On 5 February 2010 17:07, David A. Cobb <superbis...@cox.net> wrote: > Again, recall I have "only" 256MiB real memory. > > Because of another problem, I can only do software upgrades from "Recovery > Mode" -- single user console. If I try it while Gnome is running, the > network speed is cut to around 1/60 of the speed I get from the console. I > can't wait for two days to download the update packages.
You don't have to reboot in order to shutdown X. Simply open another console by pressing alt+ctrl+F1, log in and run «sudo service gdm stop». That will shutdown X. > Anyway, when I reboot after an upgrade, it takes around 5 Minutes(!) to get > the GDM login screen, and I have timed the system from the password entry to > a functioning desktop at up to 15 Minutes. Yes, I can get up and brew a pot > of coffee, and drink my first cup, before I can use the computer. > > As a user experience, this just sucks! And it doesn't help to have my dear > wife looking over my shoulder and saying "Shirley doesn't have this problem > with her Windows program!" (of course, Shirley also has a 2GiB memory) > > We are, supposedly, maturing to the point that Linux is a viable desktop for > average users, not just 'puter-geeks like me. You're not complaining about Linux here, but Ubuntu and GNOME. Linux itself uses very little RAM. I agree that the spesified minimum requirements for Ubuntu could be set a little higher, or be more specific, but I don't think it's fair to call this a usability issue. If I were you, I'd try LXDE. It's _much_ less resource demanding and will make your desktop fly in comparison to GNOME. It's a small download and you can choose between GNOME and LXDE in the GDM login screen. Best wishes, Jo-Erlend Schinstad -- ubuntu-desktop mailing list ubuntu-desktop@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop
