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Is the Linux Desktop Getting Heavier and Slower?
Johan Schinberg writes "Bob Marr wrote an interesting editorial about what many of us have have noticed lately: the three most popular Linux distros are getting "fatter" in terms of their memory footprint and CPU demands for their graphical desktops. Fedora Core 2 isn't usable below 192 MBs of RAM while Mandrake and SuSE aren't very far off similar requirements either. There was a time when Linux users would brag that their favorite OS was far less demanding that Windows, but this doesn't seem to be the case anymore. Modern distros that use the latest versions of KDE and (especially) Gnome feel considerably heavier than before or even than Windows XP/2k3. Sure, Longhorn has higher requirements than XP (256 MB RAM, 800 MHz CPU) and the final version will undoubtly be much more demanding, but that's in 2-3 years from now. For the time being, I am settled with XFce on my Gentoo but I always welcome more carefully-written code."
am fed up with Linux bloatware, I'm going back to the command line. ASCII art rendering of jpegs is all I need, hell you can print a load out and staple them together and have a flick book movie. -Or is it all that Ephemerides software that comes as standard?
If I promise to be a good boy can I have some better karma?
Yes! That is why I am not embarrassed to use Mac OS X and its Aqua interface. The problem really is an embarrassment of riches in the linux desktop environment. Like a rice rocket, you got slap on every piece of bling-bling your desktop you can find and the distros are catering to the trend. It won't be long before someone makes a "Type R" desktop.
Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
If you GUI weenies would stay away from the bloated monstrosity also called X, you wouldn't need a gig of RAM for Linux. Quit being such pussies and get back to the terminal!
Is the Linux Desktop Getting Heavier and Slower?
This is an important question. It's something we have to think about moving forward. I'd definitely have to say:
So is your momma.
For every annoying gentoo user, are three even more annoying anti-gentoo crybabies. Take Yosh from #Gimp for example.
At least in Linux one has the option to switch between lighter environments such as XFCE, fluxbox, etc. when more power is required. And then you can switch back to KDE/Gnome to take your ever so 1337 screenshots.
Quote: Things are faster than ever thanks to the CPU optimized builds! ...and a babbling brook of clear spring water greets me everytime I turn on my system. It talks to me in a beautiful dulcet tone. It even works as a bank machine...with free money no less! Wow!
Move to Vancouver, hippie.
This wasn't just plain terrible, this was fancy terrible. This was terrible with raisins in it. - Dorothy Parker
Everything will get much, much faster when Sun moves all Linux desktop applications to Java.
dinner: it's what's for beer
"What would you do with a million dollars?"
"Four terminal windows at the same time."
Oh. You could? Oh crap. What do you mean you could do all this on your 5Mb Commodore Amiga too? Well there goes my argument then. Well, I'll get my coat.
Sorry for wasting your time.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
Ahhhh, and that's why all your web browsing is done at the command line, correct?
Well, I'm reassured by your post that XFree86 is better even though it feels worse.
..........
Or are you perhaps missing the point?
We all have 2GHz Intel machines with 256Mb RAM here, and XP definitely doesn't run comfortable, unless you have the patience of Buddha.
A student approaches his master and asks him: Master, how come my 3GHz Hyperthreaded four processor system with 2Gb of RAM feels so slow, yet I never hear you complain about your old 386? Doesn't it run slower?
And the Master responds: A hare will think the grass is dead, while a turtle might see it grow. A penguin on the other hand, doesn't even know what grass is.
The student was immediately enlightened, went home and programmed a web server on his Commodore 64.
Hell, who isn't getting heavier and slower. Maybe if this 'Linux' guy would follow my doctor's advice and get away from the computer, maybe get some exercise, he'd stop getting heavier and slower.
- Tash
"Four terminal windows at the same time."
Fucking A.
25% Funny, 25% Insightful, 25% Informative, 25% Troll
Been there, done that.
I would recommend this Bob character
You would recommend Microsoft Bob?! I guess it does run smoothly on a 486 with only 8 MB of RAM....
>Is the Linux Desktop Getting Heavier and Slower? Tux looks like he's starting to put on a few too.
You seem like a very angry fellow. Do you get this upset about other trivial things, too? If so, you might want to look into taking a vacation, or finding time to relax.
Seriously, though, your anger at my admittedly vague post is disproportionate, especially since I clarified myself in responses I made before you posted.
Those who are arrogant enough to believe that most Windows developers are jumped up VB programmers will write code that runs like shit on the Windows platform.
Most Windows developers *are* jumped up VB programmers.
Of course, most *IX developers are jumped up perl programmers.
It's not a reflection on Windows; it's just the way software development works.
May we never see th
nothing.can.stop.me.now
Or so you SAY! Just like i say you're full of crap. Personally, though, I ported "KDE/Mozilla" to my Cray SX-6 in my closet, and it STILL runs slow ass. And Gnome, on my 8-node POWER5 cluster i got from IBM for beta testing, still runs slower than a 90 year old grandma who just got hit by a car. So, i'm not disagreeing with you. I just think you're full of crap.
Are you joking? I dont care how many different computers youve administered in whatever high brow organisations you can't deny the fact that the user interface in linux isnt as responsive as windows..and that applies to ALL of them even the lightweight ones.
Even in fvwm dragging a window is sluggish (and it doesnt even display the contents whilst dragging)
I have discovered a truly remarkable sig which this post is too small to contain.