RAM Usage During Installation of Lubuntu (was: zRAM)

[Nio Wiklund]

On 2013-06-08 21:19, Aere Greenway wrote:
> On 06/08/2013 12:52 PM, Ali Linx (amjjawad) wrote:
>> I have failed to produce that issue no matter how many times I have
>> tired.
>>
>> I even tried below 256MB of RAM but that did not crash the
>> installation at all. YES, the installation process was SO SLOW but
>> never crashed, in all my tests.
>>
>> So, I'm not defeating the idea as a whole, I'm stating what I've found
>> and what my so many tests for 2 years had shown and proved to my, at
>> least.
>> It is not that I don't believe you, but I can't disagree with my eyes
>> too.
>>
> Ali:
> 
> I am sure what you state from your experience is true.  But what I state
> from my experience is also true.
> 
> My experience differs from yours.  That probably means there is a
> difference in how we go about installing a system on a 512 meg RAM machine.
> 
> If you usually use a bootable USB, then the following paragraphs apply:
> 
> I almost always use the live CD, because my low-RAM machines won't boot
> from a USB-drive without making use of 3rd party software. Also, many of
> the candidate machines have only the old type 1 USB, which is slower
> than a CD.
> 
> If Lubuntu needs to be installed from a USB (for machines having 512 meg
> RAM), it ought to be clearly stated, and there should be a way of
> creating such a USB that works, and doesn't require typing commands in a
> terminal (if ordinary users need to do it).  Also, there need to be
> links to the 3rd-party software to allow your machine to boot from a USB
> (for cases where the hardware doesn't support it).
> 
Hi everybody,

This discussion is about *really low RAM* according to today's standards
for computers.

Aere, you may be right. I have been thinking that many people, who want
to use such old hardware are prepared to run a few text mode or terminal
window commands, at least if they are guided to it from a tutorial or
wiki page. Am a wrong?

What about the alternate installer, is that easy enough to run (it's
text, but in a very guided way)?

Are we losing many users because the desktop installer fails for many
people, when there is low RAM? What about the chance to get a lot of
computers converted to Lubuntu at the end of life of Windows XP? I think
several of those computers have really low RAM.

In that case we should

- make an automatic option to use swap or zRAM. This would be easy for
the end user but hard for us to make it.

- recommend a GUI method to prepare the system with swap. I'm thinking
of running gparted before the installer. Is the easiest non-text method
to activate the new swap to reboot? Newcomers are trained to reboot from
Windows ;-) This is harder but still possible for those who just don't
type commands in a terminal window, but easier for us (only a tutorial
or wiki text about it).

Best regards
Nio