My thoughts on antiX (about almost 5 years of using it)

[Member PPC]

I was surprised when, after clicking my mistake in a @PPC link on a post, I realized I’ve been using antiX for almost 5 years (I’ve been using the forum for over 4 years and I got into the forum perhaps some 2-3 months after I started using antiX).

When I began using this OS my baby girl was a baby. Now she is a opinionated human being that can read better than most grown people, that enjoys using antiX to draw stuff and watch her cartoons on-line. She even loves playing supertux kart with me…

What are my thoughts on how far antiX as come during that time?
I think of antiX my digital stepson, that I helped raise. antiX now has much more documentation, is much easier to use, has more options, does more out of the box.

antiX is not just for old computers – if you install ft10, compton/picom, dunst, and get pulseaudio working (easier on antiX 21 than ever before) you’l get an OS that looks no worst than most modern OSes available (Windows, Mint, Ubuntu, MX, MacOS, etc, etc) and runs everything you throw at it flawlessly – it has, as any system, it’s peculiarities, it’s “antics” (see what I did here?).
Even without the extra varnish layer, that ft10 is, on top of it, antiX 21 is easier to use and setup than previous versions- all still being the lightest full blown OS that I know.
I use it on a 32bits laptop with 1 gig of RAM, on the crappiest 64bits netbook available (1 core, 1gb of shared RAM- it has on single redeeming characteristic- it’s built like a tank ), and on single core and on quad core desktops – and it has not ever failed me.
I can, and do, use LibreOffice on all those devices, for work. I browse the web on all those devices. I watch Youtube on all those devices. I even watch Netflix in all those devices (except the 32bits laptop) – it all works- even the slowest of my devices stills runs like a medium Windows device, with half or a third of my device’s age.
On my home Desktop I can play Windows games using Heroic (probably also on Steam if I ever paid for a game there).
I can watch hd video on all my devices, read my mail, etc, etc…
I won’t tell you that antiX is so magic that a 32bits laptop fells like a quad-core desktop – it does not. But it still runs fast enough that I feel comfortable using all my devices.
If you change some defaults (like using, as default file manager zzzfm instead of Rox) and use a window manager that you like, with a style that you like, if you use desktop icons (if you are into that), you can run any browser you want – and most software today is available via web app – even Office suites and now Photoshop, and yes, even paid streaming services and game streaming services – you can do almost anything, specially is using antiX 64 bits, full.

Do you need to use the terminal, if you use antiX?
You do not ever need to use the terminal, on your daily life, unless you want to. You do not need to use the terminal to configure almost every single feature antiX offers. Unfortunately, for now, you are forced to use the terminal if you wish to install an off-line .deb file – but that’s as painless as possible- one single command and that it. And that’s not even bad- you get to see how it all works! You do have alternatives, you are not really “forced” to keep using the terminal forever to install .deb files.

So how does antiX fare after almost 5 years of steady use?
It’s probably the operating system that spend more time on, on the last 20 years or so- and it feels great!!!

Edit:
I forgot to mention- antiX runs on so little resources that (with some effort) it can install and run on a Pentium III with half a gig of RAM (as recently a forum used proved). According to Wikipedia, Pentium III production lasted until 2003 – so you can have a brand new, modern system running on a device that old…

P.

• This topic was modified 1 year ago by PPC.
• This topic was modified 1 year ago by PPC.

[Forum Admin rokytnji]

Helpful

Up

1

::

I run antiX on all my gear for way over a decade now like some people use Windows.

I borrow the wifes laptop now when I need drm stuff done like this.
http://www.mastertune.net/products_mastertune.html

I get what ya mean as I run this through the years.
Taught me roxfm. links2 and dillo usage.
mlocate, Midnight Commander usage withiout a complete boot gui to fix things instead of a reinstall.

Just good linux practice to where I can drive antiX 21 anyway I want.
Been using antiX since version 7.2

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

[Member ModdIt]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Hi Roki,
I need windoze for my car diagnostic device too.
but only a bit more than 2 years on antiX.
Linux, something like 20 years usage and many differnt distros.

My motorcycles are in a sad state, XJ900 and honda GB500. Not ridden in years.
Sold my favorite before I killed myself.
Kawasaki GPZ GPX 600cc Hybrid, ran two way 165MPH on a flat road at 29°c, measured by Barcelona
Police. Rider behind the screen but no stupid tricks like lying on the bike. That was like a drug,
crazy adrenalin rush.

