• Suggest a Linux combo for me please?
    18 replies, posted
I'm a Windurrz user, I have experience in installing distros such as arch though, but I just installed it and tried a few things and left it at that. I also tried Ubuntu and thought that it was way too much stuff I didn't need. I have received an old laptop [it can run hl1 and 1.6] from my stepdad and I want to put a good distro / wm / etc combo on it to suit my needs. I want to be able to write up my work and browse the internet. I was thinking about using arch with fluxbox, as I use bbLean on windows anyway. I don't understand the difference between desktop environments and window managers though, what do I have to do? Also suggest a better combo if you feel that there is one, also software/package choices if you must!
I use Arch+GNOME, but it can weigh on an old system such as yours. I'd say Arch and openbox. Run compiz if you can and if it doesn't lag too much. Man I love compiz Edit: oh compiz doesn't work properly on openbox they say. That sucks.
[QUOTE=FPtje;25483676]I use Arch+GNOME, but it can weigh on an old system such as yours. I'd say Arch and openbox. Run compiz if you can and if it doesn't lag too much. Man I love compiz Edit: oh compiz doesn't work properly on openbox they say. That sucks.[/QUOTE] What is the difference between fluxbox and openbox? They look identical.
Personally, I don't like Compiz. openbox is lighter, more widely used and I think more customizable. Fluxbox also has a built in panel, which many argue doesn't look great. You will also probably want to use your own panel anyway, such as tint2.
The difference between a DE and a WM is that a DE comes with a crap ton of stuff (panel, background manager, windows manager, screenshot thingy, etc.) A WM is only going to control you windows. This includes look and feel but also includes how they behave. When you install only a WM you'll also have to install more stuff to have a full desktop (panel, background manager, screenshot thingy, etc.) You could install LXDE. It's lightweight openbox based DE. It uses openbox and a has it's own panel and background manager and theme manager. It's a much simpler way to get a openbox desktop going. There's a another thing I forgot to mention, big DEs like gnome and kde come with their own login manager (gdm and kdm) a windows manager doesn't. You'll have to install one if you only go for a WM.
Thanks, I'll probably try lxde as a de seeing as it'll be much more work to install tons of apps I know not the names of :buddy:
LXDE is an amazing DE for lower end machines. I actually use it quite a bit on my newer laptops dual booted ubuntu distro.
I suggest not using a DE and instead simply running DWM on top of x.
[QUOTE=snuwoods;25490486]I suggest not using a DE and instead simply running DWM on top of x.[/QUOTE] just run openbox on x?
I'l using Debian (netinstall) + XFCE, works flawlessly.
[QUOTE=LODY;25491390]just run openbox on x?[/QUOTE] Just run [url=http://dwm.suckless.org/]DWM[/url] on top of x. DWM is so much easier to use on a laptop that any other DE/WM combined.
Arch+openbox+xfce-goodies
[QUOTE=snuwoods;25493645]Just run [url=http://dwm.suckless.org/]DWM[/url] on top of x. DWM is so much easier to use on a laptop that any other DE/WM combined.[/QUOTE] Sorry, but tiling WMs sucks in my opinion. Is this the one where you have to recompile the whole source code to make changes to it?
[QUOTE=POWA KILLERDeux;25500386]Sorry, but tiling WMs sucks in my opinion. Is this the one where you have to recompile the whole source code to make changes to it?[/QUOTE] yep. it's still a very nice window manager if you can get used to it
Well, I don't have to screw around with window settings, and programs are a snap to open. Tiling WMs are the superior DE.
[QUOTE=POWA KILLERDeux;25500386]Sorry, but tiling WMs sucks in my opinion. Is this the one where you have to recompile the whole source code to make changes to it?[/QUOTE] tiling WMs don't suck they're a much more effective use of screen space imo.
[QUOTE=POWA KILLERDeux;25500386]Sorry, but tiling WMs sucks in my opinion. Is this the one where you have to recompile the whole source code to make changes to it?[/QUOTE] it's not as much of a pain in the ass as it sounds. sure, if you make a lot of changes rapidly i can see it being a pain. other than that, it takes less than a second to re-compile it
:psyduck:
I can't really stand LXDE. If you're going the full DE route, I'd very highly recommend XFCE4 instead. It isn't just a mishmash of random crappy software like LXDE is. All the parts were designed for XFCE and integrate well together and overall quality is much higher (Thunar is far superior to PCManFM, for example).
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