Other Distros

[nic007]

I haven't tried out any other linux distros besides Puppy but would like to. Which ones can I try that will install/work like Puppy hdd frugal install (and booted by using grub4dos). Interested in those which work with lower end machines obviously.

[rokytnji]

GHostBSD>>>>http://www.ghostbsd.org/download

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ghostbsd@livecd ~> uname -a
FreeBSD livecd 10.0-RELEASE FreeBSD 10.0-RELEASE #0: Sun Aug 31 02:10:23 ADT 2014     root@ericbsd:/usr/obj/usr/src/sys/GHOSTBSD  amd64

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last pid: 12121;  load averages:  0.71,  0.57,  0.42    up 0+00:25:36  20:41:07
79 processes:  2 running, 76 sleeping, 1 zombie
CPU: 18.8% user,  0.0% nice, 15.1% system,  0.2% interrupt, 65.9% idle
Mem: 370M Active, 656M Inact, 332M Wired, 211M Buf, 611M Free
Swap: 

  PID USERNAME      THR PRI NICE   SIZE    RES STATE   C   TIME    WCPU COMMAND
 9449 ghostbsd       39  20    0   664M   334M uwait   1   1:23  43.95% firefox
 1190 root            3  20    0   434M 88804K uwait   1   1:33   8.40% Xorg
 8121 ghostbsd        4  52    0   210M 28704K select  0   0:02   0.59% mate-te
 1256 root            1  52    0   220M 30856K select  0   0:07   0.20% python2
 2255 ghostbsd        4  20    0   229M 27724K select  0   0:07   0.20% plank
 1247 ghostbsd        5  20    0   258M 38944K select  0   0:13   0.00% caja
 2256 ghostbsd        5  20    0   247M 31544K select  0   0:05   0.00% mate-pa
 1238 ghostbsd        6  25    0   267M 23580K select  1   0:03   0.00% mate-se
 1243 ghostbsd        3  20    0   213M 23748K select  1   0:03   0.00% marco
 2260 ghostbsd        2  20    0   216M 26928K select  1   0:02   0.00% mate_mi
 8504 ghostbsd        1  20    0 19772K  2500K CPU0    0   0:02   0.00% top
 2287 ghostbsd        4  20    0   213M 24460K kqread  1   0:02   0.00% bamfdae
 1254 ghostbsd        2  22    0   165M 21148K select  1   0:01   0.00% python2
 1140 haldaemon       2  20    0 60680K  8060K select  0   0:01   0.00% hald
 1231 ghostbsd        1  20    0 17048K  3044K select  0   0:01   0.00% dbus-da
 1220 ghostbsd        4  20    0   166M 14288K select  0   0:01   0.00% mate-se
 1251 ghostbsd        3  20    0   203M 20088K select  0   0:01   0.00% mate-po

Running live Mate desktop with a plank laincher on the bottom



Cool thing about the fish shell in terminal is it shows red letters when a wrong command or missing command is typed into a terminal.

Runs pretty snappy. Definitely no systemd. Libreoffice, Thunderbird email, Firefox, Gnome-Mplayer, Pluma text editor, Transmission, and caja file manager is in here along with Xchat and and Pidgin.

It's not Linux. But something worth learning just the same to me.
This boot was to make sure everything worked on this Dell T3400.
Looks OK to me.

@starhawk, I'll PM the pics on dissembled power supply on the GX280 later on when time allows. Monday morning busy here.

Or. Open a new thread if that is preferable to you.

I guess it is time for this old scooter dog to learn new tricks with BSD file locations, structure, and command synatx plus ports.



For nic007, I know certain BSD setups with Window Managers run real good on older gear, If you can handle the learning curve. It is a option of sorts. Not even like Puppy though, DNA incompatible, They won't breed.

Both FreeBSD/i386 and FreeBSD/pc98 require a 486 or better processor, at least 24 MB of RAM, and at least 150 MB of free hard drive space for the most minimal installation.

https://forums.freebsd.org/threads/howt ... top.35308/

[nic007]

Thanks rokytnji. Not looking for all that old but distros that will boot with my current frugal boot setup (using grub4dos) or if not, those that work from live CD. Not needing a full install and less than say 200MB iso.

[James C]

ConnochaetOS 14.1 is released

https://forum.connochaetos.org/viewtopic.php?id=17

ConnochaetOS is a fully free/libre GNU/Linux distro for x86 computers with limited resources, based on Slackware and Salix OS. "Fully free" means, that ConnochaetOS does only contain free software and no proprietary, non-free software, blobs or firmware. Non-free parts of the upstream distros were removed and - where possible - replaced by free counterparts. ConnochaetOS retains full backwards compatibility with Slackware and Salix OS.

