Submission + - Linux Distro for an Old Lappy (wikipedia.org) 2
BJ_Covert_Action writes: So I just zero filled an old Dell Inspiron 4100 laptop and am looking to revive it into a decent machine. It is running a Pentium-III M processor, 128 MB of RAM, and has a 30 GB hard drive slotted into it. I would like to slap a Linux distribution on the old girl as I figure that is the best way to make use of its hardware. Currently, I only have experience with Ubuntu on a couple of desktop computers. I have been fiddling with Ubuntu for about a year and a half now. I am comfortable on the command line, with the Gnome desktop, and with the file structure (i.e. /etc, /usr, and so on). I don't really know how to rank myself as a user other than that I tend to be able to get things done and, as long as I can get to Google, I am pretty decent at learning new Linux tricks on Ubuntu.
However, for this old clunker of a laptop, Ubuntu is a bit heavy. So I am looking for a newer (possibly better) and smaller distribution. I would like to use the laptop, primarily, for internet access, office applications, some music (in mp3 format), and, of course, perl hacking. That said, responsiveness is more important to me than having access to scores of programs. I would also like to get some new lessons out of this distribution and maybe learn a bit more about Linux (I hear both Arch Linux and Slackware are good for that). Some ease of use would be nice as jumping feet first into a full inferno of bewilderment would likely frustrate me. Furthermore, I might use this little laptop as a platform to let some friends try out Linux and see what they think.
So, with all that said, I have looked at Puppy Linux, Damn Small Linux, Xubuntu, Debian, PCLinuxOS, Slackware, Arch Linux, and Linux Mint. I am leaning towards Puppy Linux or DSL as the rest seem to be a little hardware hungry for my particular system. Puppy Linux appears to focus on user friendliness, but I don't know how much I could learn from it. DSL seems like it could be one hell of a ride, but from what I have read, there is no package management system (though I guess there is some kind of apt enable option you can check now?) which seems like it could make using DSL a pain. When it comes down to it. I am looking to clear up some of these rumors I have heard and get a few dotters' thoughts and ideas on which distributions might meet my requirements best.
Also, as one last note, I tend to use the internet to figure out solutions to most of my problems, so any distributions with a vibrant online community earn a ++ in my book.
However, for this old clunker of a laptop, Ubuntu is a bit heavy. So I am looking for a newer (possibly better) and smaller distribution. I would like to use the laptop, primarily, for internet access, office applications, some music (in mp3 format), and, of course, perl hacking. That said, responsiveness is more important to me than having access to scores of programs. I would also like to get some new lessons out of this distribution and maybe learn a bit more about Linux (I hear both Arch Linux and Slackware are good for that). Some ease of use would be nice as jumping feet first into a full inferno of bewilderment would likely frustrate me. Furthermore, I might use this little laptop as a platform to let some friends try out Linux and see what they think.
So, with all that said, I have looked at Puppy Linux, Damn Small Linux, Xubuntu, Debian, PCLinuxOS, Slackware, Arch Linux, and Linux Mint. I am leaning towards Puppy Linux or DSL as the rest seem to be a little hardware hungry for my particular system. Puppy Linux appears to focus on user friendliness, but I don't know how much I could learn from it. DSL seems like it could be one hell of a ride, but from what I have read, there is no package management system (though I guess there is some kind of apt enable option you can check now?) which seems like it could make using DSL a pain. When it comes down to it. I am looking to clear up some of these rumors I have heard and get a few dotters' thoughts and ideas on which distributions might meet my requirements best.
Also, as one last note, I tend to use the internet to figure out solutions to most of my problems, so any distributions with a vibrant online community earn a ++ in my book.