I'm about to format my old laptop, and I want to put linux in it, and leave it running just BOINC. I was thinking on Ubuntu... but i wondering if there was a faster... lighter OS than Ubuntu for an old laptop?

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I'm about to format my old laptop, and I want to put linux in it, and leave it running just BOINC. I was thinking on Ubuntu... but i wondering if there was a faster... lighter OS than Ubuntu for an old laptop?

No need to. If there are no other tasks running, and you are not too short on RAM, then Boinc will run with very near 100% CPU utilisation.

Any good OS will take negligible overhead. Using an optimised science application for s@h will make the greatest improvement.

Just ensure that the "power saving" features are set as you want for whether to slow down the CPU clock or to always continue at full CPU speed. Boinc runs at low priority and so by default Ubuntu quite rightly slows everything down to save power if there are no normal priority tasks running (no user activity).

Also ensure that you don't have any "screensaver" running, but still enable powersaving for the display to shut down. Uninstall Kerry Beagle, and also make sure that Amarok doesn't try to reindex your entire music collection.

You can get a small speedup if you reduce the screen resolution for the "integrated shared graphics". That releases a little more system RAM bandwidth for the CPU to utilise. The quickest way to do that is to press and hold all of ctl-alt-f1 to get a fullscreen graphics terminal. Press ctl-alt-f7 to get your graphical desktop back.

The geekie way is to boot up to init "level 3" (graphical is "level 5") so that you only have a text console for login. You can then login and enter the command startx to get your desktop oncemore when you want to go graphical.


If you want to experiment with minimal installations, then look up Damned Small Linux, Puppy Linux, and the ultimate with isolinux and syslinux. Even more minimal, there is coreboot and LinuxBIOS+X11 (X11 is the graphical display stuff).


Good luck!
Martin

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

"I'm about to format my old laptop, and I want to put linux in it, and leave it running just BOINC. I was thinking on Ubuntu... but i wondering if there was a faster... lighter OS than Ubuntu for an old laptop?"

Damn Small Linux and Puppy Linux are minimal installations for lite weight computers. Never tried Boinc on them. I'm a Slacker.

My experience is it is not a good idea to crunch on a laptop unless you don't mind if it burns out and you can afford to lose it. If you run it on 100% processor utilization, it will get very hot. I recommend about 60% utilization, and set up some sort of external fan to blow onto the hottest areas on your laptop case...and keep it slightly elevated to allow for better air-flow underneath. might also want to blow air onto the power supply.

I've got a Celeron Mobile 1.8 that is about six years old that has been running SETI on 100% for about 4 years now. It's still fine. I've toasted two HDDs in it, but the CPU and fan are still truckin'.

As far as a lightweight linux, DSL is really lightweight, but Ubuntu will work just fine if you just want to use that. One thing that will help a little bit is go do text-mode (no GUI). I've found on a few laptops that going text-mode and not having X Server running will free up about 3% of the CPU load.

I hardly ever use a GUI. If I'm on a server that I need a GUI for, I'll manually start X and use the app I need to use, and then kill X. Works pretty well.

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Linux laptop:
record uptime: 1511d 20h 19m (ended due to the power brick giving-up)