Kernel GNU Linux Libre 3.10.77
IceWM 1.3.7
Iceweasel 31.6.0esr libre

[Colonel Panic]

I've just downloaded Chakra (a 64-bit distro) and tried to install it to my hard drive, but the installation failed. I should have listened to Dedoimedo, who had the same experience;

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/chak ... euler.html

If there are any Chakra fans here with warmer memories of this distro, I'm sorry but I can't recommend it at the moment.

[nitehawk]

Haven't tried Chakra. I seem to stick mainly with Slackware, Vector, and Puppies anymore. So what's with Carolina VE 1.3??? Maybe I should have read all the threads about it to begin with....

But I got the ISO,...copied to disc....tried to install. Then discovered that it is FRUGAL ONLY??? What, no full install? Drats. I kind of liked it. I wanted to triple boot it on my laptop with Windows Vista (yeah, I know,..but the darn thing is made for it),...with Carolina, and Precise Puppy 571.

I have Vista and Precise on it now (did have Slackware). Can't get Vector to "play nice" on it,...But Slackware and Carolina will. But Carolina is frugal only? Well,...I hear rumblings that there may be a new Slackware in the very near future...so may wait for that. I actually have been skipping Slackware 14.1,..and have been just using the version 14 all this time, anyhow (Slackware hardly changes much, anyhow,...which is what I love about it).

@James C

...hmmm,..maybe I should have a look at ConnochaetOS 14.1,...if it's based on Slackware. Depends, though, how and what it might use for dialup internet (ohhhhh, yeah. STILL on that!!!). On my laptop, I use a small USB dongle type of modem. It always comes up as port ttyACM0 (instead of an external modem which would be ttyS0). Most distros don't have means to use that ttyACM0 port,..only Puppies and those distros with KPPP.

[starhawk]

Carolina Vanguard has issues with full installs. I'm running a frugal of it, have for a while now -- it's pretty good stuff. The CUPS is a little old, which causes issues with LibreOffice sometimes, but that's it.

Besides, the benefits of a frugal install far, far outweigh the very minor speed penalty you pay on all but the most limited of hardware. If your computer can run Vista it should have no problem by far.

[nitehawk]

Carolina Vanguard has issues with full installs. I'm running a frugal of it, have for a while now -- it's pretty good stuff. The CUPS is a little old, which causes issues with LibreOffice sometimes, but that's it.

Besides, the benefits of a frugal install far, far outweigh the very minor speed penalty you pay on all but the most limited of hardware. If your computer can run Vista it should have no problem by far.

Well,...I just might do the frugal install of Carolina on the lappy. But it has a pretty nice 500G hard drive,..that I have already partitioned the way I want it for three major operating systems (i.e. Vista with two good linux distros,...namely Precise Puppy, and something like Slackware). But I have the room to also do the frugal with Carolina in Vista,..so I may go ahead and do that. Carolina does look nice, alright. Just wanted to put it on more Gigs, than a frugal install usually allows.

[starhawk]

There's not really a size limit with frugals AFAIK. I have a 4gb savefile right now... I'm running on a 256gb SSD. Three partitions.

The old limits they warn you about with those are just that -- old. You can ignore them.

[nitehawk]

There's not really a size limit with frugals AFAIK. I have a 4gb savefile right now... I'm running on a 256gb SSD. Three partitions.

The old limits they warn you about with those are just that -- old. You can ignore them.

Ya,...I've run frugal Puppies in 10 gb before! But I have Precise Puppy 571 on full install on that lappy on about 103 gb!! I just wanted to install Carolina on a lot more than just say...10 gb. But one can do, only what one can do <sigh>

[starhawk]

Puppy doesn't care, let it sit on the hundred gigs. It'll be fine.

[nitehawk]

Puppy doesn't care, let it sit on the hundred gigs. It'll be fine.

Ah yes,...
but I wish to do nothing to upset my fagile Vista install. You know just how finiky windows can be (with all those reqirements for product codes, etc. etc. etc).,....not to mention how it can freak out about anything and give you that blue screen that says something like "OMG!!! OMG!!! Something is screwed-up!!! Get your installation disk and try to repair,.. if you"re lucky, and the moon is blue, and the cows came home before sunset, and you've sacrificed a goat, and your first born,..etc. etc. etc. etc. etc......"

[starhawk]

That's a very good reason indeed to ditch Vista altogether

[Colonel Panic]

That's a very good reason indeed to ditch Vista altogether

My current computer came with Vista, and I've kept it on a 100 GB partition, so I'd like to put the opposite case here, i.e. the case for keeping it if you can spare the space on your hard drive.

I know Vista has a bad reputation, but I've found that if you install the latest service pack (the current one is pack 2) and get rid of the sidebar thingy which holds the clock, it works fine, at least as well as Windows 7 does when I use it at my local community centre.

