| Distro |
Date |
Based on |
Packages |
Desktop |
CPU |
RAM |
HD |
Notes |
| Featherweight
(486-P1, 32-64 MB) |
||||||||
| Damn
Small Linux 3.4.12 |
2008 |
Debian |
Debian |
iceWM / fluxbox |
486DX |
16 MB | 0.2 GB? | Live CD, USB stick, or HD installation. 64 MB
RAM recommended. 2.4 kernel. |
| Damn Small Linux 4.4.10 | 2008 |
Debian |
Debian |
JWM |
486DX |
16 MB |
0.2 GB? |
Live CD, USB stick, or HD installation. 64 MB RAM recommended. 2.4 kernel. |
| Deli(cate) Linux |
2012 |
Pacman |
386 |
14 MB |
0.3 GB |
Pentium 233 MHz and 64 MB RAM
recommended. 2.4 kernel. |
||
| Tiny Core 4.3 |
2012 |
DSL |
TCZ |
FLWM |
486DX |
48 MB |
Requires Internet connection
to install basic applications. Not for new users. |
|
| ConnochaetOS 0.9.1 |
2012 |
Arch |
Pacman |
IceWM |
P1 |
64 MB |
2 GB |
Formerly DeLi Linux. DeLi
0.8.0 review. |
| VectorLinux 6.0
Light |
2010 |
Slackware |
TXZ |
XFCE |
P-166 |
64 MB |
2 GB |
VectorLinux
5.9rc1 review |
| Absolute Linux
13.39 |
2011 |
Slackware |
TXZ |
IceWM |
P1 |
64 MB? |
||
| SliTaz 3.0 |
2010 |
TazPKG |
Openbox |
P1 |
80 MB |
80 MB for "loram" option; 192
MB for live CD. |
||
| Lightweight
(P1-P2, 128-192 MB) |
||||||||
| Puppy Linux Wary 5.2.2 | 2011 |
PET |
JWM, Openbox |
P-166 | 128 MB |
optional |
Live CD, USB stick, or HD
installation. Recommended for older computers. Puppy
4.0 review |
|
| Puppy Linux Racy 5.2.2 | 2011 |
PET |
JWM, Openbox | P-166 |
128 MB |
optional |
Live CD, USB stick, or HD installation. | |
| Puppy
Linux Lucid 5.2.8 |
2011 |
Ubuntu |
128 MB |
optional |
Live CD, USB stick, or HD installation. |
|||
| Puppy Linux Slacko
5.3.1 |
2011 |
Slackware |
128 MB |
optional |
Live CD, USB stick, or HD installation. | |||
| Bodhi Linux 1.3.0 | 2012 |
Ubuntu |
Ubuntu |
Enlightenment |
P-300 |
128 MB |
1.5 GB |
|
| Quelitu
11.10 |
2011 |
Lubuntu |
Ubuntu |
LXDE |
P2 |
128 MB |
||
| Lubuntu
11.10 |
2011 |
Ubuntu |
Ubuntu |
LXDE |
P2 |
128 MB |
Lubuntu
10.04 review |
|
| antiX MEPIS M11 |
2011 |
Debian / MEPIS |
Debian |
IceWM |
P2 |
128 MB |
2.2 GB |
P1/K5/K6 supported with "486"
kernel. Antix
7.2 review |
| VectorLinux 7.0
Standard |
2011 |
Slackware |
TXZ |
XFCE |
P3 |
128 MB |
5 GB |
|
| Zorin OS LXDE |
2011 |
Ubuntu |
Ubuntu |
LXDE |
P2, 266 MHz |
128 MB |
2 GB |
|
| Crunchbang 10 |
2011 |
Debian |
Debian |
Openbox |
Pentium |
192 MB |
3 GB |
P1/K5/K6 supported with "486" kernel. |
| ZevenOS 4.0 |
2011 |
Ubuntu |
Ubuntu |
XFCE |
P2-500 |
192 MB |
3 GB |
|
| Middleweight
(P2-P3, 256-384 MB) |
||||||||
| WattOS R5 | 2012 |
Ubuntu |
Ubuntu |
LXDE |
P3 |
256 MB |
4 GB |
|
| Xubuntu
11.10 |
2011 |
Ubuntu |
Ubuntu / Debian |
XFCE |
256 MB |
2 GB |
||
| Mint 12 LXDE |
2011 |
Ubuntu |
Ubuntu |
LXDE |
256 MB |
3 GB |
Mint
9 LXDE review |
|
| Zenwalk 7.0 |
2011 |
Slackware |
TXZ |
XFCE |
P3 |
256 MB |
4 GB |
|
| Ultimate
Edition Light 3.0 |
2011 |
Ubuntu / Mint |
Ubuntu / Debian |
LXDE / Openbox |
P3, 1 GHz |
256 MB |
5 GB |
|
| PCLinuxOS
2012 LXDE / XFCE |
2012 |
RPM |
LXDE / XFCE |
384 MB |
3 GB |
|||
| Zorin OS Gnome |
2011 |
Ubuntu |
Ubuntu |
Gnome |
P3, 700 MHz |
384 MB |
3 GB |
|
| Heavyweight
(P3-P4, 512 MB and up) |
||||||||
| Ubuntu
11.10 |
2011 |
Debian |
Ubuntu / Debian |
Unity |
P4, 1 GHz |
384 MB |
5 GB |
512 MB recommended |
| Kubuntu
11.10 |
2011 |
Debian |
Ubuntu / Debian |
KDE |
P4, 1 GHz |
384 MB |
5 GB |
512 MB recommended |
| Debian 6 | 2011 |
Debian |
Gnome, KDE, LXDE, XFCE |
P4, 1 GHz |
128 to 512 MB |
RAM depends on chosen
desktop; 512 MB for Gnome or KDE. |
||
| OpenSUSE 12.1 |
2012 |
RPM |
Gnome, KDE, LXDE, XFCE |
P3, 500 MHz |
512 MB |
3 GB |
||
| PCLinuxOS 2012 KDE |
2012 |
RPM |
KDE |
P4 |
512 MB |
3 GB |
||
| Mint
12 |
2011 |
Ubuntu |
Ubuntu |
Gnome |
512 MB |
5 GB |
||
| Mint 12 KDE |
2011 |
Ubuntu |
Ubuntu |
KDE |
512 MB |
5 GB |
||
| MEPIS 11 |
2011 |
Debian |
MEPIS / Debian |
KDE |
Pentium |
512 MB |
4 GB |
|
| Mageia 1 |
2011 |
Mandriva |
RPM |
KDE, Gnome |
Pentium |
512 MB |
6 GB |
Community-supported fork of
Mandriva. |
| Ultimate Edition 3.0 |
2011 |
Ubuntu / Mint |
Ubuntu / Debian |
Gnome, Unity |
P4, 2 GHz |
512 MB |
8 GB |
|
| DreamLinux 5 |
2012 |
Debian |
Debian |
XFCE |
P2 |
512 MB |
8 GB |
|
| PC-BSD 9 Unix |
2012 |
FreeBSD |
PBI |
KDE, Gnome |
P2 |
512 MB |
10 GB |
Unix, not Linux. |
| Fedora 16 | 2011 |
Red Hat |
Fedora (RPM) |
Gnome, KDE |
P-400 |
768 MB |
10 GB |
|
| Mandriva 2011 |
2011 |
Red Hat |
RPM |
KDE, Gnome |
1 GB |
10 GB |
||