Introduction
This is part 4 in a series of articles designed to help you choose the right Linux distribution for your circumstances.Here are the links to the first three parts:
- Which desktop environment should you use?
- 5 easiest to use Linux distributions for modern machines
- 5 easiest to use Linux distributions for older machines
This guide lists those distributions designed to run with limited RAM, limited disk space and limited graphics capabilities.
Ease of use is sometimes comprimised when using the really light distributions but once you get used to them they are every bit as functional as a Ubuntu or Linux Mint.
Before I start I would like to say that unlike the other two lists this one is in no particular order.
1. AntiX
The AntiX website claims that you can run it on a Pentium II with 64 megabytes of RAM although it is recommended that you have at least 128 megabytes.
Click here for a full review of AntiX
The download image for AntiX is just 690 megabytes in size. It is amazing how much is packed into that image.
AntiX comes with dozens of applications and that includes the LibreOffice suite. All of the other applications are lightweight in nature including Gnome MPlayer for listening to music, Iceweasel as a web browser and Claws as an email client.
The desktop that comes with AntiX is IceWM which uses very little of your computer's processing power.
AntiX is based on the Debian testing branch which means the applications are fairly up to date and in the main fairly resilient.
2. SparkyLinux
Click here for a full review of SparkyLinux
SparkyLinux is another Linux distribution based on the Debian testing branch. There are a number of choices of desktop available including LXDE, Razor-QT, OpenBox/JWM, e17 and MATE.
SparkyLinux will work quite well on really old and just plain old old computers.
If you have an ancient computer then the Razor-QT, LXDE and JWM desktops are the ones to go for.
The minimum requirements are 256 megabytes RAM for LXDE, OpenBox and e17 or 384 megabytes for Razor-QT. You will need at least 5 gigabytes of hard drive space.
You can download SparkyLinux from http://sparkylinux.org/download/
I believe that the i486 versions include a non-PAE kernel making it accessible to everyone.
The applications aren't so lightweight in nature. LibreOffice, GIMP, PlayOnLinux, DropBox, Teamviewer, QMMP and VLC are installed by default.
The installer for SparkyLinux isn't as easy to follow as other distributions but there is a full guide available at http://sparkylinux.org/hard-drive-install/
3. Crunchbang
Click here for a review of Crunchbang
(This is a little bit out of date and a new review is forthcoming shortly)
Crunchbang is also based on Debian and it uses the Openbox window manager.
The following quote comes from the Crunchbang website
Put simply; CrunchBang could be thought of as a layer built on top of Debian, specifically to provide a great Openbox experience.Crunchbang is genuinely lightweight in nature and that is reflected in the applications with Abiword and Gnumeric installed instead of LibreOffice (although the option is there to have LibreOffice).
The Crunchbang website isn't overly forthcoming with minimum specifications but this forum page has people listing RAM requirements of anything from 64 megabytes to 512 megabytes.
4. Puppy Linux
There isn't just one version of Puppy Linux. There are dozens of them. They are all built using the same tools and are all light on resources.My personal favourites are Simplicity and MacPup but Precise, Wary and Slacko are really good as well.
There are dozens of tools available including ftp clients, screengrabbing tools, torrent clients, CD rippers and audio download tools.
Puppy is designed to run from a USB pen drive as opposed to installing it on a hard drive. (You can if you want to though).
The Puppy Linux wikka page states that Puppy Linux can run on 64 megabytes RAM but 256 megabytes is more realistic with a 512 megabyte swap file.
The desktop environments used vary depending on the version you install and they vary from IceWM to JWM and LXDE.
You can download Wary, Precise and Slacko from http://puppylinux.org
You can download Simplicity from http://simplicitylinux.org/
You can download MacPup from http://macpup.org/
5. Lubuntu
Click here for a review of Lubuntu 14.04
Windows users will find Lubuntu more familiar than any of the aforementioned distros.
Lubuntu can apparently work with just 128 megabytes RAM but becomes more useable with 256 megabytes RAM and it is highly recommended to have 512 megabytes or more.
The applications installed are all light in nature with Abiword and Gnumeric installed as the word processing and spreadsheet tools. Audacious is installed as the audio player which is decent if not spectacular.
With Lubuntu you get access to all the Ubuntu repositories but your choice of applications will be determined by the amount of system resources available to you.
You can download Lubuntu 14.04 from here
Summary
The obvious choice for users coming to Linux for the first time on really old machines would be Lubuntu but AntiX and SparkyLinux are both worth a go. With Lubuntu you will find a larger support network.The choice doesn't have to be Lubuntu or Puppy as you can try Lubuntu as a full installation and install Puppy to a USB drive.
Crunchbang is a very popular distribution and you will soon realise that functionality outweighs shiny.
Thankyou for reading.
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