Kubuntu 12.10 Review: Is Quantal Quetzal significantly better than Precise Pangolin?

After comparing between Ubuntu 12.10 and 12.04.1, where the verdict was mixed, next in line is Kubuntu. Like Gnome 3 shell, even KDE is going through a lot of transformation and users are bearing brunt of it. KDE 4.8.5 actually made me prefer XFCE as my primary desktop. However, KDE 4.9.2, I heard, has fixed a lot of the previous bugs and instability. KDE as a desktop is, possibly, the closest to Windows 7, offering similar looks and menu as well as previews as in the Microsoft OS. The changes in KDE have been incremental and it has retained the same look and feel, unlike Gnome, where even the look and feel have changed!

From Ubuntu 12.10 Comparison

I am comparing here the latest Quantal release with the Kubuntu Precise 12.04.1 LTS release, both 32 bit. Also, point to be considered here is that both releases are just 6 months apart. So, I wasn't expecting anything radically different between the two, but just a few incremental innovations.

High Level Comparison

Kubuntu Quantal Quetzal comes with the improved KDE 4.9.2 shell and Ubuntu Linux kernel of 3.5.0-17 (based on v3.5.5 upstream Linux kernel). Quantal is the first release to support the UEFI secure boot (in Windows 8) to enable dual boot even there. This means a new Grub2 boot loader.

Kubuntu 12.04.1 ISO (738 MB) is a bit lighter than Kubuntu 12.10 ISO (1000 MB). I booted up both of them on my Asus K54C laptop with 2.2 GHz Intel 2nd Gen Ci3 processor and 2 GB DDR3 RAM. Look and feel wise both the distros seem identical. A high level comparison of Quantal and Precise is given in tabular form below:

Parameters	Kubuntu 12.10	Kubuntu 12.04.1 LTS
Size of ISO	999.6 MB	738 MB
Booting time (post installation)	10 sec	12 sec
Desktop	KDE 4.9.2	KDE 4.8.4
Linux kernel	3.5.0-17	3.2.0-29
CPU usage (live boot)	2-6%	2-6%
RAM usage (live boot)	270 MB	250 MB
CPU Usage (post installation)	2-10%	2-10%
RAM usage (post installation)	300 MB	310 MB
Installation time (with 1 MBPS connection)	30 min.	30 min.
Wifi detection	Immediate	Immediate
Touchpad detection	Works by default	Works by default
Ease of use	Works well on the system	Works well with the system
Eye candy factor	Plasma interface looks good	Plasma interface looks good
Repository	Muon Package Manager 1.4.1	Muon Package Manager 1.3.1
File Manager	Dolphin 2.1	Dolphin 2

From Ubuntu 12.10 Comparison

At a high level, both the distros look very similar and behave similarly. Except that Kubuntu 12.10 has more upgraded applications. I used both of them on the same day and didn't note any significant difference in performance, to be honest. For Ubuntu, I noted that Quantal is a bit slower than Precise, but that is not the case with Kubuntu. Both of them do the job equally well - work out of the box and very smooth to use.

Incremental changes

Of course, apart from whatever listed in the table above, there are certain other incremental changes, though not as significant as Ubuntu. 

• Login screen has changed a bit, it now looks better and picks up the username automatically. No need of username manual input like Kubuntu 12.04.1.

From Ubuntu 12.10 Comparison

• Calligra Applications include Kexi for desktop DBMS solutions and Krita for painting.
• LibreOffice has been upgraded to Version 3.6.2.2.

From Ubuntu 12.10 Comparison

• KDE Telepathy has been upgraded to Version 0.5.1, replacing the Kopete Instant Messenger.
• Rekonq has been upgraded to Version 1.1.
• Amarok has been upgraded to Version 2.6.0.
• OwnCloud has been upgraded to Version 4 with a host of new features including shared calendars, easier sharing of files and a more shiny photo gallery. New in this release is owncloud-client, a desktop app to sync your folders to your OwnCloud.
• New Grub2 menu, as mentioned above.
• Migration-assistant removed: The tool responsible for migration of user profiles from existing operating system(s) is no longer part of Quantal
• Python 3: Still, Python 2 is supported. 
• No OpenJDK6: Now Ubuntu has totally moved to OpenJDK7 as the default Java implementation.

So, Quantal or Precise?

Now the question is, does it inspire users to leave 12.04, which is an LTS, and upgrade to 12.10? Unlike Ubuntu 12.10, where I find a better integration of social networks through web apps, Kubuntu 12.10 doesn't offer incremental benefits of upgrading to the same extent.

In my opinion, both perform equally well on the same machine. I really like way KDE desktop looks and feels like. Definitely KDE is a good option for those who hate either Unity or Gnome 3, and possibly KDE 4.9.2 got the bugs fixed. I used Kubuntu 12.10 for a couple of days and didn't note anything crashing.

For me, if I have to install in a system powered by Windows 8, I would definitely go for a Kubuntu 12.10. However, if it is a legacy XP or Windows 7 laptop, possibly I would stick to Kubuntu 12.04.1 with long term support given there are no significant differences between the two distro. Upgrading any Ubuntu installation is really painful and most of the time leaves broken packages. It is easier to install a new release and start afresh. So, as I don't use any Windows 8 laptop, my choice is right now Kubuntu 12.04.1 LTS! 

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Ubuntu 12.10 Review: Is Quantal Quetzal better than Ubuntu 12.04 LTS?

As it happens with every new release of Ubuntu, it is compared to the last release. And if the last release is an LTS, a comparison is definitely required to answer - is the new release good enough to motivate users leave the long term support version and embrace the latest one? My current review is focused on the same question.

From Ubuntu 12.10 Comparison

I am comparing here the latest Quantal release with the Ubuntu Precise 12.04.1 LTS release, both 32 bit. Also, point to be considered here is that both releases are just 6 months apart. So, I wasn't expecting anything radically different between the two, but just a few incremental innovations.

