View Full Version : I need a SCREAMING FAST distro for this older laptop.
jc0811
July 11th, 2009, 04:26 AM
Here is the link for the laptop by the way.
http://www.dealtime.com/xPF-Toshiba-Toshiba-Satellite-Notebook-PC-with-Intel-Pentium-4-Processor-2-4GHz
I recently upgraded the RAM it now has 1.25 gigs of DDR RAM. That is the only thing I have done to this laptop.
I ran Gparted and formatted the hard drive and got rid of any partitions. Now just waiting for the right Linux distribution to put on this laptop. Here is what I want in order of importance.
1. Speed
2. Bleeding edge.
3. Ease of use.
4. KDE
Now #3 is not carved in stone. I can do with the CLI. If I have instructions. I just want something that works well and is FAST.
I also want to run Compiz on this laptop not sure if it work well on this laptop. Or in this case Kwin. I just hope there is a distro out there that can do this for me. Any suggestions?
xArv3nx
July 11th, 2009, 04:29 AM
anything kde 4.2 should run good on it, maybe a TAD bit slow if you're unlucky or something.
I've ran opensuse 11.1 kde 4.1 on machines slower than that and the only thing that was laggy were the desktop effects - but upgrading to kde 4.2 fixed that.
i'd try arch linux + kdemod (chakra for the lazy).
Wiebelhaus
July 11th, 2009, 04:30 AM
I'd go with puppy , not KDE but it's the bomb also PCLOS mini is fantastic as well.
Cheers.
xArv3nx
July 11th, 2009, 04:32 AM
I'd go with puppy , not KDE but it's the bomb also PCLOS mini is fantastic as well.
Cheers.
pclinuxos mini is superb, AND Kde 4 will apparently be coming soon to it in july.
pclinuxos is really the only distor where everything worked _perfectly_ for me. they're rolling release, but they only ship software when its READY.
darco
July 11th, 2009, 04:32 AM
Google Chrome OS!
darco
xArv3nx
July 11th, 2009, 04:34 AM
Google Chrome OS!
darco
Don't be stupid.
sertse
July 11th, 2009, 04:56 AM
There is only two answers. sidux or arch. Take your pick. sidux is more OOTB, (live cd, ready to use desktop, debian based and familiarly), Arch is slightly more work, but can be fine tuned more.
Both are rolling release, and keep up with the latest apps. (Arch by nature, sidux becuase it follows Sid, the place where the latest updates and new apps in Debian go)
Your main bottleneck is requesting KDE 4 ;) otherwise your computer is perfectly capable and you won't even need to be concerned about speed issues...
Others: Look at his specs, that's not a computer you need puppy, dsl, or those sort of distros for....heck even plain old Ubuntu will do decently ("decently") on it
stwschool
July 11th, 2009, 05:07 AM
Agreed with sertse, that's not a laptop that should have a major problem. Having said that, if you want to see a screaming fast, usable distro, check out slitaz. That thing works on practically anything in my experience and is fast even on 24MB RAM. It's so fast as to be obscene to be honest!
jc0811
July 11th, 2009, 05:18 AM
Wow I did not expect to get this amount of replies in such a short amount of time.
I actually have Arch Linux downloaded and ready to burn but it's for my pretty new desktop. My friend has it installed but told me you should plan out your day for most of it anyways to install Arch Linux.
I am actually interested in Sidux. Is it optimized for the i686 processors? Also I do want the proprietary stuff added in. Like flash, mp3, dvd movies. Is that out of the box or will I have to add that in. I hope that adding in would be okay. I'm fine with getting my hands dirty though.
Are there any drawbacks to Sidux?
Thanks again
Bart_D
July 11th, 2009, 05:22 AM
pclinuxos mini is superb...
You got a link to a free(non-torrent) download?
kelvin spratt
July 11th, 2009, 07:26 AM
Flash etc is not out of the box with Sidux/Arch. it is with mint linux. both Sidux/arch are very good distros but you need to know what you are doing as they both need user intervention to keep them operating from time to time.
