Light Linux distribution

[debiandonder]

I don't know if I understand this correctly, but Debian 9 with the LXDE desktop enviroment is about 2 GIG and Lubuntu based on Ubuntu 18.14 LTS, is about 1 GIG.

How can this be? I would rather use Debian, but the download is twice as big and I don't know if my 3G connection will cut out with the bigger download.

[Bulkley]

Installing a pre-configured OS of any variety will bring in lots of stuff you probably never use. What many of us do is to install a minimum Debian and add only what we want. It takes a bit of planning but we wind up with a much slimmer, personalized system.

BTW, much of the bloat comes from modern browsers which have been configured to do too much.

[debiandonder]

I downloaded a 291 MB netinstall ISO from the Debian website and will try it later this month.

Yes, I also had the idea of doing a minimal install and picking what I want. That takes a long time, because I had some horrible document viewer I had to replace with Okular and the minimal install didn't even have a calculator.

The packed distro's have programs that work together well.

I have Q40S based on Debian 9 and sometimes the KDE menu lock up. I then press chtrl+alt+delete and it gives me the option to reboot. Windows flashback!

[sickpig]

The debian 9 lxde has libre office around a gig unpacked, ubuntu doesn't. Hence the size difference.

U might want to download wifi drivers beforehand as net install doesn't have them.

[Head_on_a_Stick]

Construct your own desktop from the components you want and try to avoid metapackages if you want to minimise the downloads.

Ask sickpig about openbox, he's quite the ninja with that, apparently

[Deb-fan]

You're taking about iso size? Something else? Most the time I've used gnu/Linux have taken the net install route. Debian can be whatever someone wants it to be. Light or heavy, as someone prefers. Same for everything else gnu/nix too. I use Debian cause it's awesome and amazing. Though takes learning and experience to get to the point of knowing what's possible.

[debiandonder]

Thanks everyone, I will just go with Gnome, not as heavy as KDE and not as ugly as LXDE or XFCE.

[sickpig]

Ask sickpig about openbox, he's quite the ninja with that, apparently

hahaha self proclaimed one albeit!
konichiwa Head_on_a_Stick san

[sickpig]

Thanks everyone, I will just go with Gnome, not as heavy as KDE and not as ugly as LXDE or XFCE.

I would just curl up in fetal position and cry myself to death than use gnome

[debiandonder]

I would just curl up in fetal position and cry myself to death than use gnome [/quote]

I have used Gnome for years and am using KDE right now. Gnome is ugly but more reliable, the KDE menu sometime become unresponsive. Many Linux distro's use Gnome for that purpose.

For me if the enviroment is too pretty I forget what I was doing.

Gnome is great for ADHD, people.

[sickpig]

yup thats the convenience of Linux, you have complete freedom to use what u want. if its it not there, you can even create your own option/component.

[stevepusser]

Thanks everyone, I will just go with Gnome, not as heavy as KDE and not as ugly as LXDE or XFCE.

Your impressions of comparative weight are quite demonstrably wrong about KDE...
Also don't judge the lighter desktops by how Debian presents them. They can also be all jazzed up.

[debiandonder]

I only have experience of Ubuntu 14.04, rightfully called trusty tahr and Q40s which uses some version of KDE.

According to distro watch website Debian LXDE is 1872 MB, while Lubuntu is 1032 MB.

Is this true?

I just want to download and install the one with the smallest download size and use it until the next version of Zorin OS is released.

[sickpig]

I only have experience of Ubuntu 14.04, rightfully called trusty tahr and Q40s which uses some version of KDE.

According to distro watch website Debian LXDE is 1872 MB, while Lubuntu is 1032 MB.

Is this true?

I just want to download and install the one with the smallest download size and use it until the next version of Zorin OS is released.

try linux lite by our kiwi brothers
its less than 800 mb
but uses xfce which i take it u find ugly

[debiandonder]

I just checked out the Linux Lite website and it shows the download is 1.4 Gig and yes it's really ugly, I might as well try Lubuntu. It's just as ugly but 400 mb smaller download. That's not much, but my 3G internet fluctuates a lot and smaller files have greater success of being downloaded without cutting out.

[pylkko]

Try nanolinux 11 mb.
Or tinycore.


Also, about the calculator, you can do math in bash with expr if you don't want to install a heavy package(232 kb installed) like GNU bc.

But with light linux distribution it stops making sense the moment you start to browse the internet or use cloud software in the browser...

[Head_on_a_Stick]

The Alpine Linux ISO image is 111MiB and they have Firefox in the repositories.

[debiandonder]

Try nanolinux 11 mb.
Or tinycore.


Also, about the calculator, you can do math in bash with expr if you don't want to install a heavy package(232 kb installed) like GNU bc.

But with light linux distribution it stops making sense the moment you start to browse the internet or use cloud software in the browser...

If I knew how to install tiny core I would have used that long ago, but I don't understand the installation method, Debian graphical install is okay.

[sickpig]

debiandonder try slax at https://www.slax.org/ it is just 255mb for 64bit, based on the current debitan 9.7
has fluxbox with nice transparency and chrome installed ootb

[debiandonder]

Thanks, I will look into it.