High level comparison
 
Ubuntu 12.04.1 ISO (730 MB) is a bit lighter than Ubuntu 12.10 ISO (790 MB). I booted up both of them on my Asus K54C laptop with 2.2 GHz Intel 2nd Gen Ci3 processor and 2 GB DDR3 RAM.
Look and feel wise both the distros seem identical. A high level comparison of Quantal and Precise is given in tabular form below:

Parameters	Ubuntu 12.10	Ubuntu 12.04.1 LTS
Size of ISO	790 MB	730 MB
Booting time (post installation)	9 sec	15 sec
Desktop	Unity with Gnome 3.6	Unity with Gnome 3.4
Linux kernel	3.5.0-17	3.2.0-29
CPU usage (live boot)	20-30%	4-15%
RAM usage (live boot)	456 MB	310 MB
CPU Usage (post installation)	20-30%	5-20%
RAM usage (post installation)	412 MB	280 MB
Installation time (with 1 MBPS connection)	30 min.	30 min.
Wifi detection	Immediate	Immediate
Touchpad detection	Works by default	Works by default
Ease of use	A bit on the slower side	Is actually faster than Quantal
Eye candy factor	Looks awesome!	Looks awesome
Repository	Ubuntu Software Center 5.4.1.2	Ubuntu Software Center 5.2.5
File Manager	Nautilus 3.4.2	Nautilus 3.4.2

So, net-net, Quantal has a faster booting time, Unity 6.8 interface actually loads faster than the older (5.2?) Unity interface. Unity seems more refined and a lot more stable in Quantal than Precise. Linux kernel and Gnome shell, too, are upgraded to the latest available release. But, Nautilus is not! It is the same 3.4.2 though 3.6 is available! Possibly Nautilus 3.6, widely disliked, didn't gel well with the Unity interface and hence, developers decided to retain 3.4 version. However, all these upgrades come at a cost - significantly higher resource utilization! Precise is a lot more lighter and less taxing on resources than Quantal. Personally, I felt Precise is a bit faster than Quantal - though you won't feel the difference if you are using a high end machine. Installation process is pretty much the same and takes the same amount of time - no change there!

Application-wise both are pretty similar - only Quantal has all latest versions of the same applications that Precise has, namely: Firefox 16.01, LibreOffice 3.6.2, and Thunderbird 16.01. For movies, Ubuntu is using Totem; for photography, it's Shotwell; and for music, it's Rhythmbox. Anyway, Firefox and Thunderbird upgrades are possibly not that significant as they are upgraded separately to the latest available version irrespective of which Ubuntu release you are using! So, no big change there in. 

Incremental changes

Apart from differences in the Gnome, Linux and application versions, Quantal brings in one major change and a few subtle changes from Precise.

Major changes:

New "Web Apps": These are applets that connect the local operating system to web and cloud content. In addition to providing online results to search content, these can add webmail and social networking notifications to Ubuntu's mail menu. Now this search is integrated to Dash and you can see the results I got when I searched for Justin Timberlake songs in my computer. In addition to what was there in my system, it gave me results from Ubuntu music store and Amazon as well.

From Ubuntu 12.10 Comparison

Web apps are currently offered for 40 sites like Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, etc. and can be installed by accessing the websites in Firefox and accepting the automatic installation request. By default, Ubuntu 12.10 has the following web apps:

• Amazon app: I won't call it an app, it is merely a bookmark on the Unity sidebar. Once you click it, it will open Amazon.com site in Firefox browser.

From Ubuntu 12.10 Comparison

• Ubuntu Music Store: Again similar to Unity one and Amazon bookmarks, Ubuntu music store is integrated to the Unity sidebar to be accessed through Firefox. Its content is rich and I could search a lot of Indian artists as well including the legends like Kishore Kumar. Similarly, popular social networks like Facebook and Twitter can also be saved on Unity sidebar as bookmarks.

From Ubuntu 12.10 Comparison

Minor changes

• Online integration of social network and email: In Quantal, Ubuntu achieves a lot more integration of social and email networks with a single point of sign in. 

From Ubuntu 12.10 Comparison

 

• Preview mode: Once you right click an application icon on dash, it takes you to preview mode. Currently it looks like at work in progress phase and doesn't offer much!

• New Grub2 boot loader: This is specifically designed for Windows 8 OS, which has UEFI secure boot feature that doesn't allow dual boot with any other OS. Hence, if you are already tired of Windows 8 Metro interface and want to install a Linux OS alongside, you'll need to install Quantal; Precise won't work on your system!

• Remote Desktop Protocol: It's a new feature and allows users to set up a RDP account to access any remote machine added to the account. Very good, but hardly any use for me at this point in time.

• No Unity 2D: Till Precise, there was an option of Unity 2D for machines with limited resources. Now, it has been dropped.

• Python 3: Still, Python 2 is supported.

• New Dash photo lens along with the already existing music and video lens and Gwibber lens, with a changed Gwibber icon.

From Ubuntu 12.10 Comparison

From Ubuntu 12.10 Comparison

• LVM support: Now you can install in a logical volume and increase its size, if required, without needing to reinstall the entire system again.

Does this new features and upgraded applications justify an upgrade?

Well, honestly I don't care about the upgraded applications, I can add quantal ppa's and install them in Ubuntu 12.04.1 LTS. Already I added GIMP 2.8 and planning to add LibreOffice 3.6. So, the question boils down to the incremental features like web apps, LVM support, RBP, Python 3, etc. I used them quite for last two days and in my opinion, Ubuntu 12.10 integrates social media much more than its predecessors. Of course, preview and dash lens are promising and can potentially integrate my system to web in a much better way in future. Unity is much better and smoother to use in Quantal. Unity is getting good with every release but it remains inflexible as ever - you simply can't change the looks! 

So, based on all these facts and numbers that I gave above, it depends on users taste whether s(he) would like to upgrade or not. Definitely Quantal has some significant improvements, especially in social network integration and web apps, over Precise and is graphically more appealing. However, there are some drawbacks as well like too much of Amazon, more resource consumption, a bit slower than Precise, among others.

Personally, I feel all of these incremental innovations as work in progress for bigger things to come in future. I'll wait for the future and give Ubuntu 12.10 a miss for now, sticking to Ubuntu 12.04.1 LTS. We'll see where it goes possibly in 13.04 or 13.10.

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Ubuntu 12.10 Vs Kubuntu 12.10 Vs Xubuntu 12.10 Vs Lubuntu 12.10: A comparison

Yesterday I succeeded in downloading all four of these distros - Big daddy Ubuntu and its progenies Kubuntu, Xubuntu and Lubuntu. I did a live boot of all 4 on my Asus K54C laptop with 2.2 GHz Intel 2nd Gen Ci3 processor and 2 GB DDR3 RAM and later installed on the same, one after another to check out the performances, applications and other features associated with each one of these operating systems.

From Ubuntu 12.10 Comparison

 I downloaded 32 bit ISO for each one of these distros from the respective sites. All are compatible to Unetbootin and hence, preparing live usb wasn't an issue. For installation I preferred the full installation mode with internet on and in process downloading updates as well as multimedia codecs. Hence, each installation took about half an hour to get started for the review and comparison.

