- This topic has 18 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated Mar 8-12:20 pm by blur13.
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andreyn
I just published an article for Linux distros for old laptops where antiX is featured https://linuxstans.com/best-linux-distros-for-old-laptops/#antix
Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!
LikkMii
Decent stuff. You know crunchbang plus-plus 11 bullseye has been out since deb released 11 ? 6 days after and I was crunching.
Just grabbed a 240 Kingston yesterday and dropped Lilidog on it at 5 am…kinda sorta Crunchy-Bunseny-Maboxy-ArcoB Openboxy. Lilidog(sid-Bookworm) runs real decent Idles at 340~ish and jumps to the high 600’s with a browser, cairo and some other junk in back.Like most all of them…really…you need a gig to do much.
Antix stock runs as light as anything there is.I just now put Lili(bullz-stable) in dual boot w Antix21 on wifeys toshiba. Nary a hiccup- This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by LikkMii.
punranger
Sorry, but the article didn’t contain a “review” of antiX as far as I could tell, just a listing of hardware requirements?
Furthermore, I’ve seen quite a few of these reviews, and they seem to be comparing apples and oranges in many cases. For example, the prime function of Puppy is to run off a USB/from RAM, which it does very well. Or, if you ever tried to actually use TinyCore in a day-to-day operation, you would find yourself struggling, it’s more like a fun project to see how minimal you can get.
Of all the distros that purport to be for “old” computers I tried, which includes most of the ones on your list, antiX is the hands down winner for actual daily use. It works great off an USB as well as HD, has the best persistence option of the USB, it boots the fastest, it is the most lightweight in RAM usage, has great hardware support, and options for quick and easy software installation. Not everything works out of the box, but I’ve been able to fix most issues, and the forum is great. The choice of the default ROX/ICE setup is a kind of tradeoff, took me some time to get used to, but it’s efficient and it works. As you note, web browsing on older systems is a challenge anyway these days, but that goes for ALL distros.
Nice try but: To make a really useful review like this, I think you would need to spend a lot of time actually using each distro, and on a variety of setups.
antiX linux: The best way to revive an old computer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCTaUAP6sSg
LikkMii
No question antix rules….IF the user is willing to spend an hour or three learning it(cuts into hub,Farcebook,whazzaqpp “work flow”)
olsztyn
Idles at 340~ish and jumps to the high 600’s with a browser,
Just a question out of curiosity, looking at your your screenshot:
– So with just only browser open Conky shows 1.20G memory used? Is this Lilli Puppy loaded entirely in RAM?Thanks and Regards…
Live antiX Boot Options (Previously posted by Xecure):
https://antixlinuxfan.miraheze.org/wiki/Table_of_antiX_Boot_ParametersPPC
No question antix rules….IF the user is willing to spend an hour or three learning it
– that’s true to some extent, but an average Windows user, that just wants to access the web and use some office productivity apps, will probably begin using antiX instantly. And don’t want to sound like a spammer, but installing ft10-transformation and enabling FT10 toolbar and menu will reduce the learning curve to almost zero, for most users… Probably the main problems is getting used to Control Center (I’ve been using it for years and still feel like things are not really in the correct place, somehow) and enabling sound on apps that expect pulse audio (I’ve not been able to make Firefox work with pulse audio, just with apulse, and sometimes, with problems- but that may be my computer’s fault)
Is this Lilli Puppy loaded entirely in RAM?
It’s been a while since a tested a “Puppy” Linux, but I think it loads to RAM- it’s very fast, but, in my opinion, not as good for using as a general purpose distro as antiX (the same applies to Slax and Tiny Core- they are very good, tiny and fast, but still lack some features that users expect from a full blown OS)
P.
- This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by PPC.
LikkMii wrote:
No question antix rules….IF the user is willing to spend an hour or three learning it– that’s true to some extent, but an average Windows user, that just wants to access the web and use some office productivity apps, will probably begin using antiX instantly. And don’t want to sound like a spammer, but installing ft10-transformation and enabling FT10 toolbar and menu will reduce the learning curve to almost zero, for most users…
Thanks PPC…
MHO is that antiX is excellent if you know how to make it such with adequate customization for mainstream users, whether coming from Windows or other Linux distros.
IMHO anticapitalista has the right strategy in terms of efficiency and simplicity but at the same time to make it work well for the widest range of machines, both old and new, and supporting several well chosen WMs to provide some choice. Even the choice of provided apps is the best, relatively speaking.
