Linux distros RAM consumption comparison...
 

i'd like to know why Slackware is not in the comparison

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Linux distros RAM consumption comparison (updated, 20 distros - flavours compared) (self.linux)

submitted 6 months ago * by shvchk
TL;DR:

Top 5 lightweight distros / flavours:
(system, Firefox, file manager and terminal emulator launched)

Debian 9 XFCE (345 MB)
Lubuntu (406 MB)
Solus (413 MB)
Debian 9 KDE (441 MB) and Debian 8 GNOME (443 MB)
Xubuntu (481 MB)

After doing Ubuntu flavours RAM consumption comparison, I decided to test other popular distros too.

Tests were performed in a virtual machine with 1GB RAM and repeated 7 times for each distro, each time VM was restarted.

In each test two RAM measurements were made:

useless — on a freshly booted system
closer to real use — with Firefox, default file manager and terminal emulator launched

"Real use" test results
# Distro / flavour DE Based on MB RAM, mean ⏶ median
1 Debian 9 XFCE 4.12.3 345.43 345
2 Lubuntu 16.10 LXDE 0.99.1 Ubuntu 406.14 402
3 Solus 1.2.1 Budgie 10.2.8 413.43 411
4 Debian 9 KDE 5.8.2 441.29 440
5 Debian 8 GNOME 3.14.4 443.14 445
6 Xubuntu 16.10 XFCE 4.12.3 Ubuntu 481 481
7 Manjaro 16.10.3 XFCE 4.12.3 Arch 498.29 501
8 Netrunner 16.09 KDE 5.7.5 Debian 526.03 528
9 KDE neon User LTS KDE 5.8.4 Ubuntu 527.98 527.15
10 Ubuntu MATE 16.10 MATE 1.16.0 Ubuntu 534.13 531.3
11 Mint 18.1 Cinnamon 3.2.7 Ubuntu 564.6 563.8
12 Kubuntu 16.10 KDE 5.7.5 Ubuntu 566.01 565.5
13 Manjaro 16.10.3 KDE 5.8.4 Arch 599.64 596.8
14 openSUSE Leap 42.2 KDE 5.8.3 606.86 608
15 Antergos 2016.11.20 GNOME 3.22.2 Arch 624.44 628.2
16 elementary OS 0.4.0 Pantheon Ubuntu 659.57 661
17 Fedora 25 GNOME 3.22.2 670.16 664.2
18 Ubuntu Budgie 16.10 Budgie 10.2.7 Ubuntu 670.69 663.7
19 Ubuntu GNOME 16.10 GNOME 3.20.4 Ubuntu 718.39 718
20 Ubuntu 16.10 Unity 7.5.0 Debian 787.57 785
"Useless" test results
# Distro / flavour DE Based on MB RAM, mean ⏶ median
1 Debian 9 XFCE 4.12.3 208 208
2 Solus 1.2.1 Budgie 10.2.8 210.43 210
3 Lubuntu 16.10 LXDE 0.99.1 Ubuntu 237.29 238
4 Debian 9 KDE 5.8.2 283.29 283
5 Debian 8 GNOME 3.14.4 293.71 295
6 Xubuntu 16.10 XFCE 4.12.3 Ubuntu 298 296
7 Manjaro 16.10.3 XFCE 4.12.3 Arch 314.29 319
8 Ubuntu MATE 16.10 MATE 1.16.0 Ubuntu 340.14 340
9 KDE neon User LTS KDE 5.8.4 Ubuntu 342.5 342
10 Netrunner 16.09 KDE 5.7.5 Debian 343.14 342
11 Mint 18.1 Cinnamon 3.2.7 Ubuntu 353.43 356
12 Manjaro 16.10.3 KDE 5.8.4 Arch 357.75 357
13 Kubuntu 16.10 KDE 5.7.5 Ubuntu 359.86 361
14 Antergos 2016.11.20 GNOME 3.22.2 Arch 383.71 381
15 openSUSE Leap 42.2 KDE 5.8.3 389.14 390
16 elementary OS 0.4.0 Pantheon Ubuntu 434 434
17 Ubuntu Budgie 16.10 Budgie 10.2.7 Ubuntu 478.43 477
18 Fedora 25 GNOME 3.22.2 494.39 489.5
19 Ubuntu GNOME 16.10 GNOME 3.20.4 Ubuntu 497.49 499
20 Ubuntu 16.10 Unity 7.5.0 Debian 529.27 532

All distros were 64-bit, and were fully upgraded after installation (except Solus, which won't work properly after upgrading).

