3.7.7 (32bits) betatesting experiences

Hello!

3.7.7(32) live;

To continue my test previously done on eepc 1001px, with 3.0 & 3.7.6 (64), the test with videos gives (with VLC): very less glitches, for the same big video (4hrs), fluid with quite same ram usage, CPU at about 70% on normal speed until x4, 100% for x30...
Conclusion for this point (videos, VLC):
3.0 always 100% cpu(s), hard to decode some videos...
3.7.7(32) about 70% cpu(s) for normal to x4 reading with sound, occasional glitches...
3.7.6(64) near 50% cpu(s) in same frame...

Other than that:
Still the problem with qwerty at relaunch after setting french keyboard...
Still the little window "menu generation complete ok" (what is its utility?) when setting desktop languages...
Cairo-Dock poping after "I don't know what", at the middle of the screen, but still "down screen" in the pref's...
Still the mouse hazard when the top of a window is at the limit of desktop (sceen) bottom...
Lack of reboot / shutdown option on menus: only "disconnect" (log out - log on in live mode) EDITED: Just too quick or double mouse click that makes the choice window non visible & going to "log out"....... :sweat:

EDIT
Seems longer to start all things in E16; Hot-keys file didn't comes icon as usual (or it's a special feature for me? :wink: ) & having no button for that (whell, Ctrl+Alt+i )...
Too many install Elive window popups...

EDIT BIS
When downloading a file with Chromium, if clicking on "open in folder": just a phantom instant frame & nada...

EDIT TER
Still freeze in Terminology when copy/paste...

Salutations!

P.s.: could you please remember me what "hybrid" stands for in the .iso name?

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so are you saying that the 64 version runs better on your pc that has 1 or 2 GB ?

I was using 64 and went to 32...But would consider making more tests if it is what you say

@Franc
Thanx for your efforts,
I know it's time eating and also writing a report
that can understand anybody else...
:nod:
:sniff:

I just realized
that I send my last 32 bit machine also to Thanatermesis ...
Ah, no
there is one more, a HP Mini 2130 -
but thisone was a challenge to get everything running,
so I will not touch it for Beta-Testing...
Then
there is still a Mac Mini with Merom processor,
mhm, I could give it a spin, what else....
iMac 22" also 32 bit architecture,
but this one is in use yet, later then.
Mhmmmmm...
:thinking:

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Hi!

@yoda: Yep! 3.7.6(64) seems better on this eeepc with 64bits cpu (2 cores) but 2Gb ram max (& fitted with 2Gb), than 3.7.7(32)...
I may add: "Thanks again Thanatermesis" for your super memory optimisation! :ok_hand:
On this eeepc, in fact, with Elive (even current user one 3.0), the main limitation is far more from cpu(s) than ram, and eventually with no swap!!!!! :+1:

Why not? It's better now than after the public release... Isn't it? Except perhaps if it's not possible to boot it from usb or so???

Salutations!

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Hybrid= iso can be used for USB boot too.
Normally .iso is for DVD/CD and .img for USB

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The chipset is very.... not any common, so to say.
Next: It has a very small ( but also very clear) display - you will need a spyglass for e16 then...
Then the drivers: It tooks me investigative work
to get the hardware running; with the Debian default repos a desaster. The only Debian based distro which could deal with it was AntiX, then Elive but when it came to sound, all sucks.
So, I will leave thisone as it is now, all working,
LTS until 2021, that's fine.
It's a slow and weak equipped little machine, no need for waisting time with Beta-Testing on it,
also because this (stupid) assembly of hardware components is rare (thank God) and not worth for efforts.

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What are the differences between your HP Mini and mine 210 4130)?, mine seems that's unable to run 64 bit due a some strange bios limitation for sale as a cheap machine because it have an Intel Atom 2600 N that should support 64 bit instructions. I'm looking for another bios to flash it if it's possible.....

It's not just the chipset but also the rest of the hardware that needs to be able to use 64 bit instructions. Flashing the BIOS doesn't look very viable.

BTW
Nice change though:
A few months ago everyone was asking for a 64 bit release and now it's here and we're looking to adapt 32 bit hardware to 64 bit.

