|
Linux has always been an operating system that did not require the latest hardware to run comfortably. Nowadays hardware vendors advertise as if everyone desperately needs to buy or upgrade to the latest hardware in order to accomplish anything productive on their
computer. The truth is that there are lightweight Linux distributions targeted for older hardware ready to satisfy the needs of business owners, home users, students, and enthusiasts alike.
On average desktop Linux installations without a graphical user interface
can weight around 300Mb of hard drive space and require 64Mb of RAM. Requirements grow closer to 800Mb of Hard disk space and 128Mb RAM when we add the windowing system and traditional desktop software packages.
Sample Minimum Hardware Requirements
Debian Graphic - 500Mb HD, 128Mb RAM
Fedora Core Graphic - 2.3Gb, 192Mb RAM
Gentoo - 1Gb HD, 128Mb RAM
Lightweight distributions are specialized Linux distributions still offering full fledge desktop environments that often only require 350Mb of HD and 128Mb of RAM. Additionally these distributions are optimized to run on older CPUs. Currently most business throw or give away computers with these CPUs -- 486s, Pentiums, and Pentiums II. Enthusiast may also enjoy installing these in current hardware and watch their computers kick it up a couple of notches on speed and performance.
Lightweight distributions' creators lower hardware requirements by providing optimized programs and removing unneeded software.
Distributions often share in common some of the same types of tricks and
optimizations, and it is not uncommon to find some of the same software
from one lightweight distribution to the next.
Instead of offering bash as the default shell, they install the lighter ash
shell. They may let go of the latest Mozilla/Netscape for web browsing and install the faster and smaller Dillo. In some of these distros we found Links2 being used as the browser of choice. In addition some of the software may not be compiled against the large GNU libc library but the much smaller clib or mulib. Most of them provide busybox, one single program that replaces over 50 linux utilities.
Using a lightweight window manager is part of the lightweight formula. The majority of them skip support for heavy window managers like Gnome or KDE desktop environment. We encounter fluxbox , IceWM, or XFce as the managers of choice.
Little by little distribution maintainers build Linux distributions that are
smaller in size and more forgiving of hardware resources.
With so many minimalistic or small Linux distributions available it is hard to identify exactly what makes a lightweight distribution. Here is set of criteria we'll use to classify lightweight distributions.
Lightweight distributions must have most of these characteristics:
* they have a hardware requirement of around 500Mb HD, and 128Mb RAM
* they are designed to be installed on the HD, not boot and run from a CD
* they are designed to be used as desktop machines with a windowing system
* they are often optimized and designed to run on older PCs (486,Pentiums)
[...]
Finish Reading at Faster, Smaller, Cheaper...
http://faster-smaller-cheaper....
|
|