From Ubuntu 12.10 Comparison

Comparison

Parameters	Ubuntu 12.10	Kubuntu 12.10	Xubuntu 12.10	Lubuntu 12.10
Size of ISO	790 MB	999.6 MB	727 MB	726 MB
Booting time (post installation)	9 sec	10 sec	8 sec	8 sec
Desktop	Unity with Gnome 3.6	KDE 4.9.2	XFCE 4.10	LXDE
Linux kernel	3.5.0-17	3.5.0-17	3.5.0-17	3.5.0-17
CPU usage (live boot)	20-30%	2-6%	1-5%	1-5%
RAM usage (live boot)	456 MB	270 MB	180 MB	134 MB
CPU Usage (post installation)	1-10%	2-10%	1-5%	0-5%
RAM usage (post installation)	412 MB	300 MB	160 MB	123 MB
Installation time (with 1 MBPS connection)	30 min.	30 min.	30 min.	30 min.
Wifi detection	Immediate	Immediate	Immediate	Immediate
Touchpad detection	Works by default	Works by default	Works by default	Works by default
Ease of use	A bit on the slower side	Works well on the system	Really smooth to use	Really smooth to use
Eye candy factor	Looks awesome!	Plasma interface looks good	Interface is brighter and looks better than ever	Interface looks more or less the same, a bit bland
Repository	Ubuntu Software Center 5.4.1.2	Muon Package Manager 1.4.1	Ubuntu Software Center 5.4.1.2	Lubuntu Software Center
File Manager	Nautilus 3.4.2	Dolphin 2.1	Thunar 1.4	PCManFM 1.0.1
Stability	Hanged while playing video in Gnome MPlayer	CPU utilization 100% while playing video in Dragon Player; but didn't hang	20% CPU utilization while playing video in VLC	14% CPU usage while playing video in Gnome MPlayer

I'll cover each distro in their respective reviews. 

• Review of Ubuntu 12.10 and comparison with 12.04.1 LTS
• Review of Kubuntu 12.10 and comparison with 12.04.1 LTS
• Review of Xubuntu 12.10 and comparison with 12.04.1 LTS
• Review of Lubuntu 12.10 and comparison with 12.04  

Results
 
In nutshell, I see all the 4 Ubuntu distros have the latest softwares to offer along with the most up-to-date Linux kernel and desktop shell. Like last time, Lubuntu and Xubuntu performs way better than Ubuntu or Kubuntu. However, look-wise Lubuntu is more on the blander side. If you are in a habit of flaunting eye candy Linux desktops to friends and buddies, perhaps Lubuntu is not for you. However, those who appreciate productivity over anything else, an LXDE Linux OS is perhaps better suited to them.

From Ubuntu 12.10 Comparison

Xubuntu, however, has come a long way from being bland looking distro. Now it is shinier and looks better than other Xubuntu predecessors. Resource consumption-wise, it is just behind Lubuntu. Both desktop and applications contained are the cutting edge ones.

From Ubuntu 12.10 Comparison

Conclusion

 Kubuntu lies somewhere intermediate between Xubuntu/Lubuntu and Ubuntu. It has the updated KDE 4.9.2 desktop. I used it for sometime, it feels smoother to use than 12.04. Though CPU utilization fluctuates and often touches 100% but it never hangs. Even while playing a movie, though CPU utilization was near 100%, it kept on running and I did a small amount of multi-tasking as well.

Coming on to Ubuntu 12.10. I tried it on Core i3 laptop with 2 GB RAM and it hanged while playing a movie! I felt it is on the slower side and especially if you are using Ubuntu after using a Lubuntu/Xubuntu, you can feel the pain much more. However, looks wise, Ubuntu is miles ahead of the rest three. Unity is smoother to use and Gnome shell is 3.6. Further, Amazon and Ubuntu music are added plus point. Initially, I thought they would be apps, but both open in Firefox upon clicking! Even I could set Facebook and Twitter on the left hand side Unity bar for quicker access. It is like creating bookmarks to open in Firefox and nothing else.

So, if you have a really high end laptop, then only think of installing Ubuntu. Otherwise go with my personal favorite Xubuntu or Lubuntu! In next few articles, I'll take up each individual distros and compare them with the last release 12.04.

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Snowlinux 3.1 Review: Now Crystal got even better!

Last month, during my experiments with Linux distros, I mentioned that on Snowlinux 3 Crystal, touchpad doesn't work. Even I couldn't get the touchpad settings on my Asus Eee-PC 1101HA. Possibly, the developers too noted the same and last week, the updated Snowlinux 3.1 with touchpad support got released. I did a live-boot on my Asus K54C laptop with 2.4 GHz Intel 2nd Gen Ci3 processor and 2 GB DDR3 RAM and later installed on the same.

From Snowlinux 3.1

Like Snowlinux Crystal, the release is in three flavors - Gnome 2, XFCE and E17. I downloaded the Gnome 813MB 32-bit ISO from the hosting site. Pretty much the desktop is similar to Snowlinux 3 and looks simple and elegant. It is built on Debian squeeze and is lighter on resources. Snowlinux makes a mix of Gnome 2.30.2 shell with Linux kernel 3.2.0, and it is the same as the Crystal release.

Applications

Applications haven't changed a bit from the last release. As I mentioned last time, applications seem to be judiciously chosen - You get a LibreOffice suite, Firefox, Thunderbird 14, bit-torrent client, a video player (gnome media player), Rhythmbox, Basero, Empathy etc. Most of desired apps are there and you can download apps like VLC, Chrome, Pidgin, GIMP, etc. from the Debian repository, through either the graphical software center or synaptic package manager. Adobe flash support is not by default but you can get flash player from the repository.


CPU and RAM Usage

CPU and RAM usage continue to be low - even now, at idle state, it used 1-5% CPU and 110-120 MB RAM with system monitor running! It explains why I still like Gnome 2 desktop over Gnome 3! Gnome 3 hogs resources like anything.

From Snowlinux 3.1

Disappointments

LibreOffice suite is 3.5 - I expected 3.6 upgrade in this update. Even GIMP in the repository is 2.6 and not 2.8! A bit disappointed for sure. However, I guess, we can install LibreOffice 3.6 and GIMP 2.8 downloading the .deb installation files from the respective websites. Some dependency issues might be there, of course. I'll update on this by next week.

Also, last time the System Monitor showed Snowlinux Crystal as the distro name. Now it is showing all Debian Squeeze! Another disappointment!

From Snowlinux 3.1

Touchpad - finally working!