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.... good luck :wink:

As long this machine does not support more than 3GB RAM, it's useless to (try) run 64bit instructions on it.

Mine is the 2133 with VIA chipset, btw.
The worst crap build ever....

OK, so I forget the idea, it was more for the fun than another chose...

LOL you're right.... let's Elive 32 for those machines...

Even less, in my HP max RAM that it can run is only 2 GB....

just ignore it
it means that the e16 menu has been created

will check that for the next build

i need more details, or a capture :slight_smile:

i cannot do much with that but i have added a suggestion tooltip that explains how to deal with these cases (probably not included on that build)

that is a feature recently included :slight_smile: that forces the user to know how to close a window with hotkeys, users needs to know a few hotkeys like closing or resizing in order to deal with windows that are unreachable / unmanaged with the mouse

note that the pdf hotkeys only appears on "first desktop start", so its not a "so" annoying thing to behave this way

mmh, im confused with that, because i have the correct "shutdown & reboot" entries visible here

use "ctrl + shift + c/v" instead, seems like a bug from the gui mode

hybrid means an iso that can be used for both USB and DVD devices
note that persistence doesn't works with hybrid images and must require an usb image specifically

64bit has more compiling flags that doesn't exist in 32bit, its normal that a few things are more performant in 64bit, but not many! most of apps you won't notice anything, only for a few specific things that uses specific flags for performance purposes (like strong algorithms like video / audio decoding/encoding) - @Franc

(probably) all machines are compatible with 32bit (they are perfectly able and compatible to run 32bit OSes)
but not all (including new) machines can run 64bit systems (like most of nettops)

fonts are resized in recent builds for small screens, they should be set optimally now

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true, but only 3GB Ram can be accessed....

On the other hand -
I prefer to chose a 32bit variant if available on lower equipped machines (e.g. with 2-3GB Ram)
they are more performantly than with a 64bit system with it, the memory management is more
"humble" so to say (on Elive it may be different, like many other things are also very different on it)

@Thanatermesis
For video streaming, is your guess that the 64 bits " could may be run better" on a 2 GB laptop ?

Hi!

Well, so to say, "I'm not alone" in not or mis~ reading! :innocent:
When being too fast, or eventually having a spring effect on the click, as Elive is speedy, you can select directly the "log out" even if the ad-hoc window didn't have time to appear! Perhaps some ms (milliseconds) tempo to set?

So it could be near, and not upon the language pref's window, and with a tempo & no need a "ok" button... Isn't it?

So it's kind of magic if I have occasional use of usb persistence with those .iso's????? :fairy:

Salutations!

for those who wants to have a small experiment, try to use the ext2 filesystem, it seems to be more responsive / fast since it doesn't has journaling (which means, its dangerous for your data to use it, so only do it as a small experiment)

if this includes video conversion, yes, i mean -probably- (if your cpu supports extra useful / used flags for that), so its a better option. If by streaming you only mean "transmit", then it won't make any difference, and even probably 32bit can be lighter, "humble" as @Rebel450 said

its an external tool to regenerate the menus, if we remove the "ok" thing it will not appear anymore everytime you regenerate them (check your maintenances menu), which is needed when you install new software

if you are making the elive alpha versions able to have persistence, tell me how you do it :slight_smile:

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F**K, I did't realise we were in 3.7.7-32, I think that titre of this post was a mistake.... I'm doing my tests of web browsers and media player still in 3.7.4-32....

BTW why we pass from 3.7.4-32 to 3.7.7-32? Why there aren't a 3.7.5 and 3.7.6 releases? It's only curiosity....

I'm downloading now 3.7.7-32 to install it tomorrow to continue my tests.

Good question, btw ...

I guess, it has to do with the 32bit transformation (?)
@Thanatermesis ?

Well, it seems that everybody is at holidays, so first of all, enjoy yourself! :beer::sunny::applause::parasol_on_ground::beach_umbrella::camping::desert_island:

I finished my web browser's test in my second laptop, the MY 2012 HP that strangely is much slow than my MY 2007 Acer wich has the same RAM and is 5 years older...

In the Acer no issues to signale, in the HP not also, but is slowest so it was that finally decides me.

