Lightweight Linux distribution

Lightweight Linux distribution

Lubuntu is described by its developers as lightweight in comparison to Ubuntu

A lightweight Linux distribution is a Linux distribution that uses relatively few resources, which may result in performance improvements especially on old computers with slower CPUs and less RAM.

One big factor that determines the resource usage and speed of a desktop distribution is the window manager it uses.^[1][2] For example, version 10.10 of Lubuntu uses the LXDE window manager and requires a minimum of 128 MB of RAM and a Pentium II processor; it is a lightweight variant of Ubuntu that, in comparison, uses Unity as a window manager and requires a 1 GHz processor and 1 GB of RAM.^[3][4][5] The window manager can be changed in most Linux distributions, and the same Linux distribution may also have various versions with different window managers; examples are Porteus, which comes in LXDE, Xfce and Mate versions, and Zenwalk, which comes in Xfce and Openbox versions.

Distributions described as lightweight

• Alpine Linux – a security-oriented, lightweight Linux distribution (307 MB) based on musl and BusyBox.^[6] Mini download is 66 MB; base system (excluding kernel) is under 5 MB. Media download is 308 MB for version 3.1.3.
• Absolute Linux – a lightweight desktop-oriented distribution based on Slackware
• antiX – lightweight version (690 MB) of its parent distribution MEPIS Linux, based on Debian testing. Core install: 128 MB, Base approx. 300 MB. Package manager: Synaptic^[7]
• ArchBang – inspired by CrunchBang Linux but based on the Arch Linux distribution instead of Debian. It uses the lightweight Openbox Window Manager to achieve the same look and feel.^[8][9]
• BasicLinux – a very lightweight distribution (2.8 MB apparently) capable of running on an Intel 386 and 3 MB of RAM^[10][11]
• Bodhi Linux – a lightweight and minimalistic distribution^[12]
• CoreOS – a lightweight system (2×1 GB) than runs containers and provides cluster management capabilities
• Chrome OS
• CrunchBang Linux – No longer in development; succeeded by BunsenLabs.^[13] A relatively large (771 MB) Debian based distribution designed primarily for speed and ease of use.^[14][15]
• Damn Small Linux – download: 50 MB. Additional software available as "DSL Extensions" and using the Debian APT tool, which has to be installed. "Light enough to power a 486DX with 16 MB of RAM"^[16][17]
• Elive – a lightweight and complete distribution that can run in 64 MB of RAM and 100 MHz of CPU, based on Debian and using a customized Enlightenment as only Desktop environment
• Feather Linux – a lightweight Linux distribution (under 128 MB) derived from Knoppix. Now dormant.^[18][19]
• LinuxBBQ – a very lightweight (291.5 MB) and resource-friendly distribution based on Debian Sid with TUI productivity applications.^[20]
• Lightweight Portable Security – a lightweight live desktop-oriented distribution based on Arch Linux
• Linux Lite – A lightweight distribution designed with new Linux users in mind
• Lubuntu – lightweight (705 MB) in comparison to Ubuntu, it uses the LXDE desktop.^[3]
• LXLE – a full featured OS (apps preinstalled) for older hardware, using minimal resources, respun from Lubuntu. Media download, approx 1.3G.
• Nanolinux – a 14 MB distribution based on Tiny Core Linux.^[21]
• Peppermint Linux OS – download: 587 MB, based on Lubuntu^[22]
• Porteus – it weighs in at under 300 MB, making it a lightweight contender^[23] Comes with the LXDE and KDE desktops
• Puppy Linux – lightweight relative to most other Linux distributions^[24] Download: 133−162 MB. Package Manager: Puppy Package Manager (PPM)
• SliTaz – 35−42 MB distribution; Package Manager is Tazpkg with its repository of packages^[16]
• Tiny Core Linux – (9, 15 or 72 MB) distribution; Software repository: TCZ packages^[25]
• Trisquel Mini – lightweight version (603 MB) of Trisquel with LXDE^[26]
• Xubuntu – lightweight (980 MB) in comparison to Ubuntu. It uses the XFCE desktop.
• Zenwalk – a lightweight linux distribution (845 MB) based on Slackware