Data was pulled from free output, specifically it's sum of RAM and swap (if any) from used column (more info). Raw free and top output for each measurement, prepare and measure scripts, etc: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-s...ew?usp=sharing
Distro-specific notes:

On Debian 8, Netrunner and openSUSE I had to replace free and top binaries with newer ones.
To match other distros settings, I've disabled KOrganizer autostart on Netrunner, as it started Akonadi (+200 MB RAM usage).
On Debian 9 KDE and Solus VirtualBox guest additions were not installed, as these systems didn't function properly with it. This shouldn't noticeably affect memory usage (a few MB, not tens). For the same reason, on Netrunner was used an older version of guest additions package from its default repos.
Debian 9 GNOME was not tested, as it won't boot in VirtualBox
Solus was tested as is after install, as it won't work properly after upgrading

Bias or ignorance by whoever compiled the list.
:)

Perhaps because it was not among the 20 that shvchk happened to have available at the time.
Examine the list carefully, and consider the methodology used by shvchk. It appears likely that VBOX was leveraged to permit quick installs and fairly simple measures using native tools. Not at all invalid, but covering 20 "flavors" rather than the 265 currently active linux distributions listed on distrowatch.

Why should slackware NOT be among the 245 that were left out?

this list is total useless anyway.
comparing RAM usage of Linux, on embedded devices OK.
but for a desktop, what meaningful measurement could there be, beside none?

Small lies < Big lies < Statistics

I don't see the point of this. Distros don't consume RAM, processes do. Depending on how you configure the system, you could end up with very much or very little RAM usage on any distro.

Because it's one of a very small band of original and non-derivative distros and its 20+ years of existence deserve more respect than that. Having said that, these sorts of comparisons are pointless, so it's hard to care about it.

And where to put the Global Warming fantasy stories?

It depends what you mean by "story". Its causes are still debated among the scientific community, but the phenomenon is measured and is only questioned by people that have a short term financial interest and or a political interest in this questioning. Sorry for my not very constructive previous post, that leaded to this digression.

Pure, utter nonsense.

Didier, IF this "phenomena" is really measured, how you explain that when dinosaurs walked on Earth, the temperature in Antarctica was high enough to be covered by a tropical jungle? They had really heavy industries?

The POTUS is my own idol, because he has balls big enough to put those lies/fantasies straight... ;)

maybe time to move this thread into the general discussion form? We should realy not discuss if the fart of dinos was heavy industries or not in the Slackware forum

Come a moment when "politically correct", specially when is about Global Warming, is translated in Real Life to entire cities losing jobs and buying goods at twenty sized prices.

I believe that is our right to raise everywhere valid questions against this utter bullshit, and to defend our jobs, first of all. Nothing more.

This is not the next Flower Power Movement!

This is a bunch of lies which destroy companies, destroy lots of jobs and it is the new form of Imperialism, which sell shit, overpriced.

This is not about "if the fart of dinos was heavy industries or not", but about many persons who lose their jobs, because this way "is good for climate", considering that everyone of us is an illiterate.

Guess what? Some we love to study the Jurassic. ;)

DISCLAIMER: totally off topic.

No, it is not nonsense. You can find no reputable scientist that questions that the trend is proven by observable fact and objective measurements. I have seen no reputable scientist claim any question about human activity being the cause in the last year.

The only people claiming that global warming is false or normal are those who either have a vested interest int hat lie, or those who have believed those lies. I suggest that you do your own research and DO NOT trust news organisations that are owned by those with vested interests.

DISCLAIMER: totally off topic.

During those ages the area now Antarctica was on or near the equator.
There is no evidence that any dinosaur population had any industry.
If you mean the current president, he has no science education or understanding of either scientific principals or facts, and has fired all of the science advisers and replaced them with industry puppets: most with no better understanding of the science than he has. I would not go to him for valid information on any subject, but if you do be sure to double check the facts against proper scientific publications and papers on the subject.


This is not political (a matter of Liberal VS conservative), it is a matter of Fact over Ignorance and misinformation.

Having a job is good, I generally prefer it to any other option. Being alive, with or without a job, is better than any option that involves NOT being alive. Rapid Climate Change has the potential to displace and kill entire populations, and that process appears unavoidable at this point. Better to get ready than to pretend the changes are not real.