A lean distro for 32-bit processors
Shedding Weight
© Lead Image © Kirsty Pargeter, Fotolia.com
For older computers with 32-bit processors, BunsenLabs Helium offers a lean alternative to popular Linux distributions. Our lab investigates how well the system performs on antiquated hardware.
With many Linux variants only being released as 64-bit versions, choosing a new distribution for 32-bit systems has become increasingly difficult. BunsenLabs Helium [1], a Debian derivative, offers a distribution with a lightweight, customizable Openbox desktop. Designed to use resources as efficiently as possible, BunsenLabs Helium even runs on older machines.
In addition to an image for 64-bit systems, BunsenLabs also provides two images of the current version of Helium for 32-bit systems: One for 32-bit systems with a PAE extension (enabling the use of more than 4GB of RAM) and one for systems without the extension. The image without PAE support weighs in at 680MB [2]. Regardless of your system, the developers recommend a minimum of 1GB RAM and 10GB free space on the hard disk.
All three hybrid images (64-bit, 32-bit with PAE support, and 32-bit without PAE support) are available on the project's website [1]. The images (each about 1.1GB in size) boot into an unimpressive GRUB boot manager, which supports Live operation as well as direct installation. A graphical installation tool is also available.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Wayland 1.24 Released with Fixes and New Features
Wayland continues to move forward, while X11 slowly vanishes into the shadows, and the latest release includes plenty of improvements.
-
Bugs Found in sudo
Two critical flaws allow users to gain access to root privileges.
-
Fedora Continues 32-Bit Support
In a move that should come as a relief to some portions of the Linux community, Fedora will continue supporting 32-bit architecture.
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 Drops bcachefs
After a clash over some late fixes and disagreements between bcachefs's lead developer and Linus Torvalds, bachefs is out.
-
ONLYOFFICE v9 Embraces AI
Like nearly all office suites on the market (except LibreOffice), ONLYOFFICE has decided to go the AI route.
-
Two Local Privilege Escalation Flaws Discovered in Linux
Qualys researchers have discovered two local privilege escalation vulnerabilities that allow hackers to gain root privileges on major Linux distributions.
-
New TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro Powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300
The TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen10 offers serious power that is ready for your business, development, or entertainment needs.
-
LibreOffice Tested as Possible Office 365 Alternative
Another major organization has decided to test the possibility of migrating from Microsoft's Office 365 to LibreOffice.
-
Linux Mint 20 Reaches EOL
With Linux Mint 20 at its end of life, the time has arrived to upgrade to Linux Mint 22.
-
TuxCare Announces Support for AlmaLinux 9.2
Thanks to TuxCare, AlmaLinux 9.2 (and soon version 9.6) now enjoys years of ongoing patching and compliance.