Linux Mint 13: Now with XFCE and possibly best of the lot!

Linux Mint never ceases to amaze me! First they came up with the heavily cinnamon version of otherwise deplorable Gnome 3 and now they have added XFCE version. And to be honest, it looks brighter and shinier than Xubuntu 12.04 LTS!

From Linux Mint 13 XFCE

As usual, the 830 MB installation ISO is power packed and complete with most of the common apps that we need like adobe flash, codecs, java, firefox 12, pidgin, GIMP, shotwell, VLC, Banshee, Thunderbird, bit-torrent, LibreOffice, pdf viewer and there is software manager from where you can download plenty of apps (of Ubuntu repository). Only app I can think of which is not there, is Skype. Rest all common apps are already there. Amazing!

CPU and RAM usage

When it comes to XFCE, the benefit you get is of low RAM and CPU usage, far lower than KDE or Gnome. Mint XFCE uses about 280-300 MB of RAM and 5% CPU with only task manager running. Amazingly low given that I am running the 64-bit version with only 1 CPU and 2 GB of RAM! 32-bit version will definitely consume around 200 MB of RAM!

From Linux Mint 13 XFCE

Overall
In overall, I liked XFCE version more than Mate or Cinnamon, given it is far less taxing and energy consuming. Plus, the way developers have tweaked XFCE to look like the Mate/Cinnamon version is amazing! Also, out of the box, you get almost all the applications that you would normally require in an OS. Definitely, the best general purpose distro right now in the Linux world. Hats off to the developers for creating such a complete, good looking and polished OS.

To see more screenshots, please visit my Picasa album. And thanks for reading my blog.

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Lightweight Linux Distribution: Which one to choose and for what purpose?

Accept it friends, with attractive interface and eye-catching effects the major Linux distributions like Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora and even Debian, all have become very CPU & RAM intensive. And if you have anything less than a Pentium Dual Core, you are bound to face difficulties in multi-tasking; sometimes even loading the distribution becomes a big pain.

So, you can have two options:

• either to stay with prev-gen Linux OS like Ubuntu Hardy, Lucid or Natty without any security updates where installation of latest Firefox would be increasingly difficult as  time passes by
• install a lighter linux with almost full features as Ubuntu or a Mint

I actually tried quite a few so-called light-weight Linux OSs and compared them with the latest OSs like Ubuntu Precise or Fedora Beefy Miracle. Before we actually jump into the topic, if you browse across net, you can see plenty of light-weight Linux OS are there which can effectively turn your antiquated machine, lying in the garage, to a workhorse. The common names which you get on searching are: Slitaz, Puppy Linux, Crunchbang, Lubuntu, Xubuntu, and certain derivatives of these distros.

Background and machine used:
I tested these common distros on my 9 year old computer with the following specs: P4/2.4 GHz Single Core processor/1.5 GB RAM with (80 + 160) GB IDE HDD. Till Ubuntu Natty, things were not bad for the machine. But it could not handle Ubuntu 12.04 LTS or Mint 13. Finally I moved to Debian Squeeze and it is running better, though live streaming is not that smooth even in Debian and consumes up 100% CPU.

That also motivated me to try out a few so called light-weight Linux distributions.

Evaluation Criteria:

• CPU & RAM usage, out of the box with no applications running except desktop and CPU-RAM usage monitor
• Appearance
• Built in applications provided and ease of downloading from repository
• Ease of Use
• Linux knowledge level (n00b, intermediate, expert)
• HDD installation process
• Community support

Distributions Used:
I haven't included DSL as I feel it is meant of very antiquated PCs and hence, looked for the more complete ones which have higher ratings at Distrowatch.

1. Slitaz 4.0: My review
2. Puppy Linux: My Review on Slacko 5.3.3, Lucid 5.2.8 and Precise beta1 5.2.60
3. CrunchBang 10: My Review
4. Lubuntu 12.04: My Review
5. Xubuntu 12.04 LTS: My Review
6. Archbang 2012.12: My Review 

I booted all these distros from USB drive and checked the evaluation points for each in last couple of months. Further, I used each one of these OSs for at least 7 days continuously to finally compare.

I left out quite a few distributions like Simple Linux, Vector Linux, DSL, Slax, Feather Linux, Tiny Core Linux, etc. either because they didn't load well from USB or are kind of antiquated with no major update in last 2 years or similar to the distributions I reviewed with some minor changes. I assumed for the derived distros (like Peppermint) to be similar to their parent distro.

