Tips for FC5 install on a slower machine

GoHskrs · 02-03-2006, 09:42 PM

Hi all -

New user here, please be gentle. 8^)

I am currently running FC3, planning on a fresh install of FC5 when it gets out of "test" status. It works, but hardware-wise, it's a bit of a dog (800 MHz AMD with 384 MB of memory). Interactive performance (e.g., Firefox) leaves a bit to be desired from a user standpoint. I boot up in run level 5 (X11) with the default Gnome user interface, login screen, and window manager.

I don't really use all the Gnome features like the file manager, so I wouldn't miss them if they were gone. Basically, if I can bring up a Web browser and a terminal window, I'm good. In FC5, do I have any other options for a lighter-weight GUI with less CPU and memory requirements? If so, how do I enable a different GUI -- during the install process, or post-installation?

Thanks in advance for any wisdom ...

George

TruongAn · 02-04-2006, 01:52 AM

Try xfce or any light weight Desktop Environment

GoHskrs · 02-04-2006, 07:48 AM

Thanks for the pointer. I looked at the xfce.org Web page documentation and FAQ and will give it a try.

Is xfce an install option with FC5 (or FC4), or do I need to download & install it separately?

Thanks again ...

TruongAn · 02-04-2006, 08:48 AM

It was in FC3, I didn't noticed about DE in FC4, since I use gnome only.
I think it will be in FC5, however, you should check the online FC5 realse notes.

TruongAn · 02-04-2006, 08:50 AM

I think you don't need to flee from Gnome or KDE.
I am using gnome though my system is 633Mhz celeron and 192MB RAM.
If firefox is slow, use opera or something else, your system will not be so slow

GoHskrs · 02-04-2006, 09:12 AM

Thanks again.

George

christopher5 · 02-05-2006, 02:39 PM

Gnome 2.14 has been given alot of attention for performance tuning, so I imagine FC5 won't run any worse than FC3

TruongAn · 02-05-2006, 11:26 PM

As a FC user, I also hope that, but christopher, I think these post don't relate to the thread, you think so?

GoHskrs · 03-28-2006, 10:25 PM

Hey all ... just a followup to let you know how things turned out.

I did a fresh install of FC5 over the weekend, but per this article, I disabled SELinux during the first boot. Gnome 2.14 is much better-performing than my previous FC3 installation. For the last few weeks on FC3, I was using xfce instead of gnome, but I'm happy with the speed now and will probably stay with gnome. (Thanks to Truong for the pointer to xfce on the session menu of the graphical login screen ... I wouldn't have thought to look there.)

Thanks again for all the advice. Happy FC5-ing for those who choose to go that route.

George