linux toooo slow...

[kp1126]

this is on my old p200 mmx of course. I thought Mandrake 8.1 would run pretty good on this system, but it's even slower than running win98 or ME. Are there older versions or other distributions that would run faster? I tried FreeBSD 4.4 and that kept locking up when I was trying to install. any ideas?

 

[kylef]

If you're trying to run the latest KDE desktop or GNOME, then you're not going to find ANY distribution that will run fast on your machine.

Switch the default window manager on install to BlackBox or WindowMaker and see if that makes a difference.

 

[philippis]

If you are using character interface, it will be much faster.

 

[kp1126]

ok, I will try changing my desktop. How do I change to character interface? And what difference will that make? Will I still have a GUI?

 

[RalphTheCow]

I don't know Mandrake but somewhere in your setup progam you should have the choice to boot into X windows or console mode. I think you should boot into console mode on a slow machine at least until you can get X windows running acceptably.

I had a similar problem on a Cyrix 166+ until I switched to the blackbox window manager. It seems to be a good compromise between console mode and full-fledged desktops like KDE or Gnome. I just downloaded it from tucows.com and followed the directions in the README to compile it, then added it to my .xinitrc file in my home directory so that it is the default when I run startx from console mode. I am still finding out which applications will run under it, but most run much faster.

 

[LuckyTaxi]

freebsd would fly on that system. personally i wouldnt install X

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

<< I don't know Mandrake but somewhere in your setup progam you should have the choice to boot into X windows or console mode. I think you should boot into console mode on a slow machine at least until you can get X windows running acceptably.

I had a similar problem on a Cyrix 166+ until I switched to the blackbox window manager. It seems to be a good compromise between console mode and full-fledged desktops like KDE or Gnome. I just downloaded it from tucows.com and followed the directions in the README to compile it, then added it to my .xinitrc file in my home directory so that it is the default when I run startx from console mode. I am still finding out which applications will run under it, but most run much faster. >>


i agree w/ that. i use blackbox and love it. sure, my machine could handle more, but anything more is a waste to me. i hate desktop icons, i hate taskbar type things, and i love the way blackbox looks. it has character

go with blackbox

 

[ShadowFox]

how much ram do you have?

 

[kp1126]

64mb of ram.........I did try installing FreeBSD, but it wouldn't install. It kept freezing while loading install files.

 

[SinNisTeR]

<< freebsd would fly on that system. personally i wouldnt install X >>




x is the gui right? why would i want a 600MB dos? lol

 

[sasa]

If you don't know what the charachter interface is, don't even try it for now, go with Mandrake and KDE.
Just add 64M of memory and it will fly!

 

[Agamar]

lol...The only thing that will still run well on a P 200 mmx is Win95B, and earlier linux releases.

 

[fivepesos]

<< x is the gui right? why would i want a 600MB dos? lol >>


i guess you havent used a modern shell. and 600mb? nah, if all u need is a CLI then more like 150-300 mb if u trim it down. now why do i want a 600mb dos? ohh i dont know, the plethora of linux console apps and features. maybe you should reevaluate a command line interface before you post next time.

i only use X to browse the web and play q3 on linux.

 

[kp1126]

<< lol...The only thing that will still run well on a P 200 mmx is Win95B, and earlier linux releases. >>



Actually, it can run ME and 98 SE fine. I was just hoping that Linux would be more stable and quick....so far, that is not the case.

 

[ShadowFox]

<<Just add 64M of memory and it will fly!>>

Exactly, i once installed mandrake 8.0 on an old Pentium 166 with 32 mb of ram and a 4500rpm HD, OMG, it was so slow, it took about 5 minutes to open netscape

 

[n0cmonkey]

<<

<< lol...The only thing that will still run well on a P 200 mmx is Win95B, and earlier linux releases. >>

Actually, it can run ME and 98 SE fine. I was just hoping that Linux would be more stable and quick....so far, that is not the case. >>



Now is linux slow and flakey or is it the gui? Linux is but a kernel. Now, if you want a quick/stable distribution, try Debian or Slackware. They will be what you are looking for. Of course you will have to know more than a tiny bit to use them. Please dont blame Linux for your old hardware. That just makes no sense. Either smarten up and drop the big cumbersome gui or STFU. Thanks

 

[kp1126]

Now now mr. Monkey, no need for none of that Linux guru superiority crap.............."our operating system is the BEST...........if you can't figure it out............you must be a dumb ass." Others claim that
Linux can run on any "old" hardware. Windows 95-98 is able to run a big cumbersome gui on my old hardware just fine. Linux, the kernel, or operating system, or whatever you want to call it....
can not run a a big cumbersome gui on my p200 hardware. Is that a fair enough comparison for you? and if you didn't mean to sound like a jerk, than neither did I, please accept my apology.

To everyone else who kindly offered advice...Thank You. I kept trying to install FreeBSD, it froze up a few times, and I re-ran install a few times, and it is now up and running....with a nice Gnome GUI.
Now I just have to figure out how to use this thing, doesn't seem to be as "easy" to use as Mandrake. =) Thanks again for all the help.

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

<< Now now mr. Monkey, no need for none of that Linux guru superiority crap.............."our operating system is the BEST...........if you can't figure it out............you must be a dumb ass." Others claim that
Linux can run on any "old" hardware. Windows 95-98 is able to run a big cumbersome gui on my old hardware just fine. Linux, the kernel, or operating system, or whatever you want to call it....
can not run a a big cumbersome gui on my p200 hardware. Is that a fair enough comparison for you? and if you didn't mean to sound like a jerk, than neither did I, please accept my apology.

To everyone else who kindly offered advice...Thank You. I kept trying to install FreeBSD, it froze up a few times, and I re-ran install a few times, and it is now up and running....with a nice Gnome GUI.
Now I just have to figure out how to use this thing, doesn't seem to be as "easy" to use as Mandrake. =) Thanks again for all the help. >>


i dont think bsd vs. linux is the question, it's whether you use kde or gnome and what version you use.

 

[kp1126]

<< I dont think bsd vs. linux is the question, it's whether you use kde or gnome and what version you use. >>



I don't remeber what version of Gnome I was running on Mandrake 8.1, it was the version that came with it. I did notice that FreeBSD 4.4, I installed Gnome 1.4. Gnome was very usable under FreeBSD, but was extremely slow with Mandrake. I played with KDE a bit on my main computer before and found that I preferred Gnome. Will KDE load itself as well as applications faster compared to Gnome?

 

[capybara]

kde is about equal to gnome in speed and crashes less - plus it allows me to open several
(up to 12) virtual desktops. but i also use blackbox and it is faster. when the net is really
slow, i go with lynx browser, the worlds fastest browser!