Another gem of light weight linux I could not include is Bodhi 2.0.0 as it is still in Alpha stage. It's minimum specs beats many with 300 Mhz processor, 128 MB RAM and only 1.5 GB HDD space. I have got very good feedback about it. And waiting for the beta version to release. I won't recommend the Bodhi 1.4 as it is based on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS which has expired in Apr'12. Better wait for the stable version.

Results:


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Evaluation Parameters	Slitaz 4.0	Puppy Slacko 5.3.3	Puppy Lucid 5.2.8	Puppy Precise 5.2.60	Crunchbang 10	Lubuntu 12.04	Xubuntu 12.04
CPU Usage	2-5%	4-8%	3-7%	4-8%	3-10%	1-11%	6-10%
RAM Usage	54 MiB	307 MiB	370 Mib	480 MiB	150 MiB	126 MiB	130 MiB
ISO Size	36 MB	115.2 MB	132.6 MB	142 MB	662 MB	700+ MB	700+ MB
Appearance	Looks like Gnome 2	Typical Puppy, A bit clumsy	Typical Puppy, A bit clumsy	Typical Puppy, A bit clumsy	All Black, minimalistic, no menu	Simple, similar to Windows XP	Elegant, looks like Gnome 2
Window Manager	Openbox	JWM	JWM	JWM	Openbox	LXDE with Openbox	XFCE Window Manager
Default Applications (in ISO)	No Office, No modern browser	Complete, Separate download for java, flash	Complete but Midori browser, Separate download for java, flash	Complete, Separate download for java, flash	Most complete package	Complete Package	Complete package
Repository	Good	Very good	Ubuntu Lucid	Ubuntu Precise	Debian Stable	Ubuntu Precise	Ubuntu Precise
Ease of Use	Menu driven, easy	Menu driven, easy	Menu driven, easy	Menu driven, easy	Moderately Easy	Menu driven, easy	Menu driven, easy
Linux knowledge required	Intermediate	n00b	n00b	n00b	Intermediate	Intermediate	n00b
HDD installation process	Difficult	Easy but grub update is difficult at the first time	Easy but grub update is difficult at the first time	Easy but grub update is difficult at the first time	Intermediate knowledge of gparted required	Very easy through Windows installer	Very easy through Windows installer
Community Support	Medium	Good	Good	Good	Excellent	Best	Best
Minimum Specs (as given in the websites of individual distribution)	Intel, 80 MB RAM	500 MHz processor, 128 MB RAM, 512 MB HDD space	500 MHz processor, 128 MB RAM, 512 MB HDD space	500 MHz processor, 128 MB RAM, 512 MB HDD space	128 MB RAM	P4, 256 MB RAM	P4, 256 MB RAM

 Puppy Linux RAM usage shows higher as it totally loads on RAM if there is an opportunity (> 1 GB of RAM). Hence, it's actual RAM usage is (RAM Usage - ISO Size). Puppy Wary is similar to Puppy Lucid and Precise in RAM and CPU usage as well as software bundle provided.

27th July 2012: This review was before I checked AntiX 12. It is the most complete distro, in my opinion, and uses only 64-70 RAM! Desktop manager is IceWM & Fluxbox and offers a complete ensemble of LibreOffice, MPaint, MPlayer and a whole lot more. Please check my post on AntiX here. But, it has a bit problem with Wifi.

31st Dec 2012: Also check out Archbang, the fastest distro I have seen. Wifi, touchpad and others settings work well with Archbang. My review.

Conclusion:
There is no straight forward conclusion to this debate of light linux distributions. My conclusions are:

1. Very low resource computer: If you have anything antique than P4 and less than 128 MB RAM, Slitaz is for you. If you have 256-512 MB RAM, AntiX and Puppy Linux are more suited as they offer a more comprehensive package and better repositories. Plus, if you install Ubuntu or Slackware derived puppies, you can install majority of the sought-after and high utility apps like VLC, Gimp, Opera, Chrome, Firefox, Wine, etc. Further, AntiX is derived from Debian testing and you get cutting edge apps from Debian repo.

2. P4 with around 1 GB RAM or Intel Atom Netbook with 1 GB RAM: You can choose between CrunchBang, Lubuntu or Xubuntu.My personal favorite is Xubuntu as it offers a more customizable desktop. Lubuntu is equally functional and many users prefer Lubuntu for its speed and energy saving abilities. Crunchbang is too minimalistic for me.

Personally, my verdict is for Archbang and Puppy if you truly need a low resource intensive desktop with complete software packages. Currently I am using Puppy along with Archbang on my P4 1 GB RAM PC. Archbang works better but is more difficult to set up than Puppy. Even with live streaming of videos with Adobe flash plugin, Abiword & Gnumeric files open, Puppy consumes only 50% CPU and about 600 MB of RAM, Archbang consumes 100 MB less RAM under similar conditions.

