[SUMMARY] Re: Memory economical Linux installation?

[Omer Zak]

Yigal Asnis:
Xubuntu (Ubuntu with Xfce desktop environment) - needs 192MB RAM to run
the live CD, less to install.  Needs 1.5GB free hard disk space.
Recommended to have at least 256MB RAM at runtime.

Gilboa Davara:
CentOS 5.4 with 256MB RAM (slow JavaScript under Firefox 3.0).
Removed most of the services keeping only the essentials
(iptables, selinux), replaced GDM with SLIM login manager, and replaced
the DE with a combination of IceWM + iDesk. Boots usually finish with
>80MB of memory used.
DRI on the Mach64 requires a lot of manual patching.

    Tzafrir Cohen:
    GDM takes much less memory than IceWM.
    LXDE may be an useful alternative for a desktop.
    Can use one of openbox(?), fvwm, jwm, E17(?) or anything based
    upon GTk - will show Hebrew properly on window titles.

        Gilboa Davara:
        GDM is kept active in init 5 and eats about 10MB RAM.
        SLIM needs 1/4 of that.

Sara Fink:
Slax requires much less memory:· 30 MB to boot slax.
· 64 MB to run Xwindow with fluxbox (guifast)
· 128 MB to run Xwindow with KDE (gui or guisafe)
http://linux.softpedia.com/get/System/Operating-Systems/Linux-Distributions/SLAX-1001.shtml
Those figures are for slax to run from usb or livecd. Probably, it
requires the same installed as well.

SUMMARY:
Given my friend's constraints (192MB memory, impossible to add more
memory), only Xubuntu and slax are relevant.

Thanks to all responders.

--- Omer



-- 
My Commodore 64 is suffering from slowness and insufficiency of memory;
and its display device is grievously short of pixels.  Can anyone help?
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