Choosing the Right Linux Distribution
 

Hello all,
I have a CompaQ Presario SR5223WM computer and was wondering what would be a better distribution to use on it with a completely erased hard disk, no running system whatsoever. Thanks in advance.

Something light. Peppermint perhaps. Whatever distro you use I would try and use fluxbox or a lightweight Window manager. Slackware would of course be my personal choice.

I have Peppermint on a Laptop with 2G ram and its even a bit slow with the included WM.

I would not use Fedora or Ubuntu, IMHO those would be too slow.

I see its your first post here, welcome! Is it also your first Linux install? I would almost certainly say Peppermint if it is. If you clue us in a little more on your level of experience, we can help a little more.

There are quite a few good ones around....it all boils down to what makes you happy...there is a test you can take to see what suits best...

Some distros come to mind of course:

- macPup, light ard powerfull, does noet update, as far as I know
- Xubuntu, light, long term support, everything works out of the box
- Fedora, some stuff is broken, great OS but...you're a beta tester, check if your box can carry this load...
- Arch, you do everything yourself, for the more ... seasoned Linuxean :) be warned, the community can be a bit harsh...

Let us know which one was the "winner" :)
And, welcome here!!!

Thor

Thanks! Well ive installed Fedora and indeed it was too slow also some applications wouldnt work properly, so then i installed Ubuntu which loaded quickly, recognised all my drivers but also was slow. I think i will give Slackware a try.. experience wise im not too great but i am trying to become proficient in using Linux softwares so Thanks for your feedback.

Macpup sounds interesting, maybe will give it a try also. Do you have a url to that test ?

On a machine like that I woulod give Debian or Fuduntu a try.

If you're going with Fedora, Debian, or one of their derivatives, I recommend checking out the LXDE desktop version.

@ RockDoctor

The CD should spin up and act as a Live CD until you install. Be watrned, MacPup needs some extra care to get installed, but on the upside, it basically detects anything on the box...some caution: if you stand too close it may even detect your shoe size... :)

Thor

I recall seeing a distro chooser a couple of years ago - not sure which website had it. This was not it. This wasn't it either, but it looks interesting.

I don't think you need to look for a lightweight distro. The specs are Sempron 3600, 1GB RAM, NVIDIA video. This computer has a Sempron 2600, 1GB, and motherboard graphics. I wouldn't run the KDE desktop with all the bells and whistles, but it's fine with anything else.

I'd try a few live disks with different desktops to see which you like. For reliability and ease of use, look at
Fuduntu
http://www.linuxquestions.org/review...page/15/sort/7
Mint (Mate version)
http://www.linuxquestions.org/review...p/product/2397
SalineOS
http://www.linuxquestions.org/review...page/15/sort/7

Xubuntu is NOT light. It's almost as bloated as Ubuntu but with Xfce instead, and it's not the fastest system either, except for the great boot speed. Yes, it's bloated. 1200 packages standard installation (after adding a bunch of packages).

@ bloody

Touché, but...try to install Arch nowadays...the choice is simple: have an installer make some preliminary choices and have a bit more on the system than needed, or hand-pick the packages, or in other words: simple or tough...
Okay, I prefer Arch (and the likes) any day, but I needed a system that works, Linux is all I use, and at the time Xubuntu (with flaws) was the better one...
But, yes, you're right, there's quite a bit that "flushes" in... :D

Forgetting the bloat, it was slow on my iBook G4 1.0GHz and likely on the OPs system too. Debian is a bit snappier with the same DE. FWIW, Debian with XFCE is noticeably faster than Lubuntu as well.