- This topic has 14 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated Apr 16-6:43 pm by PPC.
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Antix-X
Hey guys,
I recently installed Antix 21 Base on the laptop from my wife.
I then installed LXDE with the package manager. The interesting thing was that the version with Rox – IceWM only used 235 MB ram in idle, while the version LXDE with Openbox used 283 MB. How is this even possible?
dolphin_oracle
icewm is pretty light. there is a reason antiX uses window managers instead of Desktop Environments.
But doesn´t come IceWM with XFCE?
PPC
@Antix-X -for someone that is an advanced enough user to start with antiX Base and build up from it, you seem to be confused about some concepts.
Please read the post – https://www.antixforum.com/forums/topic/what-is-antix-and-how-to-try-it-out-or-install-it/#post-79735 – it’s huge, so if you just want some clarification about Window Managers, search for that expression on the text.PS: On my 4gb desktop (with nvidia driver loaded) – my antiX 19 only uses some 180mb of idle RAM (that using IceWM (or Fluxbox) Window manager + FT10).
If you installed an heavier Desktop Environment so your wife would have a system that is easier to use and/or looks better, I would advise that you try out FT10 on her computer (search for FT10’s thread here on the forum or see what it looks like on it’s homepage – https://gitlab.com/antix-contribs/ft10-transformation/-/blob/main/README.md)P.
- This reply was modified 1 year ago by PPC.
BobC
No, XFCE is a different DE than LXDE, and includes its own window manager called XFWM4. Desktop Environments like XFCE and LXDE wrap things like the window manager and panel and toolbar in with things like a default file manager, and default browser, and different settings managers. antiX full or base has a DE that comes with your choice of 4 window managers (IceWM, FluxBox, JWM, or Herbstluftwm) and 2 file managers (ROX-filer or zzzFM) to choose from by defailt.
BTW, IceWM can run much leaner, if you just select to run the IceWM or min-IceWM desktop from the Desktops >> Other desktops menu.
It’s up to you to decide what you want to run. The default Rox-IceWM uses too much memory on my old P II with only 768 mb, because I want more memory left for programs to use, so I run IceWM. And I like the zzzFM file manger better than Rox, so I change my preferred applications to use that one instead.
You should run what you need and are comfortable with. Have a look at the FAQ and Dolphin Oracle Youtube videos to get a better feel for what is included or available.
https://download.tuxfamily.org/antix/docs-antiX-19/FAQ/icewm.html
https://antixlinux.com/PS: thanks to PPC I corrected the first paragraph
- This reply was modified 1 year ago by BobC.
sybok
No, XFCE is included with LXDE, and includes its own window manager.
Typo? Shouldn’t the phrase be something like:
“No, XFCE is not included with antiX, and (XFCE) includes its own window manager.”
- This reply was modified 1 year ago by PPC.
PPC, Yes, I have that all messed up 🙂
XFCE comes with XFWM4 as a window manager, not IceWM.
LXDE comes with OpenBox as a window manager.Oh sorry guys, yeah I think I confused it with MX Linux which I used for some years after leaving windows.
But I think I will also go for a more lightweight way on my main PC and install antix 21 there.
If I install Openbox + tint2 + lxpanel, would it be even lighter than the available IceWm or Min-IceWM?Min-IceWM has very minimal memory requirements, and no changes needed. So, no, your Openbox setup would be higher for sure.
If Min-IceWM and IceWM are not making you happy, try PPC’s FT10 package, and if that doesn’t make you happy, then try Melodies Bento antiX respin (antiX with Openbox).
anticapitalista
If I install Openbox + tint2 + lxpanel, would it be even lighter than the available IceWm or Min-IceWM?
No.
Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.
antiX with runit - leaner and meaner.
If I install Openbox + tint2 + lxpanel, would it be even lighter than the available IceWm or Min-IceWM?
Short answer (Like anti said): No
Long answer: No because: Openbox is about as light as icewm. If you install and use anything more over it (like tint2 and or lxpanel), there will be more processes being executed by your CPU and taking up space in your RAM.