But, what makes up for my disappointment is that now the touchpad has started working. Single tap, double tap, vertical scroll and horizontal scroll - all works perfectly once the I changed the touchpad settings. Definitely a welcome update. Now I guess, it can be one of my primary operating systems!

From Snowlinux 3.1

From Snowlinux 3.1

Installation

Installation is pretty straight forward - select Language, Keyboard config, timezone, hard drive where you want to install and that's it! It takes 10 minutes to install Snowlinux and is one of the easiest I have seen. So, no issues here and things work out-of-the-box for Snowlinux!

Overall

With the touchpad working, definitely Snowlinux 3.1 is a better upgrade. There are let downs in terms of latest updated versions of apps and fine tuning the distro. But, in overall, this Snowlinux upgrade is really good. Gnome 2 desktop is light on resources, at the same time, being great in speed and customization. With majority of the distros moving to Gnome 3 shell in spite of all its instability and short comings, Snowlinux is still resisting the temptation. It is sticking to the tried and tested Gnome 2 shell, which is commendable. Interesting point is what Snowlinux will do when Debian stable moves to wheezy and Gnome 3 is still unstable - whether it will be still Gnome 2? Only time will tell.

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Slackel 14.0: Slackware 14 further simplified!

I tried using Slackware, 5 years back, when my Linux experience was still at infancy. I remember looking for a Linux distro to install and downloaded Slackware - but had a nightmare installing it and making it work! However, one of the oldest Linux distros, Slackware (now nearly 20 years old, I guess), has come a long way with the latest release, 14.0. It is definitely much easier to use than its predecessors! Definitely not a Ubuntu or Fedora, but still user-friendly and newbies can actually now get their hands dirty with Slackware 14.0.

Now coming onto the spin of Slackware current, Slackel 14 - does it make using and installing Slackware easier? It is a distro developed by Dmitris Tzemos, having KDE 4.8.5 and Linux kernel 3.2.29 with a bundle of KDE centric software. KDE 4.8.4 had several bugs but a lot of these are fixed in KDE 4.8.5. Though it is not the latest one as 4.9.2 just got released this month!

From Slackel 14.0

I downloaded the 32-bit live image (1 GB in size) from Sourceforge. I did a live-boot on my Asus K54C laptop with 2.2 GHz Intel 2nd Gen Ci3 processor and 2 GB DDR3 RAM. The desktop is really attractive with a crop-field picture and a docky styled KDE menu bar. The root password for the live CD is “live”. Standard user login is “one” with no password.

However, the live-boot is not as smooth as a Ubuntu or a Fedora. I had to hit Ctrl+D, I guess, no less than 4-5 times to get the GUI started. Network configuration was easy and it immediately scanned my wifi hub along with other surrounding wifi networks available. Display was proper, it detected my sound card and other configurations well though my touchpad wasn't working properly. No horizontal or vertical scroll enabled. Even the mouse configuration doesn't have a touchpad settings option.

Applications
Slackel 14 is rich in applications, though mostly KDE centric. Internet section is perhaps the richest with Firefox 16, Pidgin, KDE blogging client, Bit torrent client, KGet download manager, Akregator feed reader, KNode news reader, desktop sharing, FTP tools, etc. It is pretty exhaustive list undoubtedly!

Multimedia section is good with Clementine as the default audio player and Bangarang as the default video player. Mul timedia codecs are not present in the ISO by default but there is a menu entry to download them.

Default Office application is Calligra Office 2.4.3. I guess, Calligra 2.5.2 is just recently out with all the bug fixes from Calligra 2.5.1. I haven't used Calligra Office, I prefer LibreOffice suite. However, just on face-value LibreOffice seems a better option, possibly because of my familiarity with it. You can download LibreOffice suite from GSlapt package manager.

This distribution uses Salix's graphical system tool and also utilize slapt-get and GSlapt as their package management besides the traditional pkgtools. It's like a combination of Slackware and Salix to provide a stable and easy to use Linux distribution.

From Slackel 14.0

Overall, application-wise, Slackel is complete in my opinion and has a variety of KDE centric apps. I saw the Slackware repository, it is no Ubuntu or Debian and doesn't have Skype, virtualbox, wine or playonlinux, bumblebee to make Nvidia work, etc. though most common applications (like Chrome, LibreOffice, etc.) are there. Restricted codecs, adobe flash needs to be installed to make it fully functional, but java is already there.

Installation
SlackelLive Installer 0.3 is quite simple, you just select time, keyboard settings, location, partition where you want to install, users and software (core, basic or full, I selected full), within 2-3 minutes installation is complete! It doesn't download a lot of updates or codecs while installation. But, you may need to install the codecs or flash post installation.

From Slackel 14.0

From Slackel 14.0

I ran into trouble while partitioning the hard drive. Gparted won't start showing error "Cannot execute the command '/usr/sbin/gparted'". I searched for a dependency of gparted not being mate and got that atkmm should be there for gparted to function properly. A quick download from GSlapt and Gparted actually started working post download. So, what I felt is possibly complete UAT hasn't been done for the distro - this is a bug which could have been easily avoided.

From Slackel 14.0

Post installation, the distro actually worked similar to the live boot. I checked for and downloaded XFCE 4.1 desktop and thunar file manager to add variety. However, I couldn't locate a Gnome, Mate or a Cinnamon desktop in the repository. Not that would harm in anyway but given the recent troubles I had with KDE 4, I prefer to keep my options open! XFCE is good and stable - so no worries.

CPU and RAM Usage

Slackel took about 300 MB RAM and 2-6% CPU (on average from dual CPUs) with system monitor running to load which is quite decent for a KDE 4 desktop. I noted a bug in the system monitor - though individual CPUs show 4% & 8%, in overall at the bottom CPU usage show 100%! Distro is quite smooth to use and I didn't feel any lag even while multi-tasking with a quite a number of applications open.

From Slackel 14.0

Overall
In overall, Slackel looks and feels good. It seems quite stable and during my post installation. However, some rough edges are there as well. I couldn't get my touchpad working and ran into trouble with gparted while installing. Slackel, undeniably, makes Slackware easy and even newbies can now experiment with Slackware and use it as their primary distro. Does it replaces Linux Mint or Bodhi I am using? Possibly no, till I get my touchpad working! Also, I am doubtful of its support for the Nvidia card I use (Geforce 630M) as Bumblebee is not there. Possibly I'll wait for future releases to actually use it on a regular basis. But, this is not the distro issue, rather Slackware repository issue. So far the distro is concerned, my verdict is that if you are looking for a stable KDE distro which is not Kubuntu or PCLinuxOS, possibly you should give Slackel a try.

