

Anyway, thanks for the info.  I will store it away for future reference.

B