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Kubuntu 11.10 ‘Low Fat Settings’ Package Promises Speed Boost, Lower Memory Usage
By
Joey Sneddon,
Published
September 25, 2011
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A new settings package available to install Kubuntu 11.10 claims to reduce memory usage and speed up boot times.
The package, aptly (no pun) named Kubuntu-Low-Fat-Settings, provides a set of ‘configuration options that …reduce memory usage as well as speed up KDE’s loading time’ by as much as 32% and 33% respectively.
The aim of the package is to allow users of older hardware the opportunity to run the Kubuntu desktop at an acceptable speed.
What’s the catch?
There is a ‘cost’ to using the Low Fat Settings package; inorder to create resource savings you lose various ‘eye candy’ functionality: -
- Turns off compositing by default
- Reduces the number of Krunner plugins loaded by default
- Reduce the amount of effects used in the window decoration
- Disables the automatic loading of various system modules – such as the free space notifier, Nepomuk services, and others
Get it
Want in? The “kubuntu-low-fat-settings” package can be installed in Kubuntu 11.10 via the Muon Software Centre.
- kubuntu
- oneiric
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It should be like a switch in the settings manager thing.
Yeah, definitely.
It’s a good idea for users of older hardware but it would also be useful to have as a toggle to use as a “battery mode” thing for laptops.
Actually KDE should turn this off automatically if the hardware is not up for the job. There are already switches to turn things on if one would like to do so.
I’ve never been sure wether or not kubuntu was a better choice than Ubuntu overall with the recent energy consumption issue. Since I need to install a distro on an ancient thinkpad (single core 1.2ghz processor and 128mb ram) I think this will come handy to finally give kubuntu a shot.
Don’t you think Lubuntu is a better option?
Yeah definitely. Or Slitaz, TinyCore or Puppy. Lubuntu is awesome on any hardware. It just does the job and doesn’t mess around with all the compiz crap. Nice
also in the light yet powerful (and quite pretty) category: CrunchBang
And E17, I think.
Absolutely, but I wanted to have a little less basic distro. Of course I cannot expect a lot from the hardware, but now I’ll be able to give this a shot and see what turns out :)
Well it’s a lot easier to install this one package to make a favoured desktop more usable than to switch to a different one and have to learn their way around that.
I always find the “lighter” desktops too much hassle.
If this’s the thing you’re concerning then this is my own exp: I use powertop to receive the inf from the battery. When I’m not listening to music or watching video, the battery consumption is about 11-12Wh. With multimedia, it reaches 18-19Wh (in kubuntu 11.10). The normal use in ubuntu 11.10 costs around 15Wh (higher 3-4Wh than kubuntu). I do not turn off compositing in both kubuntu and ubuntu.
15Wh on 11.10? What is your specs? That seems lower than 11.04. So it’s improved…
My lap is Acer TimelineX 4820T. I have to use kubuntu for now because it is very hot under ubuntu.
I do not suggest you go with KDE particularly 4.5+ versions having this limited amount of RAM (processor I guess is okay).
Good luck
It looks very promising on paper. Will the kubuntu developers integrate it into main distro itself for next release?
Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot Quiz
Crack the quiz if you can!
A “low-fat” or “lite” verson should be available for regular Unity Ubuntu. It’s more than just running Unity 2D they could install a different range of programs with a smaller foot print as well as for speed. My netbook runs Ubuntu like a slug even with trimming the fat. I have tried almost every flavour of Ubuntu and other distro’s. The only one that runs well, as in fast is Joli-OS. Or older unsupported Ubuntu’s from a several years back. So I run Joli-OS and have a fast and usable netbook. I really would like to be running Ubuntu on it but can’t.
Why not use Lubuntu, it is official now…
Cos on my netbook even lubuntu is slow. I think it’s a technical issue with the ‘Poulsbo’ drivers. Not the CPU or RAM.
Same here.
My old laptop runs much much faster on xp performance edition than any linux.