The only aspect that still needs some attention is mainstream user focus, lost by some defaults out of the box, such as ROX file manager desktop, instead of SpaceFM (I should say ‘zzz’ here), so losing some user friendly functionality for minimal memory footprint gains. Also desktop default themes are not the best or elegant.
I came to appreciate simplicity and rock solid reliability of antiX 21 Runit and JWM, but even default JWM needed to be customized with nicer look and composition of toolbar.
I understand your affinity to FT10 transformation to a nicer and more functional to mainstream users desktop but if the default WMs were sufficiently configured then there would not even be a need to introduce many additional moving parts and reliability dependencies…Live antiX Boot Options (Previously posted by Xecure):
https://antixlinuxfan.miraheze.org/wiki/Table_of_antiX_Boot_Parameters
blur13
I don’t consider antiX mainstream, it’s a niche distro catering to old hardware enthusiasts and those who appreciate elegant minimalism. If you come straight from windows to antiX you’ll be lost. I think you need to migrate to something more user friendly, like Mint, before making the transition to antiX. Having arrived at antiX, the user will be encouraged to learn more about debian/linux and discover how fun it can be to customize an operating system to be 100% to your liking.
Linux has a desktop operating system market share of around 2%. The word “mainstream” is not applicable.
ModdIt
“If you come straight from windows to antiX you’ll be lost.”
Depends on how you look at that, Kids can and do install antix 21 Full with minimal or no help. Users I look after, with one exception, do own install.
Boot live, Have a quick read in the forum, Update, add a few more applications from the application installer if wanted, install to disk.
On most systems setting up claws and wifi is a minor hurdle. Slowest about 1,5 hour to get a running system with office
and Browser in user language.
Using the application, Transformation pack, customising is very user friendly which should make setup to user taste a less involving task..Installing windoze from scratch and updating is an extremely time consuming pain, remember it is also pretty much bare of applications.
Getting to a setup comparable to antiX with win10 took me more than a day, the updating process took hours. On the same computer, different disk
to keep comparison fair.What is usualy disregarded is that windoze users would in many cases not even manage to install a fresh setup, many just go out and buy a new computer
when things go wrong. On several occasions I have been given devices, even for silly things like forgotten passwords, at least up to win 10 really easy
to fix, as long as BIOS password is not required to boot that is. Secure system, no way.- This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by ModdIt.
- This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by ModdIt.
- This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by ModdIt.
Brian Masinick
Thank you for your comments, ModdIt AND your PERSEVERENCE in getting them entered here.
I’m very happy that we have software that appeals to many people, but especially to those who may NOT be able to afford fancy new, fast systems. AntiX continues to be a distribution that makes computing available on systems that others toss, and some of us take advantage of it and use these discarded, aging systems!
Friends, we have been trying hard to continually improve, not only our distribution, but also our forum and the software we use to allow people to safely send and receive information. Unfortunately there are WAY TOO MANY individuals out there who are doing everything they can to disrupt the usefulness and safety of this forum, and so the team has chosen to add a protective layer called Clean Talk that attempts to protect against intrusions, spam, and fraud. For the most part it works, but like anything that is “a work in progress”, we’ve had some issues, some mistakes, and a few problems along the way.
For anyone who has had their messages blocked, challenged, failed, or rejected, here are a few suggestions, based on what I’ve seen so far:
1) I’ve seen a few people attempt to send a forum post, and my “Guess”, based on what I’m seeing, is that some people aren’t getting a “response” from the forum, so they press Enter again, possibly sending a post 2, 3, even 4 times. When the forum software sees this, it suspects that it’s being “flooded” with messages, similar to the mass sending of Internet traffic, intended to bring sites to a halt. Clean Talk responds by rejecting repeated attempts to send, whether the same or different messages.
My advice here is to be patient. One thing I do, if I’m experiencing a similar issue, is that I write my notes in an editor or notepad tool, then patiently copy and paste the text. When I press Sent, Enter, or whatever it is, I again wait. If it’s 1-5 minutes, that’s excessive; there may be a network issue somewhere. In that case, save your text in a file and try later. But if it’s 5 seconds, it may be either the filter software or a brief burst in network traffic that causes the delay, so my advice is to be patient.
