[NotElvis]

The last time I did anything serious in terms of using Linux, having a PC with Linux on it, etc., was around the turn of the century (Man, I LOVE using that phrase)

So, my only real use has been cygwin these days.

I'd like to get back into it - but I'd like a fast, lightweight, but simple to use Linux distro to install on a spare PC.  It's going to be on one of these two systems:

• 2.8GHz P4
• 1.5Gb RAM (expandable to 4 if I can manage to find the right modules)
• ATI 9550 AGP video card
• 40GB hard drive

or

• 3.4GHz P4 HT
• 2Gb RAM (max capacity)
• On-board Intel video (has a PCIe x16 slot, though)
• 250GB hard drive

However, I'm so long out of the Linux game that I have no idea where to start to look - ideally I'd like to be able to do a boot from a USB stick then do a network install.  I think I did that once with Mandrake many years ago, but with a floppy instead of a USB stick.

I've BRIEFLY looked at Ubuntu, and stumbled across references to Lubuntu and Xubuntu.  But honestly, I don't really know where to begin anymore.

Does anyone have any personal recommendations on a distro, and why you'd recommend it?

Thanks.

[Palomine]

Those are older CPUs, but not super-old... there are Linux distros that will run fine on them, but you can rule out some possibilities by determining whether those particular CPUs support PAE (physical address extension: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_Address_Extension) or not. If not, then your distro choices will be much more limited: on a Pentium M 1.7GHz laptop (which predates PAE support) with only 512MB of RAM, I run CrunchBang (aka "#!") which is one of the few distros that still offers a non-PAE version for those PCs that are approaching a decade old (or older). The wiki article linked above has a Linux section https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_Address_Extension#Linux which mentions some other distros that also offer non-PAE versions, though I haven't used any of those myself.

Note: with any contemporary Linux distro that offers a non-PAE version for older machines, you're still getting/using the CURRENT version of that distro, which means you can generally install and use the current versions of web browsers, office suites and other apps (just try running the latest/current version of Windows or MacOS on a ten-year-old PC, let alone the current Chrome or Office)!

I dunno where in the pantheon your particular P4 CPUs reside... if they're newer than Pentium Ms they probably do support PAE and in that case, you can pretty much run the latest/current version any distro you want. The specs you describe aren't that modest really... most any Linux will do fine w/a lot less CPU, RAM and storage than contemporary versions of Windows or OSX can manage. The only place where you might see some performance issues would be in the area of graphics (especially for the older, on-board graphics box) but even then, most of the more fully-developed distros usually allow you to select the degree of visual fancy-schmancy you want the GUI to run (window transparency, drop shadows, etc...) so if you notice some graphic sluggishness (i.e.: slow redraws when dragging a window or something like that) you can just "turn down" the eye candy to ease the burden on the GFX system. However, it probably won't be necessary: I run regular/full Ubuntu 14 with all the eye candy turned on and this PC dates back to '06 w/Core2 Duo 2.53GHz CPU and a tiny/fanless graphics card (Gallium 0.4 on AMD RV610 the specs say) and I experience almost no perceptible graphics sluggishness, even under heavy load. So, you might not even have to choose a "lightweight" distro at all.

Assuming non-PAE isn't an issue, my fave distro atm is probably Mint with the Cinnamon desktop (there are at least 3 or 4 other desktops for Mint) but even Ubuntu (which has it's own much-maligned-but-not-that-bad-really) Unity desktop is worth considering. Being the most popular and easiest to install-and-use distro, Ubuntu has the most polished feel and well-developed software distribution system by far (aka "store" but most things are free of course, this being Linux ).

If you really feel that you need an intentionally ultra-lightweight distro, there are several that've been tweaked for that specific purpose including Lubuntu and CrunchBang (#! has both regular/PAE 64 and 32-bit versions as well as the 32-bit non-PAE one mentioned earlier for really old PCs). This article suggests another six distros that are known for their light footprint: http://efytimes.com/e1/fullnews.asp?edid=162087 ...I can't vouch for any of those from personal experience, but I think SwitcherX was using a version of Arch for a while and eventually gave up on it... he can tell you more/why. This article lists another six lightweight distros: http://www.tecmint.com/linux-distributions-for-old-computers/ ...that list includes both Lubuntu and Crunchbang.

Ubuntu, Mint, the previously-mentioned CrunchBang and Tails (if you're paranoid about your privacy) are all Debian-based... there's always regular Debian too of course. There are SO many distros... close to 400 last time I checked... you can really be selective if you want to. If not, just stick with one of the better-known ones so you'll have a better chance of finding relevant help/info online if you run into any issues. Somewhere around here we've got some charts of the plethora of distros...

BTW, here's my own thread about Linux: http://forum.bearchive.com/index.php/topic,9983729.0.html

Good luck Not Elvis!

PS/added later: you might ask some of our other Linux users though there are only a few of us here: SwitcherX (as mentioned, he knows much more than me about compiling/customizing) and RandomX too, though she hasn't been around much since getting married.

We should do another operating system survey... we had one several (maybe even a dozen?) years ago and I think the split was roughly 70-75% Windows and 25-30% MacOS.

VOTE in the new 2015 operating system survey here: http://forum.bearchive.com/index.php/topic,9992768.0.html

[NotElvis]

This gives me significantly more information than I had 48 hours ago... though I'm still poking around.

