Hello
I want to setup desktop for Pentium I (233MMX) with 96MB of ram. I would
prefer -current, but found it slow. I'm used to pentium 4, so my feelings
might be not accurate. Would installing some older slackware help? It
would put me into some troubles which first would be security bugfixes,
(for 8.1 they are maintained, aren't they?). Then I would like to have
there mozilla firebird and open office. So some libs might be needed more
current. Beside, probably some newer versions are not always slower.
So I'm looking for opinion, what to install for such desktop, what would
fit best. I could try it by hand, but it will help me to hear some wise
guys opinions of usage of older versions before downloading and
installing them.
How is XFree 3.3.6 compared to 4.x on older machines? While video is
supported is for usage/speed better to use newest? Does kernek 2.6 would
fit better than 2.4, or maybe better to use 2.2? How does it affect usage
spped?
Thanks for comments and suggestions.

pozdr.
Janek

--
Cukier krzepi!

On 2004-05-13, Jan Alboszta <janek@usunto.gwozdzie.dhs.org> wrote:
> Hello
> I want to setup desktop for Pentium I (233MMX) with 96MB of ram. I would

You can run 9.1 on it, but you'll need to run minimum desktops like fluxbox
or xfce, etc. You should also max out your RAM. Sure, it's still going to
be a little slow, but damn, it's practically stone-age! OTOH, I'm perfectly
happy running 9.1 on a 433 celery PII, but then I've never driven a pent 4
so I don't know what I'm missing.

nb

Dnia Thu, 13 May 2004 13:34:06 GMT
notbob <notbob@nothome.com> Napisal:

> On 2004-05-13, Jan Alboszta <janek@usunto.gwozdzie.dhs.org> wrote:
> > Hello
> > I want to setup desktop for Pentium I (233MMX) with 96MB of ram. I
> > would
>
> You can run 9.1 on it, but you'll need to run minimum desktops like
> fluxbox or xfce, etc. You should also max out your RAM. Sure, it's
> still going to be a little slow, but damn, it's practically stone-age!

Not so stone age. You would pay a fortune for it, ten years ago!
I got it with soundblaster awe 32(this 32 is probably for length, 32cm)
I already thought about xfce, but it still needs countable seconds to
start firefox or open office (hell I found version of OO which refused to
run on such "old" system (but it had best Polish support)).
So I hoped that there is "simple" way to downgrade some apps which would
make system faster. If it is possible of course....

pozdr.
Janek

--
Im wiêcej g³ów, tym wiêcej g³upich pomys³ów

Hi

Jan Alboszta wrote:
>
> I want to setup desktop for Pentium I (233MMX) with 96MB of ram. I would
> prefer -current, but found it slow. I'm used to pentium 4, so my feelings
> might be not accurate. Would installing some older slackware help? It

At a first glance, one tends to go back to older versions.
But if your box is going to be a desktop, you will be endlessly
experimenting with libraries to get various generations of
software running.

My advice: go for currenct (9.1 kernel 2.4) and avoid KDE/Gnome.
There are cool alternatives like fluxbox, blackbox, icewm, xfce
or even fvwm.

> would put me into some troubles which first would be security bugfixes,
> (for 8.1 they are maintained, aren't they?). Then I would like to have
> there mozilla firebird and open office. So some libs might be needed more
> current. Beside, probably some newer versions are not always slower.

See the note above.

> How is XFree 3.3.6 compared to 4.x on older machines? While video is

Don't have an accurate comparison, but switched over to X 4 long ago.

> supported is for usage/speed better to use newest? Does kernek 2.6 would
> fit better than 2.4, or maybe better to use 2.2? How does it affect usage

Even now (Slack 9.1) you can switch to kernel 2.6. Don't expect
magic though

IMHO P233 with 96MB should be OK for a desktop along the lines
mentiones above.

Visvanath.

On 2004-05-13, Jan Alboszta <janek@usunto.gwozdzie.dhs.org> wrote:

> Not so stone age. You would pay a fortune for it, ten years ago!

I pretty much did ...$1800 out the door while it was still bleeding edge.
On the upside, the Sony 17" monitor still works as good as the day I bought
it.

> I got it with soundblaster awe 32(this 32 is probably for length, 32cm)

No, 32bit technology. Still a good card.

> I already thought about xfce, but it still needs countable seconds to
> start firefox....

I think that's because firefox still uses that gecko engine thingie (does
it?). I notice non-gecko web browsers (galeon, Konqueor, etc) boot almost
instantly. I cut Mozilla's boot time from 18 secs to about 8 secs by
disabling KDE's aRts sound server autoboot.

nb

Jan Alboszta wrote:
[slack on PI/96MB]
> Not so stone age. You would pay a fortune for it, ten years ago!
> I got it with soundblaster awe 32(this 32 is probably for length, 32cm)
> I already thought about xfce, but it still needs countable seconds to
> start firefox or open office

yes, but that has little to do with the wm. i mean, it helps a little, but
firefox and OOo are memory hogs themselves, so no matter what wm you use,
they will always start up and run slow on a box like that. on my box, top
shows an RSS of 85M for firefox-bin and 35M for soffice when it's just
started, and 95M with a 118-page document loaded. hardly a problem with the
640MB RAM i have, but on your box, it'll be slow going.

--
Joost Kremers joostkremers@yahoo.com
Selbst in die Unterwelt dringt durch Spalten Licht
EN:SiS(9)

>> You can run 9.1 on it, but you'll need to run minimum desktops like
>> fluxbox or xfce, etc.

I have a 100 mhz with 64 meg ram that runs Vector 4.0. It's based on Slack
9.x. Runs ok with IceWM.

The lightest window manager is GNU Screen. :-)

Michael

SchroedingerzKat wrote:
> The lightest window manager is GNU Screen. :-)

and if you insist on running X apps (but no *real* man does... ;-) there's
always ratpoison. no, i don't mean rat poison, i mean ratpoison:
<http://ratpoison.sourceforge.net/>.

--
Joost Kremers joostkremers@yahoo.com
Selbst in die Unterwelt dringt durch Spalten Licht
EN:SiS(9)

> I think that's because firefox still uses that gecko engine thingie (does
> it?). I notice non-gecko web browsers (galeon, Konqueor, etc) boot almost
> instantly. I cut Mozilla's boot time from 18 secs to about 8 secs by
> disabling KDE's aRts sound server autoboot.
>
I'm pretty sure Galeon is also gecko based.

> I want to setup desktop for Pentium I (233MMX) with 96MB of ram. I would
> prefer -current, but found it slow. I'm used to pentium 4, so my feelings
> might be not accurate. Would installing some older slackware help? It
> would put me into some troubles which first would be security bugfixes,
> (for 8.1 they are maintained, aren't they?). Then I would like to have
> there mozilla firebird and open office. So some libs might be needed more
> current. Beside, probably some newer versions are not always slower.
> So I'm looking for opinion, what to install for such desktop, what would
> fit best. I could try it by hand, but it will help me to hear some wise
> guys opinions of usage of older versions before downloading and
> installing them.
> How is XFree 3.3.6 compared to 4.x on older machines? While video is
> supported is for usage/speed better to use newest? Does kernek 2.6 would
> fit better than 2.4, or maybe better to use 2.2? How does it affect usage
> spped?
> Thanks for comments and suggestions.

With that kind of spec you really want to avoid OOo at all costs, and
Mozilla as well if possible. You might be able to manage KOffice, but
you're probably better off with AbiWord and Gnumeric. Use Epiphany for web
browsing, and a lightweight WM is also a good idea. IMO it's not worth
trying to use old versions, OOo will drag that system down even if you had
a bootable version.