Min-IceWM is even lighter than IceWM because- sigh, I’ve talked about that manyyy times here in the forum… long story short- because antiX Desktops called [space/zzz/rox]-[Window_Manager] use a File Manager (Spacefm/ zzzfm or rox filer) to display desktop icons (it’s like a transparent File Manager window displaying icons an top of your desktop background)…. An antiX Desktop called only by the Window Manager name (icedm/jwm/fluxbox), does not waste RAM displaying desktop icons… An antix Desktop called min-[Window_Manager] is the same as the previous example, but without loading any extra applications, like conky, volumeicon, the keyboard language tray icon, etc…- so, less stuff being executed by your computers = less resource usageantiX is already as light as possible, for a full blow Linux Os, with a GUI, a toolbar, a floating window manager, optional desktop icons, etc- the Dev team has been working on that for some 10 years or so, if there’s a way to make it lighter, don’t you think they thought about it already? Unless you are a Linux Dev, created a new extremely light Window Manager, etc, don’t waste your time (I don’t want to sound rude but, let me say also- or the time of folks here in the Forum) trying to “magically” make antiX lighter… Probably the only way you can do that is using lighter apps (a lighter volume manager/clipboard manager/file manager/etc) or cutting on services/applications antix tun – if you don’t need bluetooth, disable it, if you don’t need virtual box stuff, disable that, if you don’t have a printer, disable CUPS, if you don’t change your volume, disable volumeicon, if you don’t use desktop icons, disable them, etc, etc, etc…
Edit: the ft10-transformation package I created installs and configures a tint2 toolbar – using ft10 uses about the same resources of the antiX default desktop because it’s meant to partly replace Conky and volumeicon – the RAM tint2 “wastes” is compensated by the fact that you don’t “need” to have those 2 apps running (since the toolbar incorporates it’s own volumeicon and displays CPU/RAM usage – and that setup took a couple of years to create, on my spare time. Even if you insist on running a conky and volumeicon- icewm+ft10 should use way less RAM than “Openbox + tint2 + lxpanel”
P.
- This reply was modified 1 year ago by PPC.
- This reply was modified 1 year ago by PPC.
Brian Masinick
antiX is the most efficient system I use.
Just for kicks I grabbed a version of EasyOS, an alternative to Puppy Linux.
It’s an interesting distribution, without a doubt, but:
1) It’s less efficient than antiX.
2) With all the stuff going on, the performance is inconsistent; it’ll run well for a while, but then the Web browser or something else will freeze up; sometimes it recovers, other times I have to power it down and reboot.Maybe it’s compatibility issues with my newest hardware, but siduction, a full featured Debian Sid based distribution runs circles around it (and ALSO consumes a LOT MORE resources than antiX.
Yes, there are many useful distributions available. If you can find one or make one more efficient or more capable than ours, by all means, go ahead. antiX isn’t the only distribution. It is, however, VERY well constructed to work efficiently with aging hardware; I’ve never found anything more effective that provides the same or superior balance of the every day software that I use.
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Brian MasinickThank you guys for the clarification. Well I wouldn´t yet go with a WM only as I´m still not a heavy keyboard user, but a WM with a minimal taskbar like tint2, that´s enough. I´d only need something like an appfinder, maybe xfce4-appfinder? Then my folder archive, a “minimize all windows button”, and something that I saw in MX which I found very useful, this scissors icon which saves the last copied things. I don´t even need volume, as I change it one time in pulseaudio or pipewire and then on my boxes if I need to.
Does somebody know the name of these tools, the scissors and the minimize all?
You guys prefer zzzFM or spaceFM?Dear Antix-X – you don’t have to be a “keyboard user” to use a Window Manager – every single Desktop Environment in existence uses a Window Manager – it’s not synonymous with not using a mouse. I already offered you a choice to use antiX, that includes a tint2 toolbar (and it’s menu has an inbuilt “app-finder”, “a minimize all windows button”, and an icon to the file manager – you can add desktop icons to any place you want, including (your home folder).
ZZZfm is a fork of SpaceFM, looks virtually the same as SpaceFM but has some fixes and much better localization, it’s much lighter, lacks thumbnail support for video files… antiX 19 came with SpaceFM, antiX 21 comes with ZZZFM
You already have all that you say you need available and configured to work, out of the box, with all 3 antiX’s window managers: 2 people already suggested ft10! But install away anything you need or want – it’s your time, your system resources, I’m done in this thread…P.
- This reply was modified 1 year ago by PPC.
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