Recommendation for 2nd distro on laptop

fox · December 13, 2018, 08:32:58 AM

I would be interested in knowing what PLUGers would recommend as a second distro for my Dell laptop. It would be for occasional, not regular use. The main reason I want a second distro there is for emergency purposes - makes it easier to do repairs and other stuff to my main partition (Ubuntu 18.10), and I would use it occasionally for variety. Criteria:

small footprint (10GB or less)
not a rolling release (i.e. no frequent updates)
preferably Debian-based

Ones I am presently considering are Ubuntu 18.04 LTS and Debian stable, but I'm curious to see what others would recommend.

buster · December 13, 2018, 10:07:38 AM

Mike wrote:

"small footprint (10GB or less)
not a rolling release (i.e. no frequent updates)
preferably Debian-based"

I've used MXLinux and it's predecessors over the years, on and off, and find it enjoyable and easy. It fits the criteria listed above, and is based on Debian stable, although I believe the most used software apps are the current releases. Certainly worth a try, and you have the whole Debian universe to find needed programs.

Here are their requirements -

Minimum

A CD/DVD drive (and BIOS capable of booting from that drive), or a live USB (and BIOS capable of booting from USB)
A modern i486 Intel or AMD processor
512 MB of RAM memory
5 GB free hard drive space
A SoundBlaster, AC97 or HDA-compatible sound card
For use as a LiveUSB, 4 GB free.

Recommended

A CD/DVD drive (and BIOS capable of booting from that drive), or a live USB (and BIOS capable of booting from USB)
A modern i686 Intel or AMD processor
2 GB of RAM memory or more
At least 10 GB free hard drive space
A 3D-capable video card for 3D desktop support
For use as a LiveUSB, 8 GB free if using persistence.

Jason · December 13, 2018, 10:38:17 AM

MXLinux would be good. I'd suggest maybe one of the other Ubuntu derivatives if you want variety. How about Ubuntu MATE? Minimum is 9 GB, recommended is 16 GB. If you get the 18.04.1 LTS you won't have as many updates and you can try a different desktop.

ssfc72 · December 13, 2018, 11:44:27 AM

Lubuntu is kind of nice.

dougal · December 13, 2018, 01:46:57 PM

I've been using Q4OS mostly as a live session distro for online purchases and financial work and ffor crash recovery...it also works well for older machines with limited resources...it's claim is

'fast and powerful operating system based on the latest technologies while offering highly productive desktop environment. We focus on security, reliability, long-term stability and conservative integration of verified new features. System is distinguished by speed and very low hardware requirements, runs great on brand new machines as well as legacy computers. It is also very applicable for virtualization and cloud computing' and 'we strongly recommend to install software from reliable and Debian compatible sources only to prevent package system from being corrupted. '

fox · December 13, 2018, 01:56:59 PM

I have to say that I hadn't thought before of a Ubuntu variant! If I go that route though, I would be inclined to try Budgie rather than Mate or Lubuntu; I think it's nicer looking and it's supposed to be pretty fast and relatively lean.

As for Q4OS, I've heard of it but never considered it before. I'll have to read some reviews of it. If I chose it, I would use the Trinity desktop rather than KDE. Years ago I did try Ubuntu with KDE 3, which is what Trinity starts from - kind of like Mate branching off of Gnome 2. Trinity has an interesting old time look. Anyone other than Dougal familiar with it?

Incidentally, a testing version of Q4OS (3.4) came out a few months ago with a big jump in the default kernel (4.18 from 4.9). Has anyone tried this?

BusterE · December 13, 2018, 05:21:20 PM

Mike wrote: "I have to say that I hadn't thought before of a Ubuntu variant! "

You've been in Ubuntu, or Ubuntu varients, for eons. Time to branch out Mike.

fox · December 13, 2018, 05:40:28 PM

Not that I haven't tried Ubuntu variants; I've tried most of them, albeit by adding the relevant desktop to a Ubuntu installation. But the only ones I had given consideration to for this particular use are the lighter ones, including Mate, Lubuntu, Xubuntu and Budgie. Of the three, Budgie is the nicest from an aesthetics perspective and I care a lot about that.

buster · December 15, 2018, 08:26:26 PM

Buster thinks you should at least try MXLinux for a few days.

Here is what Jesse on Distrowatch said in his review:

"Personally, I was very happy with MX, more so than I have been with most operating systems I have experimented with in the past six months."

The review, which you probably have read, is found here:

https://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?issue=20180101#mx

Just a person note, MXLinux has replaced my Linux Lite system. Both are similar, quick and complete. But I had an emotional attachment to Mepis, and this has some of its aura. Everything is found in the bottom left corner, and the updates show up with a green button on the left.

Just saying, the Fox should try it.

Jason · December 20, 2018, 09:52:52 PM

I split the rest of this topic into a new one here since the discussion has branched off into MX Linux 18 specifically. It's a good idea to create new topics when the discussion has deviated from the original topic.

Why? Because some people might only have set their notifications for new topics, not existing ones, unless they specifically replied in it. So making a new topic can get the greatest number of eyes.

It also helps because if people were only following the topic because of the original subject matter then it's easier to find the answers they're looking because they don't have to skip through less-relevant/non-relevant posts.