[Member PPC]

Helpful

Up

1

::

After just one full day of resting from scripting FT10 stuff, when taking a read of forum entries to make sure no important topic escaped my attention this last week, I noticed some thing important: this last couple of years I seems to notice that the percentage of people asking for help here in the forum, due to problems directly related to antiX apparently decreased – some posts are because users failed to burn the iso correctly to the bootable media; enabled repos they should not have enabled; are trying to install/run antiX on very esoteric and rare hardware; want help installing other OS’s other than antiX Linux, etc… One forum user even (quite randomly) though this would be the ideal place to ask for help getting a closed source software that is (probably on most regions of the world) illegal to share…
…Why is that? I would bet that antiX not only has the reputation of running on “any hardware, including your toaster”, but the community has the reputation of being very welcoming and not just pointing to RTFM… antiX is easier to use than ever, and the documentation available on the Wiki or on the forum it self is so good that it seems that users no longer need to ask very basic questions (like- how to I change the background? How do I turn wi-fi on? How do I add icons to the desktop or to the toolbar?)

I even had a “What the…???” moment when I read a recent distrowatch “reviewer” complaining that antiX was too “bloated” with antiX apps! Hum… That person could have tried antiX core or net… antiX currently has so many choices that probably anything an ordinary user wants to do was already implemented and there’s an “how to” about it here in the forum…

PS: Trying to play Devil’s advocate, according to some points of view, antiX full could be considered “bloated”- this comes with 4 window managers, 3 web browsers (firefox-esr, links2, dillo), 3 File Managers (Rox filer, zzzfm, Midnight Commander), 2 GUI text editors (geany and leafpad), 2 different pdf readers… It includes a script to mount android devices (that could be bloat for you, if you don’t have any such device)… it includes DOSbox (“bloat” if you don’t need to run old DOS programs/games- but it makes perfect sense, if you think that this is an OS meant to run on old devices- and that users of such devices may rely on software that is from the good old DOS days)
… but all that fits on less than 1.5 gb… much less space than most full blown Operating Systems… I consider antiX offers choices, not “bloat”, and that’s why once you see trough antiX’s different way of doing things, you get that it all fits together (almost) perfectly, like pieces of a giant jigsaw!

P.

• This reply was modified 1 year ago by PPC.

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

Helpful

Up

0

::

I “get” what you guys mean when on a rare occasion, there is something “odd” that requires “proprietary hardware or a proprietary operating system. In the past (if allowed) I’d use an office computer for that rare event, but a few places had zero tolerance for ANY personal use of company resources whatsoever, so in those instances, (and whatever other cases occur) I go to a public library and use their resources. These days the only reason to do that is to “print” something, where such a resource is necessary. Even that is rare these days because more and more companies and services allow you to send images or other forms of information, so “printing” hard copies is almost a thing of the past entirely; it’s been a couple of years; maybe the only other exception is if we have to print anything pertinent to tax return season; that’s becoming more rare because employers and the Social Security system send such information and it can be copied and transferred at least some of the time.

As far as “bloat” or “extras” are concerned, anyone who thinks that our distribution has such things can install either antiX Net or antiX Core; we openly comment and mention all of our distribution variations and do our best to explain the purpose of each of them. I certainly can, and have, and continue to install and use whatever versions best suit my personal needs, and at least occasionally test various other versions too.

--
Brian Masinick

[Member ezno]

Helpful

Up

0

::

Yeah, I’m the one with the PIII and the half gig of RAM, and I can confirm it runs–mostly. It runs like a sedated turtle, but it runs. I can even sort of get on the Internet with the non-PAE version of Pale Moon, but forget visiting modern web sites. There’s also Dillo, w3, and Links2 (which has a graphics mode launched with the “-g” flag). But this wasn’t just an experiment to see if I could get the crappiest computer in my closet to boot and run. I feel strongly about repairing and reusing in order to cut down on e-waste as well as undermine planned obsolescence. I write for a living, and I used this computer to plan and write novels even when it had 128 MB of RAM and I ran core on it. I will continue to use it as one of my core production machines. It’s stable, reliable, and I can just trust that it’s going to boot and not eat my draft and my dog. The half gig is just me treating myself to an “upgrade.”