Comparison of lightweight Linux distributions

Distribution	Founder	Maintainer	Initial release year	Latest release year	Approximate file size	X window manager	Fork	Target audience
Absolute Linux	Absolute Linux Team	Absolute Linux Team	2007	2015	698 MB[27]	iceWM	-	desktop
antiX	Anticapitalista	Anticapitalista	2007	2016	555 MB (Base), 654 MB (Full)	Fluxbox	MEPIS < Debian	old computers, portability (with persistence[28])
ArchBang	Willensky Aristide	Stan McLaren	2010	2016	564 MB	OpenBox	Arch Linux	desktop, advanced
Arch Linux	-	-	2002	2016	709 MB	-	Linux	Desktop, Advanced
Bodhi Linux	Bodhi Linux Team	Bodhi Linux Team	2011	2016	575 MB (Standard), 1024 MB (AppPack)	Enlightenment	Ubuntu < Debian	Desktop
BunsenLabs Linux	Core Maintainers	Core Maintainers	2015	2016	825 MB	OpenBox	CrunchBang < Debian	Desktop
CrunchBangPlusPlus[29]	Ben Young	Ben Young	2015	2015	686 MB	OpenBox	CrunchBang < Debian	Desktop
CRUX	Per Lidén	Core maintainers	2002	2015	1773 MB	OpenBox	-	BSD/experienced users, Lightweight
Elive	Thanatermesis	Thanatermesis	2005	2010	700 MB	Enlightenment	Debian	Desktop
Knoppix				2012 (CD)	701 MB			Live
Lightweight Portable Security	United States Department of Defense	United States Department of Defense	2011	2016	390 MB	iceWM	ArchLinux	secure live operating system
LinuxBBQ	Julius Hader	BBQ team	2013	2016	285 MB	several (>75)	Debian, Slackware	bloat-free, advanced
Lubuntu	Lubuntu team	Lubuntu team	2009	2016	744 MB	LXDE, Openbox	Ubuntu	lightweight desktop
LXLE	Ronnie	LXLE team	2012	2015	1300 MB	LXDE	Ubuntu LTS	older computers, intermediate users
MX Linux[30]	anticapitalista	MEPIS Community	-	2016	1024 MB	Xfce 4	antiX < MEPIS < Debian	Midweight Desktop
Nanolinux	Georg Potthast	Georg Potthast	-	2015	19 MB	SLWM on Nano-X	MicroCore Linux with BusyBox	Lightweight, Runs on RAM, advanced
Parabola	-	-	2010	2015	531 MB	needs to be installed	Arch Linux	Build Live or Desktop, advanced
PCLinuxOS	Bill Reynolds	Bill Reynolds	2003	2015	833 MB (LXDE)[31]	KDE, LXDE, MATE	Mandrake	-
Porteus	Fanthom	Porteus	2010	2014	260 MB (LxQt)	(multiple)	Slackware	lightweight, portable (with persistence[28])
Puppy Linux	Barry Kauler	Puppy Foundation	2003	2015	234 MB (Slacko)[32]	JWM-2.3.2	-	portable, lightweight
Salix OS	Tomas Matejicek	Tomas Matejicek	2002	2013	613 MB (Fluxbox) / 852 MB (MATE live)[33]	MATE, KDE, Xfce, Fluxbox, Openbox	Slackware	desktop
Slax	Tomas Matejicek	Tomas Matejicek	2002	2013	226 MB[34]	KDE	Slackware	portable
SliTaz GNU/Linux	Christophe Lincoln	dev team	2008	2012	35 MB	Openbox	-	portable, no persistence by default[35]
Tiny Core Linux	Robert Shingledecker	Team Tiny Core	2009	2016	16 MB	FLTK/FLWM	Tiny Core Linux	portable, advanced
Trisquel Mini	Rubén Rodríguez Pérez (quidam)	Rubén Rodríguez Pérez (quidam)	2005	2014	609 MB	LXDE	Ubuntu LTS	Free software: desktop
VectorLinux Light	-	-	-	2016	618 MB	IceWM	-	Desktop
Xubuntu	Xubuntu team	Xubuntu team	2008	2016	960 MB	Xfce	Ubuntu	lightweight desktop
Zenwalk	Jean-Philippe Guillemin	dev team	2004	2015	974 MB	Xfce	Slackware	desktop
ZorinOS[36]	-	-	2004	2015	1024 MB (lite)[37]	-	Ubuntu	full-featured desktop
Distribution	Founder	Maintainer	Initial release year	Latest release year	Approx file size	X window manager	Fork	Target audience