8th July, 2012: ArchBang and Porteus 1.2

I tried out a couple of more distros - ArchBang, very similar to CrunchBang and gives identical performance and Porteus 1.2, unique KDE lightweight Linux OS. If you hate minimalistic distros and like to have a complete but lightweight OS, you can give Porteus a try - I am sure it will impress you. How the developers packed a KDE desktop in 250 MB CD is still amazing to me and if your PC has decent capability but unable to run Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, you can give Porteus a shot! It uses 102 MB RAM and 5% CPU with no other app, apart from task manager, running. The interface is really cool. It is also available in LXDE and XFCE desktop environments, which are far lighter than KDE. You can go through my review to assess yourself.

If you are looking for a complete distro which performs like a beast even on low resources, Archbang is for you. However, it would require a bit of learning and unlearning to make it useful. Archbang is easier than Arch, has a rolling release and is bleeding edge distro. Means, you would get the updated apps, linux kernel, etc. before any other distro in the list gets it. It has its own problems as well, like things may break in between because of the updates. However, there is a rich Arch wiki and Archbang forum to help you out. Archbang is primarily Openbox desktop and takes about 50-60 MB RAM and 0-5% CPU at steady state. You can check my review if interested. Archbang is perhaps the best lightweight Linux distro I have ever seen and certainly the fastest one. It is faster than Puppy but a bit difficult to set up. Puppy works right out of the box.  
If you are interested to see the desktop environments of each OS, my earlier posts will give you very detailed views. I am putting single view for each distro reviewed for user reference.

 Xubuntu 12.04 LTS

 Lubuntu 12.04

 Slitaz 4.0

 Lucid Puppy 5.2.8

 Slacko Puppy 5.3.3

 Precise Puppy 5.2.60 Beta1

 CrunchBang10

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You can have Ubuntu, Xubuntu, Kubuntu and Lubuntu all in the same computer

Human nature seeks variety. Ubuntu may be the most fascinating of the 4 variants but I like Xubuntu, Kubuntu and Lubuntu as well - for different reasons. However, if you have installed one, you won't be able to install other overwriting the older one. And a new installation means tons of downloads (Ubuntu first update downloads about 300-400 mb every time) and reinstallation of your favorite softwares like cheese, VLC, etc.

One way to get flavor of all your Ubuntu derivatives is simply installing the desktops of different distros (provided you have about 10 gb of HDD space).

By simply running the following command in the terminal, one can install Kubuntu:

sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop

It will download all the unique softwares along with KDE desktop of Kubuntu.

For Ubuntu, Xubuntu and Lubuntu run the following commands:

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop
sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop
sudo apt-get install lubuntu-desktop

I have installed Lubuntu 12.04 LTS and Ubuntu 12.04 LTS over my base installation of Xubuntu 12.04 LTS in my PC and Kubuntu 12.04 LTS in my netbook.

At the start I get options which interface to use and I can choose one of the three as per my mood and purpose. Lubuntu installs with Lubuntu netbook interface as well. Fun isn't it?

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Ubuntu 12.04 vs Xubuntu 12.04 vs Kubuntu 12.04 vs Lubuntu 12.04: Results

Check out also my latest comparison:

• Ubuntu 12.10 vs Kubuntu 12.10 vs Xubuntu 12.10 vs Lubuntu 12.10

As mentioned in my previous post, tonight I tested all the Ubuntu sisters on my PC from pen drive. Specifications of my HP PC are:

Processor: 2.4 Ghz Pentium 4, single core
RAM: 1 GB DDR
HDD: IDE 250 GB
Build: 2003

A tabular view of the results is given below:

Distro	Xubuntu 12.04 LTS	Ubuntu 12.04 LTS	Kubuntu 12.04 LTS	Lubuntu 12.04
Booting Time	5 min.	7 min.	7 min.	3 min.
Speed	Immediately loads and fast	Initially hangs but fast once loaded	Initially hangs but fast once loaded	Immediately loads and superfast
Feel	Light, less RAM intensive and requires very little RAM to run CPU: 6-10% RAM: 130 MiB	Moderate, requires higher RAM to run CPU: 17-18% RAM: 340 MiB	Light, requires RAM lower than Ubuntu but higher than Xubuntu or Lubuntu CPU: 3-10% RAM: 235 MiB	Very light and requires the least RAM CPU: 1-11% RAM: 126 MiB
Desktop	XFCE	Unity	KDE	LXDE
Adobe Flash	Adobe Flash inbuilt	Flash needs to be installed	Flash needs to be installed	Flash needs to be installed
Ease of Use	Easy even for entry level	Easy	Difficult for Entry Level, mostly for Geeks  but highly functional	Easy even for entry level
Eye candy Factor	Less but looks good	Real eye candy	Eye candy	Minimalistic but looks good
Extra software required	Skype VLC Libreoffice Cheese	Skype VLC Cheese Adobe Flash Gimp	Skype VLC Cheese Adobe Flash	Skype VLC Cheese Adobe Flash Libreoffice Gimp
LAN/Wifi	Immediate	Immediate	Immediate	Immediate