I started using antiX in 2010(ish). I read about it somewhere, and I hadn’t realized up until then that I could make a live USB with persistence. It was brilliant! I made a live USB to stuff into my work laptop so that I could write on my lunch breaks, because I wasn’t allowed to install stuff on the corporate machine (not to mention the corporate spyware). I liked the speed and simplicity of it so much that I tossed it on one of the netbooks that were all the rage at the time (which I still have, and it still has antiX on it). It made its way onto all of my devices eventually regardless of hardware because it’s stupid fast, simple, and highly customizable. I realize antiX is meant mainly for portable use, but the fact that it keeps thing simple and lite allows me to keep computers out of landfills and keeps me from wasting all that electricity waiting for ridiculously bloated software to run and show me all its cutesy and pointless animations. It is software that respects me as a user, and in return, I respect it.

[Member PPC]

Helpful

Up

0

::

@ezno – I draw the minimum RAM for antiX to be usable with the “modern web” at 1Gb, ideally it should be at least 2Gb.
There are some tips that users with devices low on CPU and/or RAM can try to make a better use of what little they got:
-disable desktop icons (choose a min desktop, not using any file manager to display desktop icons, don’t use volumeicon on the system tray, avoid using a conky. All Floating Window Managers that come in antiX have more or less the same RAM footprint, but jwm and fluxbox seem to use a tiny bit less RAM
– Avoid multitasking like the plage
– Browsing the web – unless a modern web browser can run on the little RAM you have available and your system still has RAM enough for loading s huge webpage, stick with links2 (I have mine configured to start and display duckduckgo) – you have no way to view video on a webpage directly and probably you can’t use any website that requires you to sign in, but most web pages that just have stuff you want to read (and pictures) will be readable – not pretty, but readable.
– Use Claws or any light e-mail client (there’s even mutt, for the terminal) – to access your e-mail
– You can use the terminal utilities provided in antiX to stream YouTube videos or audio
– You can write first drafts of novel (or even entire novels) using a command line web processor- WordGrinder – the latest version can even import and export .odt files
– You probably can listen to music or read text pdfs and epub books almost as well on a pentium as you can on a modern computer… Probably viewing very large images can take a while…
– In my “Linux Games” thread, I even list some games you can play in the terminal, some with very high playability.
– If you are very low on resources, the terminal is your friend- it runs file managers, music players, e-book readers, e-mail clients, access cloud drives, use on-line messaging, news readers, text editors, word processors, calendars, spreadsheets, even basic presentations… They may not look pretty, but they work and work fast (or as fast as possible)

So, there are many good reasons to keep any still working computer out of the dumpster, and put antiX on it, to get, at least a couple more years out of it…

[Member ezno]

Helpful

Up

0

::

PPC, those are useful tips. It’s the non-PAE kernal that is the biggest hindrance to browsing the web on the PIII, but it also significantly cuts down odistractions. Links2 is my go-to browser on the PIII, and I even have it aliased to load lite.duckduckgo.com on start-up as well.

I use tmux for multiplexing, hnb for outlining, and Vim for drafting and editing. Pandoc converts it to ODT and mutt sends it to the editor. I use rclone and crontab to synchronize files with a Nextcloud instance, and a customized version of Poor Man’s Radio Player provides me with music. I also used to use Calcurse for calendering and task management, and abook for address management, but since “upgrading,” I’ve given those responsibilities to Nextcloud and I synchronize them with CalDAV/CardDAV with Thunderbird, which isn’t pretty, but it is usable if I *must* access any PIM. I understand Cadaver and Khal are options, and that Calcurse has a Python3 script for converting and synchronizing iCal.

It really is quite remarkable that antiX allows me to adapt this 20 year old laptop to modern usage. The hardware came saddled with Windows Professional. Can you imagine trying to install software on it that knew what IMAP is? Or WebDAV? If it still had Windows on it, I bet it would be almost useless.

[Member blur13]

Helpful

Up

1

::

PPC, you’d be surprised at the number of webpages you can log into using Links2. Try this forum, for instance. I’m writing this post using Links2 as we speak.

ezno, cool to hear how you adapted to using such old hardware. I recently discovered how to use pandoc to convert markdown to pdf slides. So a text editor and pandoc can more or less replace Libre Office.

[Author]

Posts