what version of LO would work on a really old system?

users
#3

​Tim, if you've managed to successfully install 64-bit Ubuntu MATE 16.04 on
this system, you should be able to install and run any version of LO - why
not take the latest, 6.0.1 (or 6.0.2 to which LO just updated itself via
the PPA om my Linux box) ? The only thing I'd recommend beyond this would
be installing a bit more RAM. Even if you've made clear that you don't wish
to buy any hardware for it, you should be able to obtain some used DDR-2
sticks, which the motherboard is almost certain to support, for next to
nothing, which would make a great deal of difference in how you experience
the computer (the system requirements for 64-bit LO 6.0.1 are listed as 256
MB RAM, with 512 MB recommended)....

Henri

#4

Hi :slight_smile:
Would Gnome Office (ie Abiword and Gnumeric) be better?

Also last time i tried distro-hopping on 'old' machines i found that
Kubuntu was much faster and lighter-weight than even Lubuntu and Xubuntu.
There was a ton of stuff to figure out and apps etc to add o really get the
most out of it but the default set-up looks really swish and is very
usable. Perhaps best to let the new owner enjoy their own voyage of
discovery. Kubuntu uses a different office suite and i found that so light
and fast that i didn't bother to try out LibreOffice on it.
KOffice/Calligra uses the same file-formats as LibreOffice.

Regards from
a Tom :slight_smile:

#5

Hey Henri. . . . .

First - I would have to buy more ram.  I may find some in a box somewhere.  I do not want to put money into this free giveaway desktop. Since HP no longer have spec info for this old XP desktop, I do not know if the two 256MB memory sticks is the largest or could it take two 512MB instead.

Second - Ubuntu MATE stated the x86 version would take the least amount of ram, but since it gave me fatal errors, I tried x64 version.  I run this on laptops, like the one I am typing from.

Tom Davis
thought this desktop could use Kubuntu.  I have not tried KDE for a long time.  I read a lot of articles that stated that MATE was the better option to take an old XP desktop and add Linux distro that would be the "easiest" to move to for those who used XP. I likes the "gnome" version used originally for Ubuntu version 9 thru 12. After that I changed to the MATE desktop environment. Since I use Ubuntu MATE 16.04 LTS, and will go to 18.04LTS this year, if the person who gets the old system needs help, I can help them.

zahra a
mentioned using XP on the system.  I do have XP and a Win7 upgrade DVDs.  For XP, I do not want to reinstall XP since there are no security updates anymore.  I really want the system not to have to use half the processor usage for security software.  As for Win7, well there are still some security updated for a newly installed Win7 systems.  Also, the processor issue is the same with Win7. This security issue is one of the biggest reasons for running Linux.  I knew that Ubuntu 12 could run well, but I was hoping to get 16.04LTS to install.

Third - The Ubuntu MATE install updated the 64-bit LO 5.1.6.2 from the repository. I have one system running 5.4.4 and this one is running 6.0.0.3, but will go to 6.0.1.x soon.  I was thinking about running 5.4.5.x on the 512MB system.  I wanted the more "conservative user" version of LO over the "technology enthusiast, early adopter or power user" version for this system.

To be honest, this old system will be used for a few things - browser, email, document creation, music and media player. I may add a few "education" packages to that system, since it may go to a kid as well as an adult.  As I stated, it will be free.  If you need a new/newer system, you can get a Win10 laptop for under $250.

#6

Hi :slight_smile:
Again, good points. It is much easier to support people using a system
that you use yourself. I gave up on using Kubuntu when i no longer had to
support anyone using it. It is interesting and has tons of nice features
but i just prefer stock Ubuntu for my main use. If i had to support low
spec machines again i would prolly give Kubuntu a go.
Regards from
a Tom :slight_smile:

#7

It's interesting to hear of Kubuntu working well on an old machine.
When I last tried using it a few years ago, Nepumuk and Aconadi bogged
it down so much that it became unusable.

#8

Hi :slight_smile:
Yeh, the KDE people put a serious amount of work into it a lot lighter and
faster. Initially i only tried it out for a laugh but i was quite
flabergasted at how phenomenally slick it had become.
Regards from
a Tom :slight_smile:

#9

Hi :slight_smile:
Sorry, my keyboard is still suffering from when i crunched it's usb-plug.
It's still a beautiful keyboard but sometimes gets it's signals a bit
muddled.
Apols from
a Tom :slight_smile:

#10

Hey Guys.  I found two 512MB memory sticks.  It now gives me about 800MB after the shared video memory.

Did you know that the Ubuntu repositories do not install LO Math with LO?  Found that out about an hour ago.

#11

i wished that LO has one version for home users to not install
engineering programs like math, draw, base.
i only need writer and have to have one office suite which most
features are for engineers, businesses, companies etc.
since i am not programmer and cant use linux, i should use xp.

#12

The last time I installed LibO from the Ubuntu repository, it also left
out Base, the Help files, and something else (printing, perhaps.)

jonathon

#13

Sounds like you want OOoLight, which is no longer maintained.

jonathon

#14

Since you use Ubuntu the unwanted parts can be uninstalled, or, better, unselected when preparing LO installation

Je la 24/02/2018 09:35, zahra a skribis :

#15

​Good on ya, Tim​ ; how does LO now work on that machine (and which version
have you installed) ?