Lubuntu & Xubuntu are the lightest using around 130 MiB of RAM whereas Ubuntu uses about 3 times more and Kubuntu two times more. I posted a detailed comparison at http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in/2012/04/ubuntu-distros-ram-cpu-usage-of-ubuntu.html

Screenshots of each distro is given below. Remember, these are from as-it-is distros and not a single change is from my side. A short review for each, without going into technical nitty-gritty (which you can get from the respective websites, as hyperlinked below), along with the pictures to tell an end-user's story:

Xubuntu 12.04 LTS:

Looks like a typical linux distro, based on extremely light XFCE desktop and super fast. Those who have low RAM old systems, Xubuntu is for them. Also, those who hate Unity, Xubuntu can be a viable option for them. It comes with Adobe Flash & GIMP pre-installed, which is good. I installed Libreoffice along with Abiword and Gnumeric as Libreoffice offers more functionality. Repository wise no worry - all the Ubuntu softwares are available here.

Ubuntu 12.04 LTS

As usual the best looking linux distro and now the Unity interface has really improved and become fast. It is the most complete linux distro I have ever seen, although a bit on the heavier side than the other three in comparison here. A lot of new functionalities have been added, which I'll cover in a later post.

Kubuntu 12.04 LTS

A distro for the KDE lovers! Although a bit geeky but amazingly good looking distro. Those who prefer Windows XP would definitely like it. Software list is more-or-less complete and definitely lighter than Ubuntu. But I felt, it is slightly heavier than Xubuntu though almost equally fast on my low resource system.

Lubuntu 12.04

Lightest and fastest of them all. Unfortunately, it is not an LTS, as John pointed out in the comments section. That means, no 3 or 5 years support for it but only 18 months of support, just like a regular release. But, if you have a low resource computer, Lubuntu is perfect for you. It is more-or-less rich in pre-loaded softwares and you can install what-ever softwares you like from the Ubuntu repository. I have a 2003 P-4 1GB DDR RAM running on Lubuntu 12.04 without any hassles.

Conclusion

Who's the winner? It depends. If you have an old, low resource computer (512 mb RAM, less than 1.5 Ghz processor), possibly Lubuntu and Xubuntu will win hands down.

If you have a modern computer, Ubuntu and Kubuntu would be the preferred distro. If you like eye-candies Ubuntu is a sure-shot choice. If you like functionality more and is a linux purist, one would prefer Kubuntu.

In essence, what I saw all the distros are really damn good. Much refined than 11.10 versions which came out. Somehow, I didn't like the 11.10 versions and felt that they were released somewhat uncooked with a lot of bugs. Especially Unity was a real pain and forced me to stick to Ubuntu Natty (11.04). Now, I guess it's the time for a change and 5 years of support from Canonical is too tempting to resist. I'll install either one of these four tomorrow evening.

I have decided which one to install - first Ubuntu, if unsuccessful - Xubuntu! My choice :).

Jun 11, 2012:

Please check my posts on Linux Mint, Bodhi Linux and Debian Squeeze as well before you decide which OS to install.

Oct 21, 2012:

Check out the comparison between Ubuntu 12.10 vs Kubuntu 12.10 vs Xubuntu 12.10 vs Lubuntu 12.10.

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Linux 12.04 LTS adventure tonight: Ubuntu, Xubuntu & Kubuntu

Tonight I am trying out Ubuntu, Xubuntu and Kubuntu 12.04 LTS on my desktop. These are the beta2 versions. I am narrowing down on what distro to install in my HP 2003 era desktop with 1 GB DDR RAM and 2.4 Ghz Pentium 4 processor. It still has enough life to pull off the modern linux OSs.

Already, as mentioned in my previous blog post, I have installed Xubuntu 12.04 LTS in my Asus Eee PC 1101HA and it works like a charm there. Possibly I won't install Xubuntu again in my desktop, just for variety. But if Ubuntu Precise is too much for it I'll install Xubuntu. I am not considering Lubuntu as I feel it is kind of a stripped down version and perhaps I need more from the OS I install.

Wait for my review with splendid screenshots from each distro. The two 4 GB Sony pendrives which I bought recently from Flipkart will come handy tonight :).

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