- This topic has 30 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated Mar 4-3:01 pm by andfree.
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Brian Masinick
For those with the skills and know-how, using a Base image or even a Core image, you can build up the bare essentials and add very little to them – only what you REALLY need and when it comes to memory consuming applications, ONLY invoke them BRIEFLY to perform a SPECIFIC task, then make sure that they are closed and free up memory (otherwise KILL them using a process killer). Of course, to do this requires a bit more EXPERIENCE.
The antiX Full distribution still does a pretty good job of not running too much, but using full-featured Web browsers more than absolutely necessary hogs memory. One Web browser that is not yet distributed with most distributions, the “FlashPeak Slimjet” Web browser, is based on Chromium technology, but seems a bit easier on those resources than its paternal relatives, but certainly NOT as memory efficient as the more minimal Links, Dillo, etc. Slimjet might be helpful for cases in which you really need a modern browser; just don’t keep it open very long or it too will chew up all available memory.
I’m using Slimjet right now on a system that’s not too old, just a couple of years old, a Dell Inspiron 15 5000 series Model 5558. It has 8 GB of memory, so it’s not constrained there. It’s using 2.1 GB of that 8 GB, no problem, and it’s using 4-20% of available CPU. If I tried to run this in 32-bit form on my old Gateway 2000 or Lenovo 3000 32-bit laptops, they can DO it, but not very quickly and ONLY with 32-bit software.
I hope this is helpful.
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Brian Masinickandfree
4) man sysctl and read about vm.swappiness, and verify it is set to a low value (5%)
zzz@zzz:~ $ sudo sysctl vm.swappiness [sudo] password for zzz: vm.swappiness = 60 zzz@zzz:~ $ sudo sysctl vm.swappiness=5 vm.swappiness = 5Is this OK?
SamK
zzz@zzz:~ $ sudo sysctl vm.swappiness [sudo] password for zzz: vm.swappiness = 60 zzz@zzz:~ $ sudo sysctl vm.swappiness=5 vm.swappiness = 5Is this OK?
Have a look at this file it guides you how to set things up.
most /etc/sysctl.d/README.sysctlCreate /etc/sysctl.d/local.conf
Ownership root:rootHave a look at this post for a real world configuration I have found to work well.
sysctl config# Uncomment the following two values to improve perceived system performance # Threshold at which swapping starts # Values lower than default favour filling physical RAM before beginning to use a swap area # Default vm.swappiness=60 vm.swappiness=10 # # Threshold at which the directory and inode caches are reclaimed # Values lower than default favour retaining them rather than recovering the memory they occupy # Default vm.vfs_cache_pressure=100 vm.vfs_cache_pressure=50Reboot to employ the settings.
$ sudo touch /etc/sysctl.d/local.conf [sudo] password for zzz: zzz@zzz:~ $ sudo geany /etc/sysctl.d/local.confI edited the file like the one you posted, I rebooted and now:
$ sudo sysctl vm.swappiness [sudo] password for zzz: vm.swappiness = 10So, I suppose it’s OK now.
BTW, I have another one question:
$ lsmod | grep zram zram 6301 1 zzz@zzz:~ $ sudo swapon --summary Filename Type Size Used Priority /dev/sda2 partition 2120576 0 -1 /dev/zram1 partition 64096 0 100Why there’s not a “lz4_compress” line?
I edited the file like the one you posted…
Feel free to experiment with the values of vm.swappiness and vm.vfs_cache_pressure to find the values you prefer.
Off Topic
Why there’s not a “lz4_compress” line?
No idea.
Anonymous
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zram
“From Linux kernel version 3.15 onwards (released on June 8, 2014), zram supports multiple compression streams and multiple compression algorithms. Compression algorithms include LZ4 and LZO. The default is LZO, which is faster at compressing/decompressing, but does not compress quite as efficiently as LZ4. Like most other system parameters, the compression algorithm can be selected via sysfs.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zram
“From Linux kernel version 3.15 onwards (released on June 8, 2014), zram supports multiple compression streams and multiple compression algorithms. Compression algorithms include LZ4 and LZO.
So, this is the case, because the installed kernel is the 3.7.10-antix one. Is this a problem?
BobC
I also agree you need to look at what programs are running and reduce the memory use to a minimum.
With 512 mb total memory its very tight for today’s big browsers. If you can’t use Dillo or another very light browser, you could upgrade the memory to 1gb to make it handle more browser windows without bogging down to swap.
Another option would be to switch the hard drive to a 64gb SSD, and use SSD space for swap.
Either or both would make a big difference.
- This reply was modified 5 years, 4 months ago by BobC.
With 512 mb total memory its very tight for today’s big browsers. If you can’t use Dillo or another very light browser, you could upgrade the memory to 1gb to make it handle more browser windows without bogging down to swap.
Another option would be to switch the hard drive to a 64gb SSD, and use SSD space for swap.
I use Dillo and I also began using Links2 and Epiphany, but even Pale Moon is quite satisfying for me, after I have followed the most of the tips I found in this forum. So, no need for me to upgrade the hardware, I only try to understand more things about the best way of using my existing hardware. Thanks for the help.
No.
Thanks.
seaken64
Hi andfree
I use SeaMonkey. It is better on memory than FF. I also setup the NoScript add-on. I find Qupzilla crashes a lot on me but it also is better on memory when it doesn’t crash. SlimJet has also worked well for me in the past on a similar laptop to yours. Haven’t had much success with Dillo. But Links2 is good. I also use a lot of Pentium 2 and Pentium 3 systems with between 256 and 512 RAM. Always install SeaMonkey. And I always use the command line apps when I can. MPSYT and/or youtube-dl for YouTube and pmrp for streaming radio.
Sean
rokytnji
Not sure if I posted this in this thread. But in case anybody is interested.
https://forum.mxlinux.org/viewtopic.php?f=108&t=44098
Follow the thread to the last post if interested. My P3 works OK with Stevos .deb.
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 problemsHi, Sean.
I can’t install NoScript Security Suite on SeaMonkey. It says it’s only with Firefox.
I find that PaleMoon is the most lightweight of the browsers that support JS, but it’s not always without problems.https://forum.mxlinux.org/viewtopic.php?f=108&t=44098
Follow the thread to the last post if interested. My P3 works OK with Stevos .deb.
I uninstalled PaleMoon and went to Synaptic to install palemoon-nonsse2, but it gave me this error:
Could not mark all packages for installation or upgrade The following packages have unresolved dependencies. Make sure that all required repositories are added and enabled in the preferences. palemoon-nonsse2: Depends: libfontconfig1 (>=2.12) but 2.11.0-6.7+b1 is to be installedNor via Package-installer is it installed. The terminal disappears, but I can instantly see that it says about dependencies, too.
EDIT: tested on two different laptops (P4 & Celeron) with antiX-17-base installed.
- This reply was modified 5 years, 2 months ago by andfree.
- This reply was modified 5 years, 2 months ago by andfree.
I found here the mirrors to upgrade libfontconfig1. I added to my enabled repos this one:
deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian sid main
After that, I upgraded libfontconfig1 to version 2.12.6-0.1 and installed palemoon-nonsse2 without any problems. It seems to work flawlessly on the P4 (1G RAM) laptop. I look forward to test it on the Celeron (512M RAM) one. Now, I don’t know if I should remove from my repos the added mirror, or let it be enabled.
- This reply was modified 5 years, 2 months ago by andfree.
- This reply was modified 5 years, 2 months ago by andfree.
rokytnji
I would have done a aot-get -f install. Than try installing pale moon again. But. I did not encounter any problems like you experienced on my Amtix 17 laptop in the thread I linked to.
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 problems
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