best for laptops ?????

nadisha · 08-04-2008, 09:13 PM

I've had enough with win XP and now thinking of going for linux.
What would be the best linux operating system having a good deal of features, for a laptop..?? That would support the following and has to be user friendly.
Laptop Samsung SENS830 - P3 850MHz, 128Mb Ram, 20G HDD, AC97 Audio, VGA - AGP x 2, hardware 3D acceleration, VRAM - 8MB SDRAM

Would value your kind advices.

nadisha · 08-06-2008, 10:08 PM

now the processor is 550MHz, please give your ideas..........

tirk · 08-07-2008, 06:41 AM

Hi nadisha,

If I was you I would probably try Ubuntu, its by far the easiest to set up.. And is plug and play like windows.. I have tried a few, but, Ubuntu is the easiest by far.

What sort of connection have you got to the internet?

Sometimes, if your wireless, it takes a little configuration to get that going..

tirk :)

**af3** · 08-07-2008, 06:56 AM

How is Ubuntu the easiest?! When I boot it on my laptop, it goes to 640x480 resolution and won't go any higher and I can't even get on the internet to install drivers for it. Its total junk. EVEN KNOPPIX starts out at my native resolution of 1440x900!

I would try anything but Ubuntu.

tirk · 08-07-2008, 07:28 AM

Hi mate,

Well everyones experience is a bit different, depending on your hardware usually. Your problem sounds like a fairly simple one to solve, wha sort of graphics card do you have? What version of Ubuntu did you use..?

What sort of connection to the internet do you have?

If its wireless, your better plugging your ethernet in while you install it, so the system can download all the necessary updates..

tirk

**af3** · 08-07-2008, 07:39 AM

My point was that the things Ubuntu needed me to tweak, other distros would do on their own. The devices I have tried on Ubuntu 7 included
ATI Radeon x1600 PRO
ATI Rage Pro (Notebook)
ATI Radeon Xpress 200

All with difficulty.

When it came to internet connectivity, on some of the systems the NIC was not detected and on others, the NIC worked, but the resolution was at 640x480 and I could not work the package manager. It seems that every time I have tried Ubuntu, it has either failed to cooperate with a piece of hardware, or has lacked a feature found in distros.

The support over at their site is unbeatable, and I have to admit that their hardware support has gone a long way, but I fear it is giving Linux a bad name somehow. Maybe I should give it a fifth try and see how it works on my more recent computers.

tirk · 08-07-2008, 08:02 AM

I have found myself that some distros offer better support than others, but, again it depends on your hardware i guess?

I tried a lot of distros and each one came with its own "special" problem(s). I cant say any worked straight out the box. Graphics card, sound card, wireless nic... and so on.

But ubuntu 7.10 & 8.04, for me. worked well, I even got my girlfriends toshiba laptop's usb realtek 8187b wireless nic working.. Which to date I have never got working on any other distro, mint, opensuse, debian? Very frustrating indeed.

I have to admit I have never had a distro in the last 6-7 years where the nic failed to connect, almost always automatically. So to hear you had that problem suprises me a lot.

As far as the resolution goes, I found that after downloading the updates via using the nic, that the resolution problems were solved, along with a few others like sound card etc..

What are you using atm? Still OS: Windows XP SP3?

**af3** · 08-07-2008, 08:12 AM

Yes, XPSP3, but stripped using nLite. I can't wait for ReactOS. Windows 2000 is great, but does not support my hard drive.

Is there such a Linux that is lite, but rock solid? Knoppix would be great if it were not crammed full of programs I'll never use. It's also kind of sloppy and a bit outdated and I like Gnome more than KDE but the GUI is not too important. I really like Wine-Doors though, and it's my understanding that it is only available to Gnome users.

I prefer Live CDs for testing, but would be willing to test an outstanding distro in a virtual machine before implementing it.

tirk · 08-07-2008, 09:28 AM

I still dual boot with windows xp, though I rarely use it.. You say about the distros crammed full of programs, to start with I think thats a good thing, if you don't think you will need them, then uninstall them? at least you can get a look at what you might need, then discard the rest.. Better than having to search for a program you need :)

You say a lite Linux? Do you mean stripped back and "light"? I cant say I know much about this "nlite" or "ReactOS" though I have read a little about both, and it looks like in simple terms, its about customising windows in nlites case at least...