See also

• Comparison of Linux distributions
• Comparison of lightweight web browsers
• List of Linux distributions that run from RAM
• List of live CDs
• Open-source computer hardware

References

1. Larabel, Michael. "Phoronix: Power & Memory Usage Of GNOME, KDE, LXDE & Xfce". Phoronix. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
2. "Features - Porteus - Portable Linux".
3. Lubuntu Developers (December 2010). "Lubuntu". Retrieved 14 December 2010.
4. Behling, Mario (October 2010). "lubuntu 10.10 released". Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
5. Canonical Ltd (October 2010). "Recommended Minimum System Requirements". Retrieved 14 December 2010.
6. "Alpine Linux Wiki". Retrieved 2012-11-07.
7. "Main Page – antiX". Antix.mepis.org. Retrieved 2012-05-28.
8. Rob Zwetsloot. "ArchBang Linux 2012.12 Review – Lightweight Arch". LinuxUser. Retrieved 2012-12-21.
9. Justin Pot. "ArchBang Is Lightweight & Always Up To Date". MakeUseOf. Retrieved 2011-10-06.
10. Keesan, Sindhi (October 2009). "BL on CF IDE drive". Retrieved 16 January 2011.
11. BasicLinux (n.d.). "BasicLinux". Retrieved 16 January 2011.
12. Nitesh. "Bodhi Linux is a Lightweight Linux Distribution". Ubuntu Vibes. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
13. "FOSS Hits & Misses on a Monday Morning". Linux Today. Retrieved 2015-10-25.
14. Justin Pot. "CrunchBang: A Lightweight OS Perfect For Old And New Computers Alike". MakeUseOf. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
15. Jim Lynch. "CrunchBang 11 Waldorf". Desktop Linux Reviews. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
16. Moparx (April 2008). "SliTaz: A light-weight GNU/Linux distribution". Linux Infusion. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
17. Damn Small Linux (n.d.). "What is DSL?". Retrieved 11 December 2010.
18. "Feather Linux - Docs". Featherlinux.berlios.de. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
19. "Linux.com :: Feather Linux: Light is right". Archive09.linux.com. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
20. Julius Hader. "BBQ Philosophy". Retrieved 2015-01-12.
21. "Softpedia". Retrieved 25 January 2014.
22. "Peppermint". peppermintos.com. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
23. Porteus (14 November 2010). "Why choose Porteus ? - IT IS PORTABLE". Retrieved 30 April 2011.
24. Hell-Noire, Paul (July 2010). "Puppy Linux 5.0 Review - Lightweight, Fun, Fast!". Raymond. Archived from the original on July 11, 2010. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
25. Lynch, Jim (July 2009). "Tiny Core Linux 2.1". Desktop Linux Reviews. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
26. "Trisquel 5.0 Release announcement". The Trisquel Project. September 17, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
27. "absolute linux home page".
28. "What is Persistent Linux".
29. "#!++ - Crunchbangplusplus".
30. "MX Linux".
31. "Index of /communityiso/LXDE".
32. "Index of /puppylinux/puppy-slacko-6.3.0/64/".
33. "Salix Downloads".
34. Tomas M. "Download - Slax Linux".
35. persistence can be added rather easily though
36. "Zorin OS - Home".
37. "Zorin OS - Download".