(Even Microsoft admits that the sidebar has serious vulnerabilities, as they say here:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/gadgets
)

I've also disabled the Aero theme, which although pretty is heavy on resources, and used the Vista Basic theme (which looks good enough to me), and also installed the Rainmaker system info monitor (similar to gkrellm in Linux) to replace the sidebar.

For security purposes it also helps if you don't use Internet Explorer or Outlook on Vista too, but even though it's an old OS now there are still plenty of good browsers which will run on it.

[Burn_IT]

I am surprised you haven't taken advantage of the offers to upgrade to Windows 7 as it is so much better.
Time will tell if 10 is worth it, 8 certainly was not.

[nitehawk]

That's a very good reason indeed to ditch Vista altogether

My current computer came with Vista, and I've kept it on a 100 GB partition, so I'd like to put the opposite case here, i.e. the case for keeping it if you can spare the space on your hard drive.

I know Vista has a bad reputation, but I've found that if you install the latest service pack (the current one is pack 2) and get rid of the sidebar thingy which holds the clock, it works fine, at least as well as Windows 7 does when I use it at my local community centre.

(Even Microsoft admits that the sidebar has serious vulnerabilities, as they say here:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/gadgets
)

I've also disabled the Aero theme, which although pretty is heavy on resources, and used the Vista Basic theme (which looks good enough to me), and also installed the Rainmaker system info monitor (similar to gkrellm in Linux) to replace the sidebar.

For security purposes it also helps if you don't use Internet Explorer or Outlook on Vista too, but even though it's an old OS now there are still plenty of good browsers which will run on it.

@ colonel Panic
Oh yes indeed,..we are certainly (as the Texas saying goes, where I was raised): "We are both cut out of the same piece of leather".
I do indeed wish to preserve my installation of Vista,..as it is useful for many things,..and I also customize it exactly as you do.

@Burn_IT
I also agree,..but not many of us have the hardware (or computer reqirements) or even desire,...to upgrade to Windows 7. However,..you're right, in that it seems to be the most popular windows since XP,....but the idea is (among many windows fans),..that Vista will do most things that Windows 7 does. Since Vista came with this lappy (that my dear retired electronics tech brother gave to me for last Xmas)...I am not thinking of trying to upgrade.
But yes,..Burn_IT,...I hear that Windows 7 is the most popular. But I will stick with vista on this older (but goodie) lappy for now.

[wboz]

Windows Vista SP2 is fine as an OS. My Lenovo came with that, upgraded while in school. I like Windows 7 better, but the improvements were not must-haves over Vista.

Have recently been wondering how to speed up that old Lenovo. It's my only Windows machine and I like having at least one, primarily to manage my iPhone. Unfortunately ...

1) As a 32 bit install it can only recognize 3+ gigs of RAM. How to get past that roadblock?
2) The 5400 rpm HDD is super slow and probably the second biggest performance hog. But migrating to a SSD is SO hard on a laptop because you can't connect a second drive. Would reducing the paging file help?
3) The ATI Radeon graphics chip doesn't appear to help much at all. On or off, speed is about the same ...

[mikeb]

point 2 and the rest...vista is so painfully gross in the way it does things it makes any drive appear painfully slow...it was a sick joke designed to sell new hardware. Service pack..oh yes...that DOUBLED hard drive access speeds...it was soooo bad at first...its still crap.

Windows 7 is magnitudes faster...sorry on a lenovo x60 s it ran like a good XP setup...vista was time to make a hot drink fiasco just for it to boot.
MS had to redo the whole job properly or face loosing major custom and they managed it fortunately for themselves.

If you put concrete in the back of a sports car it will tend to run slow.

Vista is shiny...well you need something nice to stare at

mike

[Burn_IT]

I was just making sure that should anyone have the choice, they go for Windows 7 rather than Vista even if it costs a more. If Vista would work W7 will better.

Hardware support is not a problem. I run W7 on hardware that is only supposed to run XP. I never even consider Vista except possibly for drivers if the device does not have 7 drivers. Even XP drivers work if needed though W7 does have excellent driver support.

I use this T43P and my Dell C840 every day with W7.

[mikeb]

I was just making sure that should anyone have the choice, they go for Windows 7 rather than Vista even if it costs a more. If Vista would work W7 will better.

Seconded..was just casting my vote. I would not like to see someone losing out...If you have to run a recent version of windows, 7 is the one... perhaps thats why they play it down and refuse it a service pack...they got it right which is not good for business.... means finding ways to persuade users away from it again... but in terms of software its a winner.... and yes...a pentium 3 was able to run it ok...though an dual core atom with 1GB is nicer thats hardly a 'power system'

I was getting boot times similar to a streamlined XP and not disimilar performance in spite of the much larger installation size that seems the default for anything from the last 10 years.

Mike