Stability

pitbull11188 · 08-25-2005, 09:36 AM

I'm attempting to install a linux system on a Sony Vaio notebook, which will be used for school only. So with that in mind I need the most stable distro that I can find, and since it only has a 695Mhz PIII and 250mb of ram; I also need more of a minimalistic distro package wise. I would use FreeBSD but I encountered problems when I attempted to install and configure Xorg, as I don't know the screen type or video card of the laptop. I know that Slackware has a reputation for being the most stable distro out there, but I heard that Vector Linux is based off of Slackware. I tend to favor source based distros and I heard Vector was even slimmer than Slackware. So my main question is: Is Vector Linux as stable as Slackware and is Slackware the most stable distro that you have encountered?

p.s. I'd normally install both and figure it out myself, but last year I lost a 70 page paper using Winblows and needless to say I am wary to take any risks.

p.s.s. I have used Ubuntu, Knoppix, Vlos, Debian, and DSL.

~Pitbull11188

tangle · 08-25-2005, 10:18 AM

I vote for Slackware, but Vector seems to be a good setup. It seemed to run light. I have not used Vector all that much, but it seems to be what you are looking for. You might want to try Puppy Linux, it is a live CD distro, but you can install it on your hard drive (same for Danm Small Linux). I am kinda addicted to Slackware.

pitbull11188 · 08-25-2005, 01:26 PM

I installed slackware using this http://www.bitbenderforums.com/vb22/...?postid=311808 guide. I followed it to the letter, except for the /opt partition, however my x takes up only the center of the screen not the whole thing. This is the same problem I encountered when I tried to install FreeBSD. Does anyone know how I can A.) Use the entire screen and B.) Setup a login screen instead of typing in startx. I don't know the screen type or video card type of the laptop. Please tell me if this is going to be a time consuming process because I have less than 2 weeks before school starts and I still need to do my summer AP work. The main thing I need is to use the fullscreen, I can live with the rest until I figure out how to fix it.

tangle · 08-25-2005, 01:40 PM

Set the resolution to the max you laptop can do. I had an NEC at work that would do that.

pitbull11188 · 08-25-2005, 01:46 PM

It won't let me change the resolution from within gnome, the only option is 640x480. When I try to configure the screen using xorgcfg I can change things around but I can't write to xorg.conf, it fails.

tangle · 08-25-2005, 01:58 PM

You have to config xorg as root.

pitbull11188 · 08-25-2005, 02:04 PM

Once logged in as root I was able to save the conf file but I'm still unable to select any other setting than 640x480

tangle · 08-25-2005, 02:08 PM

Try to use the xorgconfig command.

pitbull11188 · 08-25-2005, 04:34 PM

Thank you for all the help you've given me tangle. I am just going to run ubuntu until I can get the exact hardware info on my laptop so that I don't ask pointless questions which would not have arisen had I just called and asked the guy I bought it from for the specs.

Eternal_Newbie · 08-25-2005, 05:52 PM

Pitbull, you will quite likely encounter similar problems with Ubuntu

There is a page in the Ubuntu Wiki which addresses these sort of problems though: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/FixVideoResolutionHowto
It is also useful whatever distribution you are using, though.

Good Luck

tangle · 08-25-2005, 06:25 PM

When logged in as root, you can run the lspci command. It will tell you a lot about your hardware. Here is a copy of what I get on my laptop.

Code:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corp. 82852/855GM Host Bridge (rev 02)
00:00.1 System peripheral: Intel Corp. 855GM/GME GMCH Memory I/O Control Registers (rev 02)
00:00.3 System peripheral: Intel Corp. 855GM/GME GMCH Configuration Process Registers (rev 02)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corp. 82852/855GM Integrated Graphics Device (rev 02)
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corp. 82852/855GM Integrated Graphics Device (rev 02)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801DB (ICH4) USB UHCI #1 (rev 03)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801DB (ICH4) USB UHCI #2 (rev 03)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801DB (ICH4) USB UHCI #3 (rev 03)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801DB (ICH4) USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 03)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 82801BAM/CAM PCI Bridge (rev 83)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corp. 82801DBM LPC Interface Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corp. 82801DBM (ICH4) Ultra ATA Storage Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corp. 82801DB (ICH4) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.6 Modem: Intel Corp. 82801DB (ICH4) AC'97 Modem Controller (rev 03)
01:05.0 Network controller: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 4220 (rev 05)
01:07.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Texas Instruments TSB43AB21 IEEE-1394a-2000 Controller (PHY/Link)
01:08.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corp. 82801BD PRO/100 VE (MOB) Ethernet Controller (rev 83)
01:0b.0 CardBus bridge: Toshiba America Info Systems ToPIC95 PCI to Cardbus Bridge with ZV Support (rev 33)