Smallest, fastest Linux for Firefox

Discuss various technical topics not related to Mozilla.
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Trevor A.
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Smallest, fastest Linux for Firefox

Post by Trevor A. »

I need the smallest, fastest Linux for Windows XP possible that can run Firefox and Abiword. I don't need anything else, just those two.
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hhh
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Post by hhh »

Try Damn Small Linux.
old Ol Grumpy
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Post by old Ol Grumpy »

Some distros have smaller versions for just such a use:
This site is pretty good for info and links.
http://distrowatch.com/

I don't know if it was a freudian slip but Linux is an operating system independant of xp.
If you're going to dual boot see if the package you review has that installation as an option, it helps.
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Trevor A.
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Post by Trevor A. »

Try Damn Small Linux.


thanks for the suggestion. i just borrow'd a cd from my friend and it works alright, but it's still a little slower than windows.

I don't know if it was a freudian slip but Linux is an operating system independant of xp.

yeah, i know. but i have to run it on top of windows, because my computer isn't linux compatible.
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Six Pack
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Post by Six Pack »

Well, Linux will never be fast if you're not running it natively.
Ubuntu is Swahili for "I can't install Debian"
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BenoitRen
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Post by BenoitRen »

Damn Small Linux' Firefox leaves a bit to be desired. I don't know if it's because of what they did to Firefox, or the distributions itself.

The smallest and fastest Linux is the one you build from scratch. :) Or at least recompile the kernel.

Maybe a version of Puppy Linux with Firefox?
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Trevor A.
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Post by Trevor A. »

Well, Linux will never be fast if you're not running it natively.


yeah, i know. but it's not compatible with my modem, and it can only display at the very lowest resolution for my monitor. also, sound doesn't work. so the only viable option is emulation. and for some reason even when i tried to run it natively, it still seemed slower than windows.
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BenBasson
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Post by BenBasson »

If you can't get a good resolution, then your graphics hardware most likely isn't being used fully, or possibly at all. In this case, it's hardly surprising that the distribution would be slower than Windows.

If you run in a VM, you've got almost no chance because hardware acceleration just won't happen at all. For what it's worth, everything else should process nearly as quickly as most VMs run at almost-native speed (since they're inherently relying on the host CPU).

Do you actually need Firefox? If you want a fast Gecko browser in Linux environment, there are native alternatives that will without a doubt run faster than Firefox.
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Trevor A.
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Post by Trevor A. »

Do you actually need Firefox? If you want a fast Gecko browser in Linux environment, there are native alternatives that will without a doubt run faster than Firefox.


I tried the other one, but switching between tabs is still painfully slow.
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BenBasson
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Post by BenBasson »

Did you try Galeon?
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Trevor A.
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Post by Trevor A. »

Did you try Galeon?


I don't see it. Does it come with D. small linux?
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Trevor A.
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Post by Trevor A. »

Also: What is the best browser that still works with Windows 3.11? I've had the idea of installing Windows 3.11 in a virtual machine, because it is so small and is blazingly fast. Then I can use it as my personal portable operating system on a usb pen drive minus the overhead associated with other, larger operating systems. I'd prefer a graphical one however, rather than something like Lynx.
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BenBasson
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Post by BenBasson »

Galeon probably doesn't come with DSL, but it is Linux-native. Here's a big list of browsers, including rendering engines and operating systems they support:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_web_browsers

I don't know about browsers for Windows 3.11, but I can't imagine that you'll get many, if any that are useful on today's web. My advice would be a small Linux distribution if all you need is a VM for web browsing. At a pinch, you could probably get away with Windows 95/98 if your flash memory is large enough, but Linux would provide more security for your mobile solution.
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BenoitRen
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Post by BenoitRen »

Windows 3.11? The best for that is the 16-bits version of IE5. I don't know how far you'd get with the 32-bit extensions, but not that far, I think.

You're better off running a minimalist Win95 or Win98 installation that can even fit on a floppy disk. You might want to look into Mindows at MSFN.org, a Win98 installation that fits on a floppy. I don't know if anyone made a minimalist Win95, but I'm sure it'd fly.
Micha the not so Old
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Post by Micha the not so Old »

Trevor, are you enjoying yourself.

Windows 3.11, come on now, who are you fooling?
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