Re: Small xorg?
> On Wed, Jul 04, 2012 at 06:29:55PM -0700, Patrick Bartek wrote:
>> Any recommendations for a small, compact version of X (limited features
>> OK) for an old Thinkpad 240X -- max RAM 192MB (design limit. won't
> take
>> more. tried.), 500MHz P3, 800x600 screen--to install Squeeze on?
> I'm
>> running Etch and XFCE on it currently. Want to see if I can install a
>> supported version of Debian with a small window manager without the
> bloat
>> of a full size X.
>> I really like this notebook for travel--what I got it for originally
>> before netbooks existed. Great keyboard--I do a lot of typing.
> Don't
>> want to put it in a closet to gather dust. Waste not, want not. ;-)
>> Patrick
>
> Hi,
>
> I'm not entirely sure what you're asking for here. If you're
> strictly
> asking for a low-memory version of Xorg, then I think your only option
> is to recompile it. As far as I'm aware, there is only one variant of
> Xorg in Debian, but if you fetch the source and play around with
> compiler optimizations, removal of features (for example, you may decide
> you don't need autodiscovery of devices) and perhaps even different
> compilers (clang is the current hotshot), then you may find you can
> reduce the memory footprint.
Compiling X is one thing I've reluctantly considered, but would like to find a small binary, if possible, so I can just apt-get install it. Less work. Did find this, however:
http://agentoss.wordpress.com/2011/03/06/building-a-tiny-x-org-linux-system-using-buildroot/
> Next up, if you're after ANY X server (not necesarily the Xorg
> implementation), then Wikipedia suggests that Xorg and XFree86 are about
> your only options on Linux. You might, however, find that
> not-quite-X-servers such as MicroXwin are more to your taste. MicroXWin
> claims binary compatibility with XServers, so you should be able to run
> your existing programs with it.
Others have suggested just a frame buffer like XVesa or FBDirect. Investigating that option.
> Finally, if you're happy with your X server, but are looking for a
> lighter-weight window manager/destop environment... Oh, never mind, I've
> just spotted you're running XFCE. That's fairly lightweight, but you may
> find programs such as heliwm or swm more applicable.
Yes, using XFCE, but even so, after boot, system uses 132+- MB, leaving only 55 to 60 MB free. Hit the swap frequently even only running a couple of apps. Need lighter options. Small WM to be sure. The only thing left is a small X or something similar.
Patrick
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