From what I've read, the P4 processors all have PAE.

I definitely appreciate your input, and may get in touch with SwitcherX and RandomX (are they married?  They have the same "last name" after all!)

[SwitcherX]

...I can't vouch for any of those from personal experience, but I think SwitcherX was using a version of Arch for a while and eventually gave up on it... he can tell you more/why.

I tried installing Arch Linux but had a really hard time getting it installed and running.  I guess they redid the install guide because I got it going a week ago.  The problem that came up this time was the endless list of things to configure.  I went back to Mint.  I might try making a hackintosh.

[SwitcherX]

I definitely appreciate your input, and may get in touch with SwitcherX and RandomX (are they married?  They have the same "last name" after all!)

We're not married.  LOL! 

[Palomine]

We're not married.  LOL!  

And here are just two (of many) fine reasons to regret that's not the case. Three, if you're counting her smile (which I certainly do).

Mrs. X's old avatar pic.

PS: There's tons of how-to-Hackintosh info online, some of it confusing and contradictory, though like Arch, it's likely that the process has improved/simplified over time. Cheviot's done it more than one w/success. I made three attempts (using three different Hackintosh kernels) on the most recent (older dual-Xeon) PC I have w/o joy, despite the fact that specwise, it was very similar to a previous-generation Mac Pro (a BIOS issue I think). IM(finite)E, ideally, you'd save yourself some heartache, and just build/buy a PC that you KNOW (from the experience of others) WORKS well as a Hackintosh, rather than just try to configure any random PC as one. JMHO.

ATM, there's very little Mac software I use that I can't find a suitable Linux equivalent for, so the urge to try Hackintoshing has subsided for me personally. I've actually been itching to try turning an older (pre-Intel) Mac into a Linux box (there are some m1nor Linux distros that support the Apple/Motorola PowerPC (G3/G4/G5) CPUs) just because those G4 PowerMac cases are so beautifully designed and good looking:


(pic linked from later post after 1-1-1 allows)

This gives me significantly more information than I had 48 hours ago... though I'm still poking around.

From what I've read, the P4 processors all have PAE.

I definitely appreciate your input, and may get in touch with SwitcherX and RandomX (are they married?  They have the same "last name" after all!)

So do Senator Chuck Schumer and comedienne Amy Schumer, but they're not married either... they're only cousins. If your P4s support PAE, you can likely use most any Linux distro you want per my previous comments. It costs nothing to DL and burn installer DVDs for 2 or 3 (or more) current distros and test drive them all before making a decision about which one to install... most distros will live boot (run) from the optical disk itself (albeit slowly) so you can kick the tires... though of course it'll run much faster once it's installed on/booted from a hard drive or flash key later. Good luck NotElvis!

[3deroticer]

Im still using Zorin linux system!

[Hiram]

I've been running OpenSUSE from a usb drive.  Surprisingly it doesn't use much ram and seems quite a polished distro. There are some multimedia codec issue to overcome, but nothing insurmountable.  So, this may be one to try

https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Create_a_Live_USB_stick_using_Windows

http://www.osforensics.com/tools/write-usb-images.html

http://software.opensuse.org/132/en

[Palomine]

Hiram, 3D... if you haven't already done so, please go vote in my OS poll thread here: http://forum.bearchive.com/index.php/topic,9992768.0.html since Linux needs all the representation it can get around here. Thanks!

[NotElvis]

And here are just two (of many) fine reasons to regret that's not the case. Three, if you're counting her smile (which I certainly do).

Mrs. X's old avatar pic.

Ye gods, that's distracting!

So do Senator Chuck Schumer and comedienne Amy Schumer, but they're not married either... they're only cousins.

True, but I liked playing with the X part, then in my head had this superhero/supervillain image in my head where one (or both) of them might actually be referred to as "Doctor X"

If your P4s support PAE, you can likely use most any Linux distro you want per my previous comments. It costs nothing to DL and burn installer DVDs for 2 or 3 (or more) current distros and test drive them all before making a decision about which one to install... most distros will live boot (run) from the optical disk itself (albeit slowly) so you can kick the tires... though of course it'll run much faster once it's installed on/booted from a hard drive or flash key later. Good luck NotElvis! [/color]

I'll definitely have to get on the ball and start test driving them... 


Thanks all for the info/guidance/suggestions thus far...

[NotElvis]

Lo and behold, I am posting from my Lubuntu install, after laziness, procrastination,  and I went with the machine with the faster CPU, but 100Mbit ethernet and 2GB RAM limit.

Comedy of errors included.

1) Copy ISO to USB stick.... but old PC doesn't allow you to choose USB as a bootable drive (I TODAY found out that some older PCs have to have the USB inserted, then the BIOS might see it as a hard drive)

2) Burn ISO to CD-R, with verify option.  Set BIOS to boot first from DVD drive.  System insists a bootable disc isn't there.

3) Burn ISO to another (different brand) CD-R.  Do not verify.  This one works.


I went with default everything... and I am SO rusty, I couldn't remember how to do anything with .Xresources (for my XTerms . . jeez, who can read ANYTHING with those default font sizes?!?), and needed to look up how to set font sizes, color, etc with it.

I was also baffled that the initial user I put in actually is the root user without being called "root" -

Ho'boy, do I have a lot to learn, and a lot to re-learn.