2) Please don’t repeatedly send the same thing, no matter what; I’ve seen the software reject even a few posts from our moderators, and I certainly trust them! Just be patient. We’ve been trying to fine tune the spam filtering software, and it IS getting better; it’ll still object, though, if we attempt to send multiple posts in less than 10 seconds; the reason is to avoid mass posting attacks.
3) Some of us have also seen our messages rejected because of Web page links we add. Being aware of this, if you notice any particular pattern to this, let us know, but consider that some sites may be listed as “sensitive”, maybe politically so, maybe for other reasons. If you keep getting rejected, copy content in text form, and use copy and paste. Unfortunately if your messages get repeatedly rejected, then the software adds your account to it’s list of spammers, and it’s increasingly more difficult to send messages, even if your work is 100% legitimate.
I may not be 100% correct in all of this, but my comments are based on what I’m actually witnessing in the Clean Talk Spam filter logs. I’m not trying to censor anyone, I’m trying to provide guidance so that all of our legitimate comments make it onto our forum and we have useful dialogues. I hope this helps, especially for those who keep getting their helpful comments “rejected”. We’ll keep working on “fine tuning” this software; hopefully it stops the REAL spammers and lets the useful discussions in! Best wishes to all!
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Brian MasinickLinux has a desktop operating system market share of around 2%. The word “mainstream” is not applicable.
By ‘mainstream users’ I meant mainstream in Linux world, of course… Just those 2% of computer users…
Live antiX Boot Options (Previously posted by Xecure):
https://antixlinuxfan.miraheze.org/wiki/Table_of_antiX_Boot_ParametersPPC wrote: I’ve not been able to make Firefox work with pulse audio, just with apulse, and sometimes, with problems- but that may be my computer’s fault.
Same issues on my powerful workhorse.Latest NON ESR: Firefox sandboxing and compile options in the way of sound , taught me not to care about sound in that browser. Same to be said for UngoogledChromium.
and LibreWolf. Both excellent alternatives to Moz and goog spying pinging disservices. But sadly no go on non 64 bit devices.Firefox is in any case really too heavy for many old devices, like 15 years plus and older.
ESR works fine with Zoom and most messenger applications, with widevine that is.
For youtube the lightweight applications like ytfzf work really well so the better lighter option, for those who have not yet tried ytfzf, after search tab allows multi selection.
i.e go to entry press tab go to next entry you want press tab. to play press enter- This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by ModdIt.
rokytnji
Bunches of icons. On Rox Desktop with Icewm.
https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-member-desktop-screenshots-94/debian-desktops-883752/page7.html#post5648944Gave my autistic grandson a Windows 2000 feel to the laptop I gave him. Document folder files with most used commands and what they do was one of the things he needed.
Then another text file for xmms, stream tuner, package installer, etc….. functions and how to drive them.
Then another covering file structure and how and where to search for stuff via command line or gui.
Then command line wallpapers inserted into /usr/share/wallpapers if he needs them.We have some good wrenching gene pool dna in my family. It even over comes autism. It also over comes my GED education.
My daughter mentioned his antiX laptop is his new favorite toy.
It is a dell e5510Noticed you left slitaz, open box slackel, rat poison salix, and some other low resource distros out of the honorable mentions.
But then. I missed the honorable mention section also.Sometimes I drive a crooked road to get my mind straight.
Not all who Wander are Lost.
I'm not outa place. I'm from outer space.Linux Registered User # 475019
How to Search for AntiX solutions to your problemsseaken64
I just published an article for Linux distros for old laptops where antiX is featured https://linuxstans.com/best-linux-distros-for-old-laptops/#antix
Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing your list @andreyn.
Like many of us here on the antiX forum I keep a watchful eye on what is still available in the Linux world for “old computers”. You mention “old laptops” but I am assuming you mean to refer to old PC’s in general, those previously running some version of Windows or the MacOS. I have considerable experience in this niche field of computing. I have not yet found the time to contribute extensively to the general internet/web library of information on this subject, at least not beyond these forums. So, I do appreciate your efforts to share your list with the general internet and your audience. Thank you.