Surprised to hear that the Ubuntu respositories don't provide a complete LO
package - I install via the PPA on my Linux Mint machine, which is an
Ubuntu fork, and get everything, including Math and Base. What gives ?...

Henri

#16

Everyone can use Linux, not only developers. I have a degree in
humanities and have never written a single line of code, but I am a very
happy Linux user and will never switch back to macOS or Windows. Windows
XP has been deprecated by Microsoft in 2014, so the operating system is
not maintained and is not secure. You should definitely try something
different.

#17

​Indeed. While there are Linux distributions which definitely are not for
beginners, anyone who has used a Windows OS will find a distribution like
Linux Mint 18.3 intuitive and user-friendly, and in my experience, far more
reliable than, e g, Windows 10....

Henri​

#18

Hi Henri,

Surprised to hear that the Ubuntu respositories don't provide a complete LO
package - I install via the PPA on my Linux Mint machine, which is an
Ubuntu fork, and get everything, including Math and Base. What gives ?...

Every Linux-distribution does allow to install only parts of LO. There
are different packages for Writer, Clac, Base ... If you choose only the
Writer-packages only the packages of LO will be installed, which are
necessary for Writer. By default in most systems the whole LO-packages
will be installed.

But: It doesn't make any difference for an old system. Writer will run
the same speed - if Base, Calc, Draw and whatever will be installed or
not. So if you haven't enough free disk space it will be a good idea to
choose only the parts of LO you need.

Regards

Robert

#19

​Thanks, Robert, for your reply ! I'm aware that one can choose not to
install certain LO packages. What surprised me in Tim's post was rather
that - as I interpreted him - the packages for Math and Base were not
automatically downloaded and installed, without any intervention on his
part. But perhaps I misunderstood....

Henri

#20

Hi :slight_smile:
Sorry, i don't know what PYOO is so i have redirected this question back to
the LO mailing list - even though it is really a question for Calligra
forums/mailing-lists.

I've only used their spreadsheets for very straight-forwards sums, to add
columns of figures.

Is PYOO something that can be tested by some fairly trivial example?
Apols and regards from
a Tom :slight_smile:

#21

Here is a reply for a few posts.

Italo

I use to program main frame computers and my first PC was a PC-XT generic system with dual floppies.  In the past 20+ years, I did do some small stuff with various languages, but went with C/C++ maybe 10 years ago, but I am not really a PC programmer.

I learned about Linux, RedHat and others, in a class for a Network Technology degree.  During the Vista era, I needed to do some audio/video work and the Windows packages were more than 4 times my rent. I then bought a "low cost" desktop for a Linux box.  I loved all of the free stuff.  Then with the knowledge that half my processing power went to anti virus and other security packages, I started to use Ubuntu 9.10 on a newly bought desktop.  That one now has 6.25TB of storage space. Two of my laptops have Ubuntu MATE and Windows 10 installed, and the newest runs only Ubuntu MATE.

Robert The custom install as you stated seems to come up in Windows, not DEB based Linux install, unless you install through the repository, and package managers like Synaptic.
Henri I did not look to see Base, since I did not use it. Yes, the Math, Draw, and Base, seems not to be installed by default. Since the repository usually have an older versions of LO. It looked like Ubuntu MATE had LO 5.1.x as their included version. After I updated the old computer, I installed 5.4.6. I have 6.0.1 on the laptop I am typing this. - - - - - Thanks to all your comments. This thread was started when I was given a really old HP Pavilion alll8x desktop. It was a 64 bit CPU running Windows XP [32 bit] and only 512MB RAM and 160 GB drive. I found two 512MB memory modules/sticks and with them I have about 800MB of RAM after the "shared video memory". I may install a second IDE/PATA drive with a 80GB on. I really did not want to spend money on this old base model desktop. Since I really did not want to install XP on it, then use a Win7 upgrade disk to get a more modern Windows OS. Since MATE desktop environment was stated to be a good option for the old Win XP users, I installed Ubuntu Mate on it. Also, even if I installed Win7, half of the processor power would be used for the needed security packages. I have been adding various packages to the system; LibreOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird, Chrome [for those who want it], GIMP, VLC, Education software packages, Sound Converter, XPad, font manager, and other packages that might be useful. I did remove a lot of fonts like the massive collection of Thai fonts. Over half of the fonts installed seemed to be Thai fonts. Also, from a different post, I added K3b CD/DVD burner - that I use all the time. That required some KDE runtime package. There was a comment about using Kubuntu on the old desktop. I wanted the system be setup so all the user would need to do is install the printer they may have. Or use Ubuntu Software Center, and the newer software center installed with Ubuntu MATE 16.04, to add some other packages they might want. To be honest, the system is set up to not need a password to load, but has a root password that is the model version till the user changes it.

#22

​Thanks, Tim, for your reply ! As I said, I am surprised to hear that the
default installation from the Ubuntu repository didn't include LO Math and
Base (and even more surprised to hear that even Draw was omitted), as when
I install Linux Mint on a new computer, all those LO packages are
automatically included. It would seem then that the LO that is downloaded
from the LM respository is not identical with that which is downloaded
fromteh Ubuntu repository, which I find odd....

I appreciate your comment on what running, e g, Win7 would require on your
old computer ; this is one of the reasons, aside from greater general
reliability and fewer hassles that I advise seniors with older computers
they wish to continue to use to install Mint. But I think you were smart to
install those two 512Mb RAM sticks ; that should have made a significant
difference in how you experience the new/old box....

Henri