Gnome, KDE come with their own set of programs, but you could not really label them as "lightweight" as window managers go, they are heavy and heavier :P

Xfce is a fairly lightweight window manager compared to Gnome and KDE and is availble in, I think, "all" distros.

Slackware was a long time favourite of mine, its secure, but, not as easy to configure as others I have tried. Are you unable to strip Knoppix of the programs installed? Its one distro I have never tried, is there not some sort of package manager?

**wmorri** · 08-07-2008, 05:50 PM

Can we please get back to the question at hand? Nadisha, has asked a question about what is the best linux for his system. I would recommend that that you look at Xubuntu, and Damn Small Linux.

Cheers!

nadisha · 08-11-2008, 03:47 AM

thanx for the advices........
I diwnloaded most of these and tried one by one. I found
1. PCLinuxOS
2. Tiny me
3. DSL
suites my requrements most. some of the others were too taxing for my old system.........

Linux..........!!!!!!!!

**Bartender** · 08-13-2008, 07:40 AM

The OP's biggest problem is insufficient RAM. Next is that slow CPU. Ubuntu would not be a good choice. Xubuntu maybe, or UbuntuLite.
At any rate, you would have to install using the alternate install CD, not the LiveCD.

08-04-2008, 09:13 PM	#1 (permalink)
nadisha Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 11 OS: XP	best for laptops ????? I've had enough with win XP and now thinking of going for linux. What would be the best linux operating system having a good deal of features, for a laptop..?? That would support the following and has to be user friendly. Laptop Samsung SENS830 - P3 850MHz, 128Mb Ram, 20G HDD, AC97 Audio, VGA - AGP x 2, hardware 3D acceleration, VRAM - 8MB SDRAM Would value your kind advices.

08-06-2008, 10:08 PM	#2 (permalink)
nadisha Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 11 OS: XP	Re: best for laptops ????? now the processor is 550MHz, please give your ideas..........

08-07-2008, 06:41 AM	#3 (permalink)
tirk Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 4 OS: Mint Linux (Elyssa)	Re: best for laptops ????? Hi nadisha, If I was you I would probably try Ubuntu, its by far the easiest to set up.. And is plug and play like windows.. I have tried a few, but, Ubuntu is the easiest by far. What sort of connection have you got to the internet? Sometimes, if your wireless, it takes a little configuration to get that going.. tirk :)

08-07-2008, 06:56 AM	#4 (permalink)
af3 TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,179 OS: XP SP3 & PCLinuxOS Gnome My System	Re: best for laptops ????? How is Ubuntu the easiest?! When I boot it on my laptop, it goes to 640x480 resolution and won't go any higher and I can't even get on the internet to install drivers for it. Its total junk. EVEN KNOPPIX starts out at my native resolution of 1440x900! I would try anything but Ubuntu.

08-07-2008, 07:28 AM	#5 (permalink)
tirk Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 4 OS: Mint Linux (Elyssa)	Re: best for laptops ????? Hi mate, Well everyones experience is a bit different, depending on your hardware usually. Your problem sounds like a fairly simple one to solve, wha sort of graphics card do you have? What version of Ubuntu did you use..? What sort of connection to the internet do you have? If its wireless, your better plugging your ethernet in while you install it, so the system can download all the necessary updates.. tirk

08-07-2008, 07:39 AM	#6 (permalink)
af3 TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,179 OS: XP SP3 & PCLinuxOS Gnome My System	Re: best for laptops ????? My point was that the things Ubuntu needed me to tweak, other distros would do on their own. The devices I have tried on Ubuntu 7 included ATI Radeon x1600 PRO ATI Rage Pro (Notebook) ATI Radeon Xpress 200 All with difficulty. When it came to internet connectivity, on some of the systems the NIC was not detected and on others, the NIC worked, but the resolution was at 640x480 and I could not work the package manager. It seems that every time I have tried Ubuntu, it has either failed to cooperate with a piece of hardware, or has lacked a feature found in distros. The support over at their site is unbeatable, and I have to admit that their hardware support has gone a long way, but I fear it is giving Linux a bad name somehow. Maybe I should give it a fifth try and see how it works on my more recent computers.