After years of experimentation, and as a user, not a developer, of Linux on old computers, I can confidently agree that antiX belongs on your list and other lists that feature distros that will work on these old machines. But it is becoming increasingly clear to me that many folks who share information about Linux distros do not actually USE these distros to do anything productive with their computers. I would be very happy to hear your opinions about these Linux distros that are still available for use on older equipment, especially when that equipment is limited to single-core 32-bit processors and less than 1GB of RAM. If you hang around here for any amount of time you will learn about many in this world who, without having a choice, continue to use old equipment that is limited to 32-bit. Yet, the majority of Linux distros have moved away from 32-bit support quite some time ago. Many of the distros on your list do not support 32-bit any more and some of the distros that do support 32-bit are missing from your list.
In my lab I have found only a few current distros, based on some “current” version of Linux (such as Debian Bullseye or Sid, or Slackware or openSUSE, or Arch, etc.) that are capable of breathing life back into an old 32-bit computer. A few more are on my own informal list that support old equipment capable of 64-bit software. Most with 1GB or 2GB of RAM.
And, as has already been mentioned by others here in this thread, it is not simply a matter of being available and possible to run on an old computer. Some of the distros on your list will not be useful to a user who simply needs to install a new operating system to replace the old Windows or MacOS system that is no longer working for them. In order for that to work the distro has to be accessible to a non-technical user, or be available to a consulting “administrator” who will help the user get the new operating system up an running and setup in a way that is acceptable to the user.
Personally, I would place all Linux Distros in the non-accessible category for all non-technical Windows and/or MAC users. Linux is just too hard for the average user to adapt to on their own. Unless they are willing to study, fail, learn, and adapt, they will not become Linux users, no matter what the distro is capable of. However, if they are at all curious and want to learn how to make Linux work for them then there are some good options for them.
If they have only 32-bit equipment, and they are not yet very technical or given to reading and experimenting, then the number of choices is now pretty small. This is because most of the easier distributions have dropped support for 32-bit. Lubuntu, Xubuntu, Linux Mint and Linux Lite have all dropped 32-bit support. All of those distros belong on lists for old computers and do tend to be easier for ex-Windows and ex-MAC users to adapt to. But switching to one of those Linux Distros now means at least a 64-bit machine and at least 1GB of RAM.
For an owner of a 32-bit machine they will have to commit to at least a short learning curve that will let them adapt to a Linux version that will run on their machine. In my opinion, Tiny Core, DSL, Bunsenlabs, Sparky, openSUSE Tumbleweed, Slackware, Arch and Debian will not be usuable by a Windows or MAC refugee unless setup by an administrator. Once setup by that administrator they are usable systems and can easily be adapted to by the user.
On the other hand there are a few 32-bit distros that can be setup by a user and be immediately useful for getting their work done. From your list I would choose antiX and Q4OS in that category. I would add MX 32-bit to that list. These three distros that support 32-bit are the ones most likely to be useful to the non-technical set of users. antiX and MX have an advantage in that they can be loaded on the old machine from a LIVE version of the operating system, either from CD/DVD or from USB. (Loading from CD only can be an issue for some folks since even these 32-bit distros that cater to old equipment have recently exceeded the size of a CD. There is a work around however, and will depend on the users ability to follow some technical instructions).
antiX and MX have been setup to be easily used by most users without a lot of technical expertise. However, it will usually require some amount of fortitude by the user to set things up initially to be suitable for their daily use. This will require some level of determination and lack of fear. Reading and following instructions will usually result in a usable operating systems far exceeding their previous experience with Windows or MAC, although the interface will be different.
Q4OS does not have a Live OS for 32-bit and may require an administrator. Puppy also will probably require an administrator to get setup, although it does have a unique system of Live bootable options.
None of these distros are as good at working on low ram machines as antiX. AntiX is by far the best with a machine that has only 1GB or less of RAM. Puppy used to be in that space but has recently moved away from the under 1GB scene.
All of this above is about truly “old computers” and not merely “older” or “low-resource” computers. Most of the distros on your list that only support 64-bit can be used on “older” 2-core machines with 2GB or more of RAM. For those machines the distros I mentioned above (Lubuntu, Xubuntu, Linux Mint, Linux Lite, etc.) will probably be preferred by new non-technical Linux users. But after the user gets used to Linux they may prefer to try MX or antiX or Debian, or Tumbleweed, etc.
Welcome to the antiX forum.
Seaken64
- This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by seaken64.
@rokytnji,
thanks for those honorable mentions of
slitaz, open box slackel, rat poison salix,
I have tried slitaz, somewhat unsuccessfuly, in the past. Is that “rat poison” and “salix” seperate? or is that one distro?
Seaken64
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