Using Mandriva on older computers

[nokheat]

I have a celeron class 2ghz , 512mb ram rig and pIII class, 128 laptop

if i do want to run mandriva 2008 on them,

are there anything i can do to fine tune the system, so it dont lag terribly?

Edited May 27, 2008 by nokheat

[ianw1974]

Yes, there are a few things you can do. However, 512MB won't give you Gnome or KDE without them running slowly, so you'd need to look at a window manager instead such as XFCE. What are your intentions for it? Server without gui? Or desktop machine with gui?

 

First you need to disable all un-needed services after you have installed. Then there are some other tweaks you can do. However, even with this, Gnome/KDE won't perform good if your intention is to use these.

[arctic]

Beg your pardon, but a 2Ghz Celeron with 512 MB RAM is more than enough for running Mandriva with KDE or Gnome. They need some 256 MB RAM for running properly, so it should be pretty fast on that rig. (Mine has 1,67 Ghz and 1 MB RAM and Gnome flies on it).

 

The PIII, 128 MB system can be used for e.g. XFCE, Windowmaker, FLuxbox, Enlightenment or another lightweight solution.

 

Fnentuning can be done by disabling services, by using the optimum swap and swappiness settings, by using e.g. Abiword instead of OpenOffice and e.g. dillo instead of Firefox. And reduce the eye-candy. ;)

[nokheat]

Thanks all for imput.

 

For the purposes, i need to add that, i would use the celeron rig as server and the PIII laptop for desktop with GUI.

Seems there wont be much problem with the celeron ;)

 

 

The PIII, 128 MB system can be used for e.g. XFCE, Windowmaker, FLuxbox, Enlightenment or another lightweight solution.

 

Fnentuning can be done by disabling services, by using the optimum swap and swappiness settings, by using e.g. Abiword instead of OpenOffice and e.g. dillo instead of Firefox. And reduce the eye-candy. ;)

 

O yes, that should be what i want, i will try light weight GUI mandriva on it, to fit on a 10 gb hdd and 128 mb ram labtop.

(i know DSL/ puppy would work, but i want the linux machines on hand run more or less the same stuff, and that would be mandriva)

 

is it hard to install XFCE? how do i select from install screens?

[willie]

You can download mandriva 2008 spring XFce here

[Greg2]

The PIII, 128 MB system can be used for e.g. XFCE, Windowmaker, FLuxbox, Enlightenment or another lightweight solution.

I agree with arctic, except I would suggest trying Fluxbox first. :P I've used it as my “lightweight solution†on many low end systems, from 64MB > 192MB of RAM.

[ianw1974]

I might have been confusing 512MB with 256MB for Gnome/KDE desktops. I just remember my wife's laptop wasn't too hot with 512MB of RAM for Mandriva 2006/2007.

[scarecrow]

For the PIII, 128 MB system XFCE4 will definitely work, but don't expect stellar performance.

IMHO you should opt instead for an even less demanding DE. If you don't want to take one lightweight window manager and then start bulding around it, I can suggest either LXDE or JWM, as implemented in the latest Puppy Linux 4.0 release (earlier version 3.0.1 is even lighter on resources, but gtk1 basad- which in simple terms means: FAST AND UGLY.

[AussieJohn]

I thought I read that he wants Mandriva on BOTH devices.

 

I don't think these older eyes are deceiving me. :D :D

 

Cheers. John.

[arctic]

Another lightweight option came into my mind. Rox. Really fast, doesn't eat up RAM and still offers a nice GUI. And then there is of course IceWM, which is available by default in Mandriva. ;)

[theYinYeti]

I completely agree with arctic. :)

 

Yves.

[adamw]

The DE, though, is only part of the equation. Actually, modern DEs in themselves don't eat so much RAM (though an appreciable amount for a 128MB machine). Bigger culprits are commonly used apps like Firefox (which *swallows* memory), mail clients, OpenOffice.org etc.

 

I agree that you would be perfectly fine with a standard install on the 512MB machine. My system's currently using 432MB out of my 1.5GB, and I'm running gimmie (which leaks memory like a sieve) and Evolution with several gigantic IMAP boxes open, or else it'd be substantially less.

 

For the 128MB machine, go with a light desktop like IceWM, Rox, EDE or something along those lines. But also look at light apps. Look at basic browsers like Kazehakase, Dillo and even links-graphic . For mail look at claws-mail or even go to an old-skool console client. Try and do all the editing you can in a simple text editor, rather than an office app. If you need an office app, go for something lighter than OO.o. Same for all areas generally - look for lighter weight alternatives to the fairly heavy apps most commonly used on systems with more resources. If you take a super-light desktop but then load Thunderbird, Firefox and OpenOffice.org onto it, things are still going to crawl.

[theYinYeti]

And don't forget "good" old Netscape Communicator 4.8. Sure it is old. but:

- it understands way more Javascript and CSS than Dillo and Links-graphic (which are nice browsers nonetheless),

- it uses barely more memory than those other browsers,

- it provides a web browser, and a mail client, and a news reader!

 

And the mail client is more than satisfying: IMAP, POP, LDAP contacts… I never found a better "internet program" for my "nomade" laptop (32MB ram).

 

Yves.

Edited May 29, 2008 by theYinYeti

[adamw]

theYinYeti: the only problem with that is that it hasn't had security updates for several years, so is likely subject to all sorts of vulns. Dillo is in the same state, but has only been so since Feb 2007, so probably less of a problem. links is actively maintained.

[ramfree17]

i like links. especially when i am here at work and i need to look professional while slacking off.

 

ciao!