08-07-2008, 08:02 AM	#7 (permalink)
tirk Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 4 OS: Mint Linux (Elyssa)	Re: best for laptops ????? I have found myself that some distros offer better support than others, but, again it depends on your hardware i guess? I tried a lot of distros and each one came with its own "special" problem(s). I cant say any worked straight out the box. Graphics card, sound card, wireless nic... and so on. But ubuntu 7.10 & 8.04, for me. worked well, I even got my girlfriends toshiba laptop's usb realtek 8187b wireless nic working.. Which to date I have never got working on any other distro, mint, opensuse, debian? Very frustrating indeed. I have to admit I have never had a distro in the last 6-7 years where the nic failed to connect, almost always automatically. So to hear you had that problem suprises me a lot. As far as the resolution goes, I found that after downloading the updates via using the nic, that the resolution problems were solved, along with a few others like sound card etc.. What are you using atm? Still OS: Windows XP SP3?

08-07-2008, 08:12 AM	#8 (permalink)
af3 TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,179 OS: XP SP3 & PCLinuxOS Gnome My System	Re: best for laptops ????? Yes, XPSP3, but stripped using nLite. I can't wait for ReactOS. Windows 2000 is great, but does not support my hard drive. Is there such a Linux that is lite, but rock solid? Knoppix would be great if it were not crammed full of programs I'll never use. It's also kind of sloppy and a bit outdated and I like Gnome more than KDE but the GUI is not too important. I really like Wine-Doors though, and it's my understanding that it is only available to Gnome users. I prefer Live CDs for testing, but would be willing to test an outstanding distro in a virtual machine before implementing it. Last edited by af3; 08-07-2008 at 08:13 AM. Reason: Spelling

08-07-2008, 09:28 AM	#9 (permalink)
tirk Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 4 OS: Mint Linux (Elyssa)	Re: best for laptops ????? I still dual boot with windows xp, though I rarely use it.. You say about the distros crammed full of programs, to start with I think thats a good thing, if you don't think you will need them, then uninstall them? at least you can get a look at what you might need, then discard the rest.. Better than having to search for a program you need :) You say a lite Linux? Do you mean stripped back and "light"? I cant say I know much about this "nlite" or "ReactOS" though I have read a little about both, and it looks like in simple terms, its about customising windows in nlites case at least... Gnome, KDE come with their own set of programs, but you could not really label them as "lightweight" as window managers go, they are heavy and heavier :P Xfce is a fairly lightweight window manager compared to Gnome and KDE and is availble in, I think, "all" distros. Slackware was a long time favourite of mine, its secure, but, not as easy to configure as others I have tried. Are you unable to strip Knoppix of the programs installed? Its one distro I have never tried, is there not some sort of package manager?

08-07-2008, 05:50 PM	#10 (permalink)
wmorri Moderator/Fedora Amb. Join Date: May 2008 Location: /pm/etc Posts: 2,839 OS: Window 7/Fedora 10 My System	Re: best for laptops ????? Can we please get back to the question at hand? Nadisha, has asked a question about what is the best linux for his system. I would recommend that that you look at Xubuntu, and Damn Small Linux. Cheers! __________________ Linux Forever!

08-11-2008, 03:47 AM	#11 (permalink)
nadisha Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 11 OS: XP	Re: best for laptops ????? thanx for the advices........ I diwnloaded most of these and tried one by one. I found 1. PCLinuxOS 2. Tiny me 3. DSL suites my requrements most. some of the others were too taxing for my old system......... Linux..........!!!!!!!!

08-13-2008, 07:40 AM	#12 (permalink)
Bartender Mentally divergent Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Chehalis, WA, USA Posts: 1,285 OS: W2K, Ubuntu 8.04	Re: best for laptops ????? The OP's biggest problem is insufficient RAM. Next is that slow CPU. Ubuntu would not be a good choice. Xubuntu maybe, or UbuntuLite. At any rate, you would have to install using the alternate install CD, not the LiveCD.