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AriOS 4.0 Review: Polished, attractive and functional Ubuntu 12.04LTS

Debian gave birth to Ubuntu and Ubuntu, in turn, gave birth to hundreds of other distros like Linux Mint, Pinguy OS, Zorin, Crunchbang, Pear OS, Luninux, OS4, Super OS, Ultimate OS, Kiwi, etc. to name a few apart from the usual Kubuntu, Xubuntu and Lubuntu. When I read the release news of AriOS 4.0 on distrowatch, I was expecting something in the similar lines - just another remix of Ubuntu with plenty of necessary and unnecessary applications and other stuff! Needless to say, once you have a Linux Mint, do you really need any other Ubuntu derivative? These days, Linux Mint is my benchmark after my experiment with 20 odd Linux distros and I start comparing any distro I test with Linux Mint. If Linux Mint is 100, where do others lie?

I downloaded the 1.5 GB i-386 OS from Sourceforge. Then I created a live-usb and booted it up on my core-i7, 8 GB RAM, 64-bit desktop. I plan to boot it up on the other three 32-bit machines I have as well.

From AriOS 4.0

Desktop
As the release announcement claims, it is just not another Ubuntu remix, but with a heavily tweaked Gnome 3 shell. True to their claim, the desktop looks amazingly refreshing! And special mention should be made of the attractive conky on the desktop! It is really cool. AriOS derives a lot from Fedora 17 and OpenSUSE 12.2 in terms of design. Applications can be launched two ways: one, through conventional AriOS menu (looks similar to Linux Mint) and two, take your cursor to top left corner and the Fedora Beefy Miracle like menu appears. The color combination is soothing and good that the developers didn't try any extravagant color like Ultimate OS. However, one thing I disliked is the big icons - they could have been smaller in size! Further, the menu actually runs beyond the lower dock and makes it difficult to use.

From AriOS 4.0

From AriOS 4.0

The Gnome 3.4 desktop, tweaked to make it appear like Gnome 2 shell, with the lower panel (DockBarX), looks really professional. All the open apps are visible on the DockBarX, while the upper panel has only the application currently being worked on. However, I tried changing the DockBarX preferences, it didn't change. Sound worked well, it recognized that I have a touchpad and single/double tap, vertical/horizontal scroll, all worked well. I could easily connect to wifi and write this article from AriOS.

From AriOS 4.0

While trying to boot up AriOS 4.0 on the two machines with limited ability I have, viz. Asus 1101HA with 1.34 Ghz Intel Atom Processor and 1 GB RAM and HP Desktop with Pentium 4 (2.4 Ghz) and 1.5 GB DDR RAM, I realized that AriOS has a 2D desktop as well in addition to the usual option of Ubuntu 3D, 2D and vanilla Gnome 3, Gnome classic!

From AriOS 4.0

AriOS 3D desktop which worked on my earlier laptop with "unlimited" ability, didn't load on these two limited machines. I logged out using Ctrl+Alt+Del and logged in again with AriOS 2D desktop. While logging in, I had a hard time figuring the username and password. It is not user and Password, as AriOS website tells, rather it is arios for username and leave empty password.

Overall the feel of using it was satisfactory even on the limited resource computers. Even AriOS 2D looks really stunning and nice.

From AriOS 4.0

Applications
As I guessed from the installation ISO size, AriOS is loaded with applications. Apart from the usual set of Firefox 15, Chromium,  Pidgin, Transmission, GIMP 2.8, LibreOffice 3.5 (no 3.6! Sad), VLC, Rhythmbox, etc., AriOS has some more pretty useful applications like uGet download manager, Virtualbox, Audacious, Audacity, Wine, subtitles editor, etc. Another very useful addition is Bumblebee installer - it is helpful for those having Nvidia graphic card. Bumblebee is simple to install and works well with Nvidia graphic card on my laptop.

From AriOS 4.0

One thing that is kind of puzzling to me - it makes sense to have two browsers for multitasking, but why two mail clients (Thunderbird & Geary)? Even more surprising is why two webcam applications (Cheese & Camorama)? I admit the internet, graphic and multimedia section is very rich in AriOS but at times giving more than one application for the same purpose reminds me of improper planning. A Linux Mint won't have a single redundant application. Developers should take care of it in future releases.

CPU and RAM Usage
I thought I downloaded the 32-bit version but it worked well with my 64-bit machine, recognizing the eight cores and 8 GB RAM. That was surprising to me. CPU and RAM usage is moderate for a Gnome 3.4 desktop. With Firefox and Chrome open, CPU usage was around 2% with 450 MB RAM. Good job on that front - it is energy efficient.

From AriOS 4.0

From AriOS 4.0

Installation
I installed it on a 20 GB partition and tested it's performance on one of my systems with core i-3 and 2 GB RAM, it worked really well with AriOS 3D desktop. Performance-wise it was better than  the live boot and with Firefox and Chrome open, AriOS took about 50 MB RAM lower than the live boot.

Repository
It shares Ubuntu repository and like Ubuntu, I can install apps from Ubuntu Software center or through Synaptic package manager.

From AriOS 4.0

Overall
AriOS brings a great alternative for Unity haters and Linux Mint users. One typical complain I get about Linux Mint is that it looks like Windows. Of course, Windows haters like me tweaked Mint to look more like a Linux and less like a Windows! But, AriOS has done it already for you. It brings you a different flavor with the aesthetics of a Linux Mint distro. Plus, I really like the application launcher similar to Fedora. However, some fine tuning is clearly required in terms of icon size and menu length. Else, it is really a good Ubuntu spin to try out. You may like it!

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In search of the best Linux distro of 2012: My Experiments

Jan 2013: Please also visit my updated experiments with the major distros released in 2012

• Best KDE Distro 2012 with 16 leading KDE distros
• Best XFCE Distro 2012 with 15 leading XFCE distros

My Old Experiment: 

I recall in 2009, I had only a desktop for all my computing needs - a desktop bought in 2003 and post SP3 update, struggled to run Windows XP, plagued with virus problems, slowness and often crashing. Every 2 months, I had to re-install Windows XP! I still persisted with XP, thinking Linux was for the geeks and not my cup of tea. Finally, in 2010 I gathered courage to try out Ubuntu 10.04 LTS and I was amazed by the speed and stability it rendered to my old computer. After that there was no looking back! I installed Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty" thereafter which performed amazingly well on it. Now all the four systems that I have, run on Linux only!