For memory, the machine is:

  • HP Mini 210-4130sf, year 2012, Intel Atom 2600N 1,6 Ghz, 1 MB L2 cache memory, 1 GB RAM DD3, chipset Intel NM10+ICH8m , Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3600 (takes until 218 MB of main RAM), 10,1" screen and a classic 320 GB SATA 5400 rpm HDD plenty of bad sectors. I use a 5 GB swap partition, the same schema than in the Acer ones.

I tested Firefox, Opera (in 3.0.6), Chromium, Vivaldi and Midori.

I didn't take care to total memory or CPU wasted, because I ran continuously around 900 MB RAM and 500 MB swap.

My test were in the basis of my daily work that had:

  • One Thunar window open to open/close some files as I need
  • One ODS spreadsheet (always the same) with several tabs
  • One or two Scite text documents (small txt files)
  • System monitor
  • The web browser with several tabs, that includes some web pages that I know they are really slow in this machine, as protonmail, and Linkedin. Also I listen Accuradio in another tab if possible (see Vivaldi issues)

Opera was out of the run, because is not more supported in 32 bit, is a pity because I loved it and it was the fastest in 3.0.6

Firefox, the big classic, because it supports plenty of extension and I have bookmarks in it since Netscape Navigator, is simply unusable in my machine (as Thunderbird, both are nice but very big), I use it only to sync my bookmarks and passwords and the import them into the other browser.

Midori: The fastest one, and seems to have less crashes as it had when I discovered it in Bodhi Linux some time ago. But it can't manage bookmarks and password by itself, it has almost any add-on, and it seems that it's development is too slow (I read some news from 10 years ago that saw managing bookmarks / password were in development, but 10 years later there aren't nothing. So is not an alternative.

Vivaldi: Is not slow, it even runs well in my laptop, it has plenty of privacy features I love a lot, for big screens it can divide the screen in 2 or even 4 tabs, that looks nice, imports bookmarks + passwords from another web browsers (and sync them between several PCs running Vivaldi). I like it, I love it, and is a very good alternative to include by default, I only found 3 major inconvenances:

  • Is not included in Debian repositoires, is a package to download and install, so I don't know if there are some license inconvenances, I think is GNU but I haven't time to take a look closer to its website and analyse the terms of utilisation.
  • It doesn't play some media that uses Flash (like Accuradio site, one of my test opened sites) even if Flash is installed, so in my test I can't had Accuradio opened.
  • Third, the package takes system language as default, I didn't found the way (I doesn't really had time to investigate it in DuckDuckGo), I have my systems in English, but I also write in French (my professional e-mail) and in Spanish and I have both QWERTY and AZERTY keyboards in my 2 laptops, so I need to have those three languages installed, I can't finally use it to send my french's e-mails. I think it must be possible to have multiple languages (or maybe not) and this is not a problem for a normal user that will have it system only in its native langue.
  • BTW, @Thanatermesis I ran Vivaldi test only in 3.7.4-32 because I can't install the *.deb package in 3.7.7-32, Gdebi ends at installation start, it maybe is a bug, I'll try to install another *.deb package in 3.7.7 with GDebi th see if is due to Vivalvi or if is an issue of GDebi. In 3.7.4-32 GDebi ran fine and package was installed with no problem.

To finish, Chromium: The most versatile one and the fastest one, it has been able to works with 11 tabs opened :roll_eyes:as protonmail, linkedin, accuradio and even a Youtube tab, usually in this machine Firefox wasn't able to play Youtube. It imports bookmarks and passwords (and sync them too) and supports multiple languages and lets to write in several at same time, the orthographe editor is very nice. The only inconvenience for me is that is very G focused even if is open source (but is a personal inconvenience because I try to get G out of my life as much as possible).

So, @Thanatermesis I propose to include by default in Elive 32 Superleggera Chromium and that installer suggest also Firefox and Vivaldi (if Vivaldi license has no problems with Elive).

I personally will use both, Chromium + Vivaldi and I'll priorise Vivaldi in my own system if I get to install multiple language support and solve the issue that avoid some pages like accuradio to play in.

I'm actually performing the test of media players, I hope give you my feedback in 2-3 days because