[vox-tech] Installing a desktop upon my laptop

[Rod Roark]

Perhaps you'd like to try Yoper, especially as it focuses on
speed and compactness.  Here's a starting point:

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/09/21/2232238

I have no experience with it myself, but would love to hear
from anyone who tries it.

-- Rod

On Saturday 25 September 2004 10:06 am, Jay Strauss wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I want to preface this, I'm not whinning :)
> 
> Since replacing my failed hard drive on my laptop (IBM thinkpad A30,
> model 2652 3CU), I'm really trying to make the switch to a linux destop.
> I've always run Debian for my servers and am most comfortable with that.
> I've never had to worry about sound cards, IR ports, wireless cards...
> 
> What I find when I install Sarge, and pick the desktop option is:
> 
> 1) It installs a ton of stuff, that I just don't need now.  For example,
> I don't need 10 different console and terminal apps, 5 different web
> browsers, sound recording/mixing..., games, HTML editors, both KDE and
> Gnome...
> 
> 2) it doesn't do a good job of identifying and configuring components.
> Examples:
>     a) doesnt identify my video card as ATI
>     b) doesn't setup my XFConfig-4 correctly
>     c) Sound only works if I use KDE first.  That is if I log into Gnome
> after boot I have no sound, if I log into KDE then Gnome I get sound.
> But even then the sound volume controls doesn't work
>     d) The wireless card can't be picked during the install because the
> settings don't last/work after that initial install reboot
> 
> 3) Its kinda slow.  I'm running a 1Ghz pentium III, 384 MB ram, 5400 rpm
> drive.  It takes something like 10 seconds after I enter my userid into
> GDM before I get my desktop
> 
> Maybe I'm picking the wrong distribution to run as a desktop (or I hate
> to say it, maybe I'm spoiled because M$ stuff does all this so well).
> 
> So my question is:
> 
> Can anyone suggest a route for installing on my laptop that will help me
> detect/identify all the components on my laptop (network card, wireless
> card, ir port, monitor, sound card...), give me a nice slim install, and
> ideally use APT for software administration
> 
> Thanks
> Jay