Essentially what attracted me to Linux is its ability to run on low specs. Linux desktop used to be attractive in 2009 and 2010 (specially Ubuntu) but never close to a Windows 7 or a Mac OS X. However, 2011-12 are, I feel, landmark years for Linux. The best looking Linux desktops came out of Ubuntu and Fedora/OpenSUSE stable during this phase and almost all Linux distros now look as good as any Windows or a Mac!

This week I experimented to find out if these acclaimed Linux distros still retain their ability to perform on moderate to low hardware. The idea came up while searching for a distro to replace my Ubuntu 11.04 (whose support end in Oct'12) in my desktop and netbook. I thought why not document my experiments and results. 

The individual specs of these two systems are given below:

HP Compaq PC (bought in 2003):

• RAM - upgraded to 1.5 GB DDR, 
• Processor: Intel Pentium 4 2.40 Ghz, cache size 512 KB, 
• Graphic card: G82845G/GL[Brookdale-G]/GE Chipset Integrated Graphics Device,
• HDD: 250 GB IDE

Asus EeePC 1101HA (bought in 2009)

• RAM - 1 GB DDR3
• Processor: Intel Atom 2520 1.33 Ghz, cache 512 kb
• Graphic card: Default provided
• HDD: 160 GB SATA

I covered 14 of the top 20 distros (from Distrowatch ranking) in this test. Distros like Puppy are minimalistic and hence, not covered. CentOS I'll cover it some day, but left out for now. All Linux distros boot up and perform flawlessly on the other two systems I have with Ivy bridge processors. They are not particularly resource crunched and so, I am not using them for this experiment. The systems used are definitely not very low specs but can be termed as "limited" resources. Both have dual boot with Windows XP and Ubuntu 11.04 32 bit. My idea is to find out the best performing distro based on live boot and then select one to install. Criteria set are:

1. Should be a complete distro (and not a minimalistic one) with all essential applications to run  and installable. So, no DSL, Puppy, Knoppix, etc.
2. Should be least taxing on resources (CPU and RAM)
3. Should be decently good looking, if not the most attractive one out there
4. Should be very smooth to use, just like Ubuntu 10.04 & 11.04 performed, allowing me to multi-task without creating undue pressure on resources.

I did this experiments over a week, trying out 14 different latest distros. Except for OpenSUSE, I created live USB using UNetbootin and then live-boot it. OpenSUSE live USB's were created using SUSE Image writer. 

Definitely, the best option would have been to install each of them on hard disk and then check out the performance. Many-a-times Linux distros don't perform that well on live boot but are significantly better when installed. But, given the limitations of time and resources, I took live boot as an indication of the actual feel and performance and then select the best possible options. So, disclaimer of observations based on live boot attached!

Disclaimer: All the results are based on experiments I did without trying any extra fix to resolve the issues I faced. In fact, quite a few fixes are documented in my blog itself and for the rest, there are forums for each distro. 

Day 1: Sep 26, 2012

1. Linux Mint 13 Mate 32-bit 

On HP desktop, Mint took ages to boot. But, the performance was not bad, though smoothness wasn't there and the cursor would keep on blinking, causing me irritation. CPU usage initially was 100% for first couple of minutes then came down to 10-11%. Could multi-task with couple of tabs of Firefox, Writer and Calc running in addition to System Monitor, CPU usage volatile between 20%-100%. Slow but didn't hang. RAM usage was around 320 MB will all three applications running.

From Best Linux distro - 2012

On Asus netbook, the boot up was quicker. Possibly because, to a certain extent, I was using the same live USB and it retained the previous live boot memory. This has a more modern processor and hence, Mint felt better to use on the netbook than on my PC. However, the CPU usage was really volatile and touched 100% quite a few times while multi-tasking with Firefox, Writer and Calc. Wifi detection was automatic and it seems reasonable multi-tasking is possible with Linux Mint mate on this system. RAM usage is slightly higher, ~ 330 MB. One issue I faced, the tap function of keypad wasn't working.

From Best Linux distro - 2012

Verdict: Good, but not giving me the user comfort of Ubuntu 11.04! And I hate that blinking cursor!

2. Ubuntu 12.04 LTS 32 bit

On HP, I selected "Try Ubuntu without install" and the OS loaded pretty quickly. It was much smoother to use initially, with Unity 2D. However, things started to get worse after 15 minutes of use.

From Best Linux distro - 2012

On Asus netbook, Ubuntu didn't load properly. I could see only half of Ubuntu screen and rest half had the typical violet color of Ubuntu boot up screen. Not working! I know the solution, I done it before. But, this test is based on the out-of-the-box performance and here, Ubuntu 12.04 LTS didn't work but Linux Mint Maya did!

Verdict: Bad, won't load on my netbook without additional fix. Was even a bit tiring to use on my PC. Simply won't work in the long run!

3. Solus 1.2 Legacy 32-bit

On HP, the system fonts didn't load though it was really smooth to use and I could multi-task without feeling any additional stress on the system. With Firefox, Calc, Writer and File Manager open, the CPU usage settled down to 15% with 230-240 MB RAM usage, which is really low.

From Best Linux distro - 2012

On Asus, Solus would have a kernel panic and crash. No GUI would load even when I select compatibility mode. Not going to work for me! I really like Solus OS but no luck for me.

Verdict: Good on my HP PC but doesn't work on my netbook.

Day 2: Sep 27, 2012

4. PCLinuxOS 2012.8 KDE 32 bit

On HP, PCLinuxOS KDE worked like a charm when I disabled all animations and desktop effects. I got a good, fast and responsive desktop. With Firefox, Calc, and Writer open, CPU usage was around 20-30% and RAM 430 MB. RAM usage is on the higher side, but I didn't feel any lag. I could multi-task here smoothly.

From Best Linux distro - 2012

However, on Asus, PCLinuxOS hanged even after disabling all the animations and desktop effects whenever I tried to multi-task. I tried couple of times restarting the system, it won't work still. My bad luck! I really like the stability and long term solution that PCLinuxOS provides.

Verdict: Feels great on my HP PC but won't work on my Asus netbook.

5. Bodhi Linux 2.0.0 32-bit

On both the systems I got fantastic speed using the eye candy compositing desktop. But, there was no task manager application where I could monitor the RAM / CPU usage. And if I am to use, I need to download the Nikhila application set to make it usable.

From Best Linux distro - 2012

Verdict: Very good responsive desktop, but no applications - possibly consider it when no other OS is working well!