And I Tried a whole bunch of them : ubuntu xubuntu lubuntu joli-os elementaryos linuxmint pinguyos crunchbang slitaz and more…
I keep trying ;)
it can be related to kernel version. New kernel versions does not work well on my notebook (core 2 duo p8600 cpu). (I tried all versions of ubuntu 11.04 then I switched back to ubuntu 10.04. I tried kernel 2.6.38 on ubuntu 10.04. Again it slowed down but kernel 2.6.32 works well.) Try ubuntu 10.04:)
Sounds pretty serious. Have your encountered anyone else reporting such performance regressions with the kernel? (like in bug reports or articles)
XP on this thing is like a dog with a broken leg!
I do like kde but PCLinuxOS is a better implemention of kde than almost any other distro. Well we all have our favourites.
I don’t know this is the right report but…..
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/706089
My main desktop is a Quad core beast running a Phenom Black @ 3.9GHZ and Kubuntu doesn’t boot quickly at all, it enters a phase where the screen goes blank and the monitor turns itself off for about 30 seconds, then it comes back on and the Kubuntu logo appears. This seems to happen regardless of what Kernel i’m using.
Because Lubuntu is not KDE. Linux users can be a very hard headed group. Most of us pick a DE/WM and thats the one we want.
Because KDE is a more fully featured DE that autoconverts between Netbook and Desktop mode really well without putting me in Netbook/Tablet mode all the time like Gnome, Unity and Metro. :) (and after a LOT of pain in the 4.x transition, it finally became stable with 4.6 and now is in kickbutt mode right as Gnome, Unity and now Windows went off the tracks.)
The tools are also increasingly getting better as Calligre is starting to make an impact now, and the flowcharting app Calligre Flow. I try stick with native KDE apps as much as possible now, since KDE apps are mostly using the same shared libs which saves memory and boost performance as well. A lot of times KDE isn’t as heavy as it might appear on the outside as a result.
I do use use Lubuntu or Xubuntu as well though for old boxes where memory is limited at 512MB. Below that and I use Slitaz.
Different tools for different jobs. :)
For all the people that 1. disliked Unity, 2. don’t want to switch to another distro, and 3. have a “humble” computer, this is great news indeed.
Just another option, as the rest.
For a “humble” computer user wouldn’t be a more sensible choice to use either unity-2d, xubuntu or even lubuntu?
My Rig is fast (4GB Ram & Dual Core Processor), and it stills has a slow boot-up for Ubuntu & Kubuntu. Also, “OMG! why u no put pictures like Ubuntu?” I wanted to see if KDE made different eye-candy changes.:(
i got an octacore with 6GB ram. when I boot using EFI it loads like it’s nothing, only 6,5 seconds!! (with ubuntu 11.04)
lol I’ve got a pentium D (4GB ram) and I can boot in about 7 – 12 seconds (from cold startup to desktop). It helps to compile your own kernel.
Is this available for armel as well?
If it is, my install on a microSD will benefit from it, because it has all these useless services running that make the boot-time around 3 minutes, and everything takes 10 seconds to happen.
Yes, it will work. The package just contains text files with predefined settings. If you wanted, you could just extract the package and copy the files to your home directory and it would have the same effect.
EDIT: You can download and install the package from here: packages.ubuntu.com/oneiric/kubuntu-low-fat-settings It should work just fine.
Ooh, nice. :)
The installation is hard to handle, though. I can’t even get internet connectivity… And I can’t chroot it correctly, either way I try.
But this will certainly help. I don’t think there is a lot of differences between the editions. The desktop is… KDE. On a mobile device. The concept is awesome. If I got Gnome 3 to run it’d be awesome sauce. :)
I’ve created an AUR package for those who are using Arch Linux: https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=52611
kubuntu loads in 15 seconds on my 768 mb ram p4 (2003 spec dell) not bad, ut windows 8 developers preview loads in 2-3 seconds flat
Version 11.10 on all ‘Buntu variants has an issue on my PC (Intel Pentium Dual Core 1.6GHz, 2GB PC67 RAM, 250GB 7200 SATA Hitachi HDD, Intel GMA 950 chipset. It hangs whenever I connected my cellphone via USB Bluetooth dongle on my PC. This never happened on their previous versions. I tried searching for workarounds but none has shared this kind of issue.