What mode for low memory laptop

[Ledo]

http://www.tinycorelinux.com/concepts.html

What mode suits low memory and low CPU power the best? What would be the best approach to deal with it.

HDD install + swap? Any suggestion appreciated.

It's not soo much TC. It works well. But a few extensions and the "problems" are here. Resurces are low and operation quickly beacomes slow. So how to fight with this fact most effectively?

[Juanito]

I would suggest to use tcz extensions and gtk1 apps like beaver,emelfm, rather than gtk2 apps like leafpad, emelfm2

[nickispeaki]

what is your pc configuration?
ram, cpu?

[nickispeaki]

HDD install + swap? Any suggestion appreciated.

i use hddinstallation mode. i use my ext2-partition sda6 (20gb) from linux6 (i use both on one sda6). For TCL, i think more than enough 1 gb. I use about of 500mb, because i downloaded all tces! ;-) For easy work i think you are enough 100mb - base+libs+codecs+texteditor+browser+smthings.
what is your hdd?

swap 2gb. My notebook is Acer Aspire 5710zg Pentium dual Core 1.7GHz, 1GB, 160GB, ati 2300, dvd-w. I like speed. With xp, vista, mac (i use macosX 10.3-5.5 on my acer!) and even usual Gnome-KDE-Linux is cann't to get speed from note! May it can be possible with Tiny?

But a few extensions and the "problems" are here. Resurces are low and operation quickly beacomes slow. So how to fight with this fact most effectively?

what kind of problems?
more exactly, please!

[alu]

What mode suits low memory and low CPU power the best? What would be the best approach to deal with it.

it's probably a question of compromise. My way would be (say with 128mb ram or less, and 300mgz cpu or less):

0. make a swap partition or a swapfile (depending on your support) twice bigger than your ram (for example: if 32MB ram, then a swap of 64MB);

1. boot tinycore "naked", without loading anything at boot (so: tinycore norestore);

2. follow Juanito's advice:

I would suggest to use tcz extensions and gtk1 apps

; remember that some applications won't work well with too low hardware specifications (ex.: openoffice sucks with 128 MB ram, even with swap partition and a 500 mgz cpu);

3. backup: i think that you have two possibilities, but i have to test the second one (3.b hereafter) in order to be sure:

3.a) don't put everything into your backup, just keep it minimalistic in order for the computer to be able to restore it; with low ram and cpu specification, and depending on the media you use in order to boot, you can get out of memory while restoring your backup (my own experience with a 128ram, 300cpu machine);

3.b) OR: I believe I have seen on this forum in the past that you can make a tcz extension out of your backup by renaming the "mydata.gz" file "mydata.tcz"; this would enable you to boot your computer with the norestore option, and to restore your options afterwards by loading your "mydata.tcz" file with appbrowser; BUT TRY IT AT YOUR OWN RISK and make a copy of your backup just in case things won't behave as expected; and remember, I have not tested this solution, I am just speculating now remembering one post on this forum saying that you can convert your mydata.gz into a tcz file.

anyway, good luck

[alu]

3.b) OR: I believe I have seen on this forum in the past that you can make a tcz extension out of your backup by renaming the "mydata.gz" file "mydata.tcz"; this would enable you to boot your computer with the norestore option, and to restore your options afterwards by loading your "mydata.tcz" file with appbrowser; BUT TRY IT AT YOUR OWN RISK and make a copy of your backup just in case things won't behave as expected; and remember, I have not tested this solution, I am just speculating now remembering one post on this forum saying that you can convert your mydata.gz into a tcz file.

actually, i have found the post, it's here:

http://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php?topic=600.0

it's not mydata.tcz, but mydata.tce extension

[Ledo]

200mhz 64MB ram. It's on 1GB CF card. And i have usb so external HDD or larger USB key could be used for download for example in the future.

Yes Open Office didn't work. Basically i tought i would use it only for web browser and msn and download Like 24/7 online. Low power no sound.

I have desktop PC with everything else but it's a shame working 10 hours a day for example just so i can download or talk on msn.