6.  Linux Mint 13 XFCE 32-bit

Fantastic looking and very smooth to use on both the systems. It feels extremely lightweight. On netbook, LM XFCE detected wifi automatically and the tap function worked! On PC, the LAN connection worked without any problem. The OS is very rich with applications and could multi-task on both the systems without much strain. With Firefox, Calc, Writer and File manager open, LM consumed 7% CPU and 280 MB RAM on Asus and 8% RAM with 225 MB RAM on PC! The display was detected correctly on both the machines and smooth to multi-task. On Asus 1101HA, I could use the touchpad to scroll up or down, single tap to left click and double tap to right click!

From Best Linux distro - 2012

From Best Linux distro - 2012

Verdict: Best I have used in this testing! Works very efficiently on low resources.

Day 3: Sep 28, 2012

7. AntiX 12 32-bit

On both the machines, AntiX is very smooth to use. But, couldn't detect wifi on my Asus netbook - possibly can be fixed by a little research. On PC, it detected LAN without any hassles and worked really well. With Iceweasel, Calc, Writer and file manager open, consumed only 10% CY and 180-200 MB RAM! The default desktop loads at less than 70 MB RAM! And it is incredibly fast!

Verdict: AntiX is a good option if I am able to fix the wifi problem. Incredibly fast!

8. Snowlinux  3 Gnome 32 bit

On HP, initially Snowlinux, with Gnome 2 shell, felt really good to use. However, when I tried to multitask, it hanged and I had to reboot. On rebooting, it worked really great and I could multitask with Firefox, Calc, Writer and File Manager with 10%-50% CPU consumption and ~220 MB RAM consumption! Really fast and responsive desktop.

From Best Linux distro - 2012

On Asus, it felt really great to use though it didn't respond to tap function of the keypad. I could multitask with Firefox, Calc, Writer and file manager with 48% CPU and 260 MB RAM consumption. Wifi detection was quick.

From Best Linux distro - 2012

Verdict: Good distro, works fast and smooth even on moderate resources

Day 4: Sep 29, 2012

9. Snowlinux 3 XFCE 32 bit

Snowlinux XFCE worked well on my HP PC, though it wasn't as smooth as Linux Mint XFCE. However, the RAM and CPU usage are really low with Firefox and file manager running, ~20% and 206 MB. I guess, once Snowlinux is installed it will consume further less resources.

From Best Linux distro - 2012

On Asus, Snowlinux XFCE was smoother to use and offered me a really fast desktop. Wifi was detected automatically but the tap function of keypad didn't work. With Firefox and file manager running, it used 20-30% CPU and 215 MB RAM.

From Best Linux distro - 2012

Verdict: Good distro, works fast and smooth even on moderate resources.

10. Kiwi 12.08 32 bit

Kiwi is a Ubuntu 12.04 LTS derivative with Gnome 2 desktop. It worked well on my PC - I could multitask with Chromium, Calc, Writer and file manager running; CPU usage was 30% with 255 MB RAM consumption. I didn't feel any lag while using it.

From Best Linux distro - 2012

However, on Asus netbook, I ran into the typical display problem with only half of the screen loading. It will work, I know the fix.

Verdict: Can work on low resources better than Ubuntu 12.04. Need to fix the resolution problem on Asus Eee PC to make it work.

11. OpenSUSE 12.2 Gnome

On HP PC, OpenSUSE default boot was on Gnome fallback mode and it felt really smooth to use. With Firefox, Calc, Impress and file manager running, CPU consumption fluctuated between 50-60% but RAM consumption was stable ~400 MB. 

From Best Linux distro - 2012

On Asus netbook, however, by default Gnome 3 loaded and it was really slow to use because of the limited resources available. The desktop took 90% CPU and 340 RAM to load and hence, I didn't try out multi-tasking. However, wifi and other drivers were detected impeccably. Gnome fallback definitely would work better, but I didn't try it out.

Fedora 17 gave me almost identical results and as both Fedora and OpenSUSE look and behave identically, only OpenSUSE's results are given.

From Best Linux distro - 2012

Verdict: OpenSUSE Gnome has a very attractive desktop and it would be difficult to explore its full potential on a limited resource computer or a netbook.

12. OpenSUSE 12.2 KDE

Didn't load at all in either of the machines. Boot splash won't load and caused kernel panic. 

Verdict: No suited for low resource systems by default

13. Peppermint OS 3 32 bit

On HP PC, Peppermint worked like a charm - very smooth to use and attractive. With Chrome, file manager and Google docs running, it consumed 30% CPU and 220 MB RAM! Definitely a viable option for my PC.

From Best Linux distro - 2012

However, on Asus Eee PC 1101HA, I faced the same half screen display problem. I know the solution to it but need to install it to resolve. I'll wait if I find a better distro.

Verdict: Very fast and smooth to use. Can be one of my potential choices.

3 Oct 2012:

14. ROSA 2012 LXDE LTS 32 bit

I missed out on this absolutely wonderful distro last time. I found it really lightweight and good in my review. 

ROSA LXDE worked like a charm on my HP PC. With Firefox, Calc, Writer and file manager open, it consumed only 15-20% CPU and 200-250 MB RAM! It was really smooth to multi-task and looked really gorgeous. 

From Best Linux distro - 2012

However, it wasn't able to recognize the display in Asus Eee PC 1101HA. I was hoping it would work here! Anyway, my bad luck!

Verdict: ROSA LXDE has capability to excel in limited resources. The display problem I faced can be addressed by blacklisting poulsbo after installation as given here.

15. OS4 13 XFCE 32 bit

This is a new release from OS4 stable. It is actually based on Xubuntu 12.04 and since I didn't test Xubuntu on these machines, I thought of including OS4. 

On PC, OS4 13 worked really well and I could multi-task without much address stress to the system. I worked with Chrome, Abiword, Gnumeric and file manager open using about 10-20% CPU and

From Best Linux distro - 2012

With Asus Eee-PC 1101HA, I ran into the same display problem with only half of the screen showing. It can be, however, resolved post-installation as detailed here.




16. Debian Wheezy XFCE alpha 2

Debian Wheezy XFCE performed really well on my HP desktop. It has VLC player and I could watch movies will browsing web without any hassles. With Iceweasel, Calc, Writer and Thunar file manager, CPU utilization was 2-8% and memory 180 MB!

From Best Linux distro - 2012

On Asus Eee-pc 1101HA, Debian XFCE performed really smooth. I could multitask with Iceweasel, Calc, Writer and Thunar file manager, CPU utilization was 5-15% and memory 210 MB! It recognized Wifi immediately and I could use my touchpad to scroll websites and documents. However, tap and double tap that worked with Linux Mint XFCE, didn't work with Debian Wheezy XFCE.