I personally find Arch the better of the 2 as it uses Vanilla versions of software opposed to Debian patched versions and i seem to get more software to work using the Arch Wiki and excellent AUR portal for software.
If you decide on Sidux Google SMXI and use the scripts that will save you from a lot of Sidux breakages with warnings also it will set up and upgrade Sidux and much more.
Wiebelhaus
July 11th, 2009, 08:10 AM
You got a link to a free(non-torrent) download?
Google has lots of those things. (http://news.softpedia.com/news/PCLinuxOS-MiniME-22024.shtml)
CJ Master
July 11th, 2009, 09:02 PM
Wow I did not expect to get this amount of replies in such a short amount of time.
I actually have Arch Linux downloaded and ready to burn but it's for my pretty new desktop. My friend has it installed but told me you should plan out your day for most of it anyways to install Arch Linux.
I am actually interested in Sidux. Is it optimized for the i686 processors? Also I do want the proprietary stuff added in. Like flash, mp3, dvd movies. Is that out of the box or will I have to add that in. I hope that adding in would be okay. I'm fine with getting my hands dirty though.
Are there any drawbacks to Sidux?
Thanks again
It's far worth the extra time to install arch... I don't trust Sidux at all. It worked fine - until I updated once. BAM! Instant borked system.
I guess other people have better experiences - but at least if Arch breaks you generally know how to fix it.
Blacklightbulb
July 11th, 2009, 10:17 PM
Well on that setup Ubuntu runs pretty fast. My setup right now is crappier than yours and Ubuntu boots in 25 secs. Unless your gonna compile all the apps and configure everything (Slackware) than go with Ubuntu.
HappyFeet
July 11th, 2009, 10:19 PM
There is only two answers. sidux or arch. Take your pick.
Really? It's good to know there is someone here that has THE answers. I will come to you when making any distro decisions. :roll:
HappyFeet
July 11th, 2009, 10:26 PM
You got a link to a free(non-torrent) download?
Google has lots of those things. (http://news.softpedia.com/news/PCLinuxOS-MiniME-22024.shtml)
Isn't the power of Google wonderful? People should really try it sometime.
Wikipedia article about Google (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google)
Wikipedia article about Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia)
Need any more assistance? Have fun.
brandonsh
July 11th, 2009, 10:41 PM
It should run Ubuntu 9.04 just fine.
Compucore
July 11th, 2009, 10:52 PM
I tried Xubuntu a while ago and I was running it on a Celery 500 laptop with 192 megs of ram on board. Fine it wasn't the fastest one around but it was fast enough with that computer. Should be fine for that laptop as well. I'm not too fond of KDE> But is okay for those who like it. I'm not going to complain about that. Not worth the fight at all.
Compucore
Bart_D
July 12th, 2009, 02:08 AM
@OP, my setup is much crappier than yours and Ubuntu boots in 39 seconds(ext4).
Well on that setup Ubuntu runs pretty fast. My setup right now is crappier than yours and Ubuntu boots in 25 secs. Unless your gonna compile all the apps and configure everything (Slackware) than go with Ubuntu.
+1! Well said.
solitaire
July 12th, 2009, 02:14 AM
I've got an old Dell Laptop (P4 2Ghz + 768mb ram) and all the Ubuntu's run fine on that (I just remove Compiz from the installs) Don't think you need a "screaming fast" OS for that laptop. Just turn of the effects ^_^ lol
.Maleficus.
July 12th, 2009, 03:23 AM
To those recommending Ubuntu - did you even read OP's post? Two big flags that Ubuntu is not right for him are bleeding edge and KDE.
Arch + KDEmod would be a good setup OP. Don't be scared away by what some users here will say about it - the install is as straight forward as it gets, the Beginner's Guide on the Arch Wiki insures you can't fail and KDEmod is an awesome package if you want KDE and bleeding edge. Give yourself a day for the install so you can get everything perfect and you'll have an awesome and easy to use system.
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