Low end PC... which distro to install?

[Gerontius]

The configuration would be AMD Athlon 1 Ghz, 384 MB RAM, 40G disk, GF2MX

I have Xubuntu installed now... do you think that gOS would be a better choice?

[ofb]

That'll run Ubuntu OK. So the choice is more about what you'd like.

FWIW, I have a P3 450 512MB GF2MX here running Edubuntu, and I really didn't find much difference between that and Xubuntu 7.10. I don't think the current Xu is a great example of lightweight desktop - probably better to think of it as just a different flavour right now.

Fluxbuntu might be worth looking at in a few weeks once they get past the RC stage.

(Edubuntu is pretty much exactly Ubuntu - it just takes up a little less drive space.)

[n3tfury]

fluxbuntu

[lyndaj70]

My fiancee has an old IBM ticking away just fine in Ubuntu 7.10 gnome running desktop effects. His pc is a 800 Mhz with 386 MB RAM, but he has an ATI powercolor video card with (128? 256?) MB RAM. He has no complaints.

If you're concerned about speed, install Damn Small Linux on your hard disk, which translates to having a Debian install on your system. Trust me, that system will surprise you (grin). You would still have access to the Debian repositories and so would still have scads of software to choose from to expand.

Take care!
~Lynda

[-grubby]

My fiancee has an old IBM ticking away just fine in Ubuntu 7.10 gnome running desktop effects. His pc is a 800 Mhz with 386 MB RAM, but he has an ATI powercolor video card with (128? 256?) MB RAM. He has no complaints.

If you're concerned about speed, install Damn Small Linux on your hard disk, which translates to having a Debian install on your system. Trust me, that system will surprise you (grin). You would still have access to the Debian repositories and so would still have scads of software to choose from to expand.

Take care!
~Lynda

damn small linux draws out of the Debian Woody repositories..

[juxtaposed]

Debian.

[init1]

The configuration would be AMD Athlon 1 Ghz, 384 MB RAM, 40G disk, GF2MX

I have Xubuntu installed now... do you think that gOS would be a better choice?
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=575456

[Cochise]

i´ve been playing with gOS and its my new recommendation for family and friends who want linux but just want it to work

[jrusso2]

Add some more ram that computer should be able to run just about any Linux.

[jflaker]

The configuration would be AMD Athlon 1 Ghz, 384 MB RAM, 40G disk, GF2MX

I have Xubuntu installed now... do you think that gOS would be a better choice?

I've had Ubuntu up on a 486-400Mhz pc with just a little more than 256MB RAM.

Performance is CPU ticks, RAM and disk speed.......Adding RAM will boost performance and having a few more CPU ticks doesn't hurt either.

[ofb]

a 486-400Mhz

A what? Did you mean x86, like a P2 or P3?

Worth mentioning while here that 7.10 has an increased RAM requirement. Canonical hasn't updated their website yet, so I don't know how much it's increased for the individual derivatives. Happily, Gerontius meets the currrent minimum for Ubuntu regardless.

[jflaker]

A what? Did you mean x86, like a P2 or P3?

Sorry, this was 6.06LTS on a P2-400. I upgraded to 7.04(fresh install) before the PC bit the dust. The PC was a mix of junkyard parts, so I didn't expect it to last long.

The PC's speed on Linux was respectable considering its age and the processor. It was slow, but it ran and was stable....all in experimentation.

[ofb]

Ah, right. Without special effects like Compiz a familiar modern-style GUI can run quite well on a 486. The real load comes with movies, large image manipulation, and great ruddy suites like OpenOffice.

An underestimated factor is video card. Gerontius is doing okay with his GeForce2, but you have to watch out for otherwise modern low-end machines with undersized onboard video. I guess today you should want at least an AGP card with 64MB.

[Gerontius]

Ah, right. Without special effects like Compiz a familiar modern-style GUI can run quite well on a 486. The real load comes with movies, large image manipulation, and great ruddy suites like OpenOffice.

An underestimated factor is video card. Gerontius is doing okay with his GeForce2, but you have to watch out for otherwise modern low-end machines with undersized onboard video. I guess today you should want at least an AGP card with 64MB.

thank you for your suggestions

i think i'll stick with xubuntu

[tubasoldier]

Wow, you damn near described my computer specs. I guess it wasn't so low end when i built it 5 years ago...

Just need a few bucks to build a new one.