From Best Linux distro - 2012

Verdict: Super smooth XFCE distro from Debian and it can run very well on limited resources. RAM consumption and CPU usage is even lower than Linux Mint XFCE!

17. Debian Wheezy Gnome alpha 2

On HP desktop, Gnome 3 won't load and I had to use in fallback mode. To load only the desktop, CPU utilization was 23% and 200 MB RAM. However, with gnome fallback mode, I could operate quite smoothly and even multitask with Iceweasel, Calc, Writer and file manager open. CPU utilization was 20-30% and RAM, about 290 MB. This is actually good considering this is Gnome 3.4.2 desktop.

Even on Asus 1101HA, Gnome 3 failed to load. But, gnome fallback mode was quite smooth to use. But, I didn't have a good experience with Debian Wheezy live. First, I couldn't log on to the Wifi as I was "not authorized to control networking"! Further, I couldn't mount any of my netbook drives. Though the performance is not bad and I could multi-task quite smoothly, but this won't help me.

From Best Linux distro - 2012

From Best Linux distro - 2012

Verdict: Debian Wheezy Gnome didn't work well with my laptop but performed reasonably good in my PC.  



18. Fedora 17 XFCE 32 bit

On HP desktop, Fedora XFCE was very smooth. Multi-tasking was easy and effortless with Firefox, Abiword, Gnumeric and file manager open, using only 5-10% CPU and 290 MB RAM. It definitely felt good to use but I wasn't too happy with the looks - Fedora XFCE doesn't look very polished!

From Best Linux distro - 2012

From Best Linux distro - 2012

On Asus 1101HA, XFCE loaded really well and it was smooth to use. Webcam and wifi were recognized easily. I could multitask without much difficulty with Firefox, Abiword, Gnumeric and file manager open using 320 MB RAM and 5-15% CPU. RAM usage is higher than any other XFCE desktop, to be honest! It would seem even higher if you take into consideration Abiword and Gnumeric are actually lighter than LibreOffice counterparts. 

From Best Linux distro - 2012

Results

Linux Distributions	HP PC (P4, 1.5 GB RAM)	Asus 1101HA (Atom, 1 GB RAM)
Linux Mint 13 Mate	Slow	Satisfactory but tap not working
Ubuntu 12.04 LTS	Painfully slow, would hang	Display problem, slow
Solus OS 1.2 Legacy	Very smooth	Kernel panic, no GUI
PCLinuxOS KDE 2012.8	Very smooth	Slow, would hang
Linux Mint 13 XFCE	Very smooth	Very smooth
Bodhi Linux 2	Very smooth	Very smooth
Antix 12	Very smooth	Very smooth, but no wifi
Snowlinux 3 Gnome	Smooth	Smooth but tap not working
Snowlinux 3 XFCE	Very smooth	Very smooth, but tap not working
Snowlinux 3 E17	Very smooth	Very smooth, but tap not working
Kiwi Linux 12.08	Very smooth	Display problem
OpenSUSE 12.2 Gnome	Satisfactory with Gnome fallback	Slow with Gnome 3
OpenSUSE 12.2 KDE	Won't load	Won't load
Peppermint 3	Very smooth	Display problem
ROSA 2012 LXDE	Very smooth	Display problem
OS4 13 XFCE	Very smooth	Display problem
Fedora 17 XFCE	Very smooth	Very smooth
Debian Wheezy XFCE	Very smooth	Very smooth
Debian Wheezy Gnome	Smooth	Smooth but no authorization

 
I also did tests with Snowlinux 3 E17, very fast and smooth on both but the tap function didn't work there as well with Asus Eee PC netbook. I didn't try out Chakra as there won't be any 32-bit version going forward - hence, why try Archimedes? Further, Crunchbang is too minimalistic for my taste - I know it will perform as well as Linux Mint XFCE or even better, but still I need a conventional desktop. 

So, my top 3, based on the performance on both the systems, is:

1. Linux Mint 13 XFCE: Best distro, would work on any system. No wonder Linux Mint is at the top on Distrowatch ranking!

2. Bodhi Linux 2: Faster than Linux Mint XFCE for sure, has some really cool effects from compiz - second because you have to download Nikhila to make it usable. Could have easily been the number uno in my ranking.

3. Debian Wheezy XFCE: Very fast and works well within limited resources. Had the tap and double tap functions worked on Debian, it would have been a tie with Linux Mint XFCE.

4. Snowlinux 3 XFCE and E17: Wonderful distro, could have been in top 2 if the tap function of keypad would have worked out of the box.

Potential candidates like Peppermint, OS4 and ROSA missed out narrowly due to the display problem on Asus Eee-PC 1101HA. Otherwise, except possibly Linux Mint XFCE & Bodhi, they are next to none.

For my PC, I am going to install a distro outside this top 3 - PCLinuxOS. I like the interface, rolling release and enviable collection of out-of-the-box applications provided. Definitely it's repo isn't as rich as a Ubuntu or a Debian but even my PC isn't cutting edge! It worked wonderfully well on my PC.

For Asus Eee PC 1101HA, I am confused between Linux Mint XFCE and Bodhi Linux. Both are really good. Possibly I am going to install both for the time being, disk space isn't an issue.

There is a high chance that I might have missed a few distros. Readers please suggest other non-minimalistic distros which have potential to work in limited resources and on any system and I haven't tried them. I'll try them and add to the article.

P.N.: I installed Linux Mint 13 XFCE to my Asus 1101HA, no issues faced while installation. It is really working well - no issues with drivers, sound and wifi works wonderfully well. One thing to mention - I have used Ubuntu 10.04 & 11.04 for nearly last couple of years on it, but I never thought it has touchpad function like scroll down or double tap to get right click options. With Mint XFCE, I unearthed those functions as well!  

However, on my old PC with Intel Pentium 4 processor (2.4 Ghz) and 1.5 GB RAM, I started with installing PCLinuxOS, but it became a tad bit heavy after a few updates. So, I replaced it with Linux Mint 13 XFCE, as it was performing really well on my Asus 1101HA Eee-PC. But, no luck for me on my PC. It used to crash often. Hence, finally I installed Bodhi Linux 2 and it is currently working really well. Amazingly fast, I downloaded the Nikhila application pack which more or less contains every application I need. I am pretty happy with Bodhi's performance as of now. But there seems to be some problem with the grub in Bodhi - by default it gets installed in the USB drive resulting in a not bootable OS. I had to repair the grub and it worked fine after that.

You may be interested in the my objective comparison of KDE distros of 2012, written on 30th Dec, 2012 - Comparison of KDE distros of 2012. 

Read more!