distros that will run with only 256MB ram yet stay parent friendly

my parents have an old computer that has only 256MB ram

this computer has been running ubuntu 7.10 smoothly and without issues

today i tried to update the computer to ubuntu 8.04 but the update messed up and i ended up downloading a copy of the live cd but i couldnt even get the live cd to load up the desktop (i think my computer doesn't have enough resources to run the live cd)

so i downloaded and burned xubuntu 8.04 and installed that instead

it installed just fine, the problem is that xubuntu 8.04 runs way, way slower then ubuntu 7.10 on this machine

i dont really understand why but i guess thats just the way it is

so what i need now is a list of some "parent friendly" light weight distros that will run with only 256mb ram

(preferably a distro that has easy to use and configure desktop icons because this is my parents were talking about and they are mostly computer illiterate)

if you are used to Ubuntu and want to stay along the same lines, do a net install of Debian and install XFCE

http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?t=26566

if i did a debian net install, but install gnome instead of xfce do you think that would be as fast as ubuntu 7.10 was?

i mean i can install xfce i guess, its just that they are used to using gnome on this computer and xfce would be like a step down for them when im supposed to upgrading it

i would just leave ubuntu 7.10 on there but i figured it wont be supported for much longer

lenny net installer, a straight install gives you gnome: http://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/lenny_di_rc1/i386/iso-cd/debian-testing-i386-businesscard.iso

jeromey said: my parents have an old computer that has only 256MB ram

this computer has been running ubuntu 7.10 smoothly and without issues

today i tried to update the computer to ubuntu 8.04 but the update messed up and i ended up downloading a copy of the live cd but i couldnt even get the live cd to load up the desktop (i think my computer doesn't have enough resources to run the live cd)

so i downloaded and burned xubuntu 8.04 and installed that instead

it installed just fine, the problem is that xubuntu 8.04 runs way, way slower then ubuntu 7.10 on this machine

i dont really understand why but i guess thats just the way it is

so what i need now is a list of some "parent friendly" light weight distros that will run with only 256mb ram

(preferably a distro that has easy to use and configure desktop icons because this is my parents were talking about and they are mostly computer illiterate)

if it ain't broke, don't fix it. if the 7.10 cd is still available, reinstall it.

a net install can be a challenge if you've never done it before, so why not try regular Debian with gnome? i'm running it with no problems, and it's only using 270mb of ram with multiple tabs open. don't let the "testing" label scare you away, as it is pretty much a finished product as is. but if you feel adventurous, go for the netinstall.

if you live in the states, i can send you a stick of extra memory no charge. that way you can install whatever you want. let me know via PM.

+1 on Lenny with gnome. I have it running on an old Dell 733ghz cpu w/ 256 megs /ram. Not fast, but functional. Icewm is a fairly "familiar" looking desktop you might look into.

jeromey said: if i did a debian net install, but install gnome instead of xfce do you think that would be as fast as ubuntu 7.10 was?

i mean i can install xfce i guess, its just that they are used to using gnome on this computer and xfce would be like a step down for them when im supposed to upgrading it

i would just leave ubuntu 7.10 on there but i figured it wont be supported for much longer

depending on the mods you do to the desktop, they might not know the difference. You can stretch the bottom dock the whole width, install some gnome themes and it would look the same. only difference would be the right click on the desktop would be different but it does have a menu button at the bottom.

handydan918 said: +1 on Lenny with gnome. I have it running on an old Dell 733ghz cpu w/ 256 megs /ram. Not fast, but functional. Icewm is a fairly "familiar" looking desktop you might look into.

Ice is good for speeding it up but not so easy to configure if you don't know the config files.

Stay with Ubuntu...

About two months ago I ran Ubuntu 8.04 on an old Pentium III 700MHz Compaq with 10GB hard disk and 256MB ram. Used alternate 8.04 iso (live CD install would not work). Everything worked; Firefox and lots of synaptic applications e.g. Kompozer, DVD burner GUIs, Skype, Movie viewers etc. 'Out of the box' without any tuning.

When I had used about 9.5 GB of hard disk general response slowed down somewhat, but that is to be expected.

http://wiki.dennyhalim.com/ubuntu-minimal-desktop

Lenny with gnome.It is light.