I'd like some recommendations on which gnu/linux distro to use on an 7yr(?) old Toshiba laptop with 128MB Ram and 20GB disk that will run transmission happily. The only other requirement is that I must be able to start/stop transmission via cron. Just Note: to make that work on my laptop, Ubuntu, I had to not use the GUI as killing with cron caused constant verify. So, I run the daemon and use the web interface on my laptop and all is well.
Thank you
[ANSWERED] which distro for old laptop?
Re: which distro for old laptop?
I'd go with a minimal install of Debian. When the Debian installer gives you a list of tasks, uncheck everything, and you'll get a minimal, text-only system. Then install the transmission daemon by hand using APT, this will pull in the dependences.
Make sure you give your system enough swap -- I'd recommend at least 256 MB.
Unfortunately, APT is written by a bunch of mindless jerks who'll be first against the wall when the revolution comes, and it requires bunches of memory to run. So installation will be slow, but once it's done, the system will be reasonably fast. You should even be able to use a GUI comfortably, as long as you don't use a desktop environment (such as Gnome or KDE).
--jch
Make sure you give your system enough swap -- I'd recommend at least 256 MB.
Unfortunately, APT is written by a bunch of mindless jerks who'll be first against the wall when the revolution comes, and it requires bunches of memory to run. So installation will be slow, but once it's done, the system will be reasonably fast. You should even be able to use a GUI comfortably, as long as you don't use a desktop environment (such as Gnome or KDE).
--jch
Re: which distro for old laptop?
Thank you for a very clear answer with enough info to get me going and saving me the time, and effort, of researching the distributions.
quietone
quietone