But it starts to work slow with Opera. And that is without flash support. So i was thinking what would be the best approach to fight that. Dillo2 works fine but it's not the same. 

In the and it can be just download machine and msn. But it wouldn't hurt if i would get opera to work nicely. 

If i don't have swap Opera doesn't evan load right. Probbably consumes too much memory and shouts down. With swap it works but slow.

I think laptop is just capable to manage download so probbably in the end i wont be able to browse the net nicely. But still it doesn't hurt to ask and try. For hoby if nothing else.

I was trying with puppy linux and DSL in the past. It's old junk this harsware i know but still is nice work with linux distros and trying different things.

But i am aware that i should buy platform with atom cpu or via motherboard and go with the flow. But for now i have just this old machine.

[Juanito]

You could try this http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/tinycorelinux/tce/elinks.tce.info

[Ledo]

I will try tonight everything you suggested. Yust a question abaut swap.

If i do this:

200MB partition on hda2 with cfdisk and then do this:

mkswap /dev/hda2
swapon /dev/hda2

Must i do enything else with TC to use it?

http://www.tinycorelinux.com/concepts.html

So then if i do hdd install i should use TCE extensions? What concept is tehe best:

PPR/TCE
PPR/TCZ
PPI/TCE

What abaut Persistent Home. Should i use it?

Thanks for all replies and tonight i will try everything you suggested.

[alu]

200mhz 64MB ram. It's on 1GB CF card. And i have usb so external HDD or larger USB key could be used for download for example in the future.

i have tested my solution with the "mydata.tce" file which could work for you even with these hardware specifications:

0. you have to boot tc ones and to specify most of things the first time in order to have the look&feel that suits your needs (wallpaper, options of apps, filetool.lst and bootlocal.sh);
1. download (preferably tcz) your apps, choose gtk-1 and cli apps if available; you will install them once you will use them (not at boot, but from the appbrowser);
2. backup your system on an external device and reboot; you will have a "mydata.tgz" file on your external device;
3. at the reboot, enter: tinycore norestore <--- as well as other parameters if you need them depending on your computer (f.ex. waitusb or swapfile; in the bootline, enter: tinycore swapfile waitusb=10 for example);
4. once in tc, rename your "mydata.tgz" file into "mydata.tce", and load mydata.tce with appbrowser; in order to see the changes, do: ctrl+alt+backspace, and once in the console, enter: startx at the prompt; you should face your customized system; after that, you can install your apps.

* advantage of this solution: you don't need to restore your backup file at boot which allow low-ram machine to boot without too much trouble (even with some extensions loading, such as fonts, mc, beaver and so on);

* disadvantages: if you change your preferences (say, if you want another wallpaper, or if you use sylpheed mail in order to get your emails), you have to backup your system at shutdown, and to rename your "mydata.tgz" into "mydata.tce" once you reboot your system. Anyway, like a lot of low specs machines, these are usually use for specific tasks (such, as you said, browsing the web, chatting, emailing etc.) so that normally, you won't change your customization much, and then this solution can work well for you.

[Ledo]

Just one more question. Is there possibility of HD install where TC would not be compressed?

[Ledo]

Download server + msn client. This will be it. 

For browsing with modern browsers + flash there just isn't enougt power and resurces. So i am happy to have that. Its faster then DSL and Puppy because its smaller. And doesn't have thing in it already. This is good.

And sometimes i write some text and i can do that to.

In the future i will buy low power net-top and then i will have everything Internet, multimedia, msn, download server... and with super speed at boot time and fast operations this and other small linux distro bring.

But for now i don't want to 300 hundred euros so i use this old laptop for msn client and download server and desktop PC for more power consuming browsing the net and other stuff.

Thanks for all replies i learned a lot.

[Ledo]

It works preaty good with Dillo2 i must say. OK it's not with flash and other candy but with text and images it's fast.

Is there any package other than Open Office that is low on resurces and you can make a document with tekst and pictures in it?

[alu]

you can try SIAG office, however i don't really know how it works; joe seems to also be an alternative, but here too, i don't know how it works. i have posted a suggestion for someone better than us who would make us an extension for abiword, let's see.