[xubuntu-users] Running Ubuntu or Xubuntu with 550 Mhz and 186 MB RAM?

[Pasi Lallinaho]

Hello Bas,

you might also consider the Ubuntu minimal CD image
(https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/MinimalCD). With this
image, you can install only the packages you need.

There is a lot of alternative Window Managers, which are even more light
than any Desktop Environment (including Xfce), for example Openbox or
Fluxbox. These need a bit more experience/hacking
skills/time/configuring, but are also worth considering.


Bas Roufs wrote:
> Dear Everybody
>
> As a provisional solution, I have to temporarily work with an old 
> laptop, a 'Compaq Armada 100 S'. Main specifications:
> +/- 186 MB RAM, +/- 550 MhZ processor (Pentium II). The HD contains 4,7 
> GB in total or 3,8 GB of free space if I would take into account the 
> existing Window98 installation.
>
> So, I checked the Ubuntu website about the minimum system requirements:
>   
>> Ubuntu is available for PC, 64-Bit PC and Intel based Mac 
>> architectures. At least 256 MB of RAM is required to run the alternate 
>> install CD (384MB of RAM is required to use the live CD based 
>> installer). Install requires at least 4 GB of disk space.
>>
>>     
> Does - in spite of this- any one have experience with Ubuntu on an old 
> computer with specifications similar to those above?
>
> 'Xubuntu' has the image to be able to run on old computers with a 
> limited capacity. However, at Xubuntu.org, the following has been written:
>
>   
>> To run the Desktop CD (LiveCD + Install CD), you need 128 MB RAM to 
>> run or 192 MB RAM to install. The Alternate Install CD only requires 
>> you to have 64 MB RAM. (...) Once installed, Xubuntu can run with 192 
>> MB RAM, but it is strongly recommended to have at least 256 MB RAM.
>>     
>
> Does any one have experience with Xubuntu on an old computer with 
> similar specifications?
>
> Is there any other Linux distro that could work on that old Compaq, at 
> least in combination with OpenOffice, Firefox and Thunderbird?
>
> Thanks for your reply,
> Respectfully Yours,
> Bas.
>
>   

-- 
Pasi Lallinaho
Xubuntu Marketing Lead
Web-designer, graphic artist
IRC: knome @ freenode