Tuning for very little RAM

[Warren Block]

On Wed, 6 Jan 2010, Charlie Kester wrote:
>
> Assuming you have to use X, you'll want to avoid heavyweight desktop
> environments like KDE or Gnome.  I like tiled window managers like musca
> or dwm myself, but your skeptics will probably want a more traditional
> window manager (aka MS-Windows clone) like xfce or openbox.

Hey, xfce is not like Windows, it's fast.  If you want really light and 
Windows-like, icewm.  Although last time I tried it, desktop icons--the 
lifeblood of the typical Windows user--required external programs 
(idesk) and were a hassle.

> When you say "internet (with plugins)" I think you mean Firefox.  If
> this isn't a hard and fast requirement, take a look at some of the more
> lightweight browsers like Midori, Kazehakase or Arora.  (I'd recommend
> even more lightweight alternatives like surf or elinks, but I don't
> think your skeptics will approve.)

AdblockPlus and FlashBlock are near requirements for browsing, 
particularly for slow machines.  Maybe they'll work with non-Firefox 
gecko browsers.

> Same for OpenOffice.  There are alternatives to each of the apps in the
> OpenOffice suite that might not have all the same bells and whistles,
> but will run in much less RAM.

gnumeric is nice for a spreadsheet.  May not be particularly 
lightweight, but lighter than OO.

-Warren Block * Rapid City, South Dakota USA