"***** charles" (shultzjrX@sbcglobal.net) writes:

> So far it is one for DSL and one for Slackware. I started with Slackware
> way back in the early 90's and I thought that even that distro has
> gotten a little blotted for "small" machines.

If you think it's bloated, then you don't understand the distributions.

They all pull the kernel, utilities and applications from the same pool.
The difference is what they select from that pool, and the philosophy
of the distribution.

If there's bloat, then it's because the various parts, ie the kernel,
utilities and applications, have bloated. There's nothing a distribution
can do about that, unless they use old versions, which likely isn't a good
thing.

If they streamline the kernel, then that will make it smaller, but not
by that much and given the kernel is a relatively small (though admittedly
vital) part of a distribution, making it smaller isn't going to do that
much. But it will limit the hardware that the kernel can run on, since
much of the "bloat" over the past 15 years has been about dealing
with more and more hardware.

The fact that a given distribution has loads of software is not really
bloat. You do not have to install it all, but at least you have the
option.

Damn Small Linux obviously comes in a relatively small size, but
it lacks all that isn't included. It is setup to use limited
hardware, but there's nothing special there to do that, ie they
don't write new software in order to fit on old hardware. They
simply select lean stuff. That lean stuff is on at least many
of the "bloated" distributions.

People ask for a distribution "for old hardware" and just like
any time someone asks about what distribution, they'll get the
same canned responses. So they believe the hype about Vector Linux
("intended for older hardware") when there isn't anything there
that a bigger distribution doesn't have, it's simply a subset of
a larger distribution.

If something is "bloated" then you use a leaner desktop and you
use leaner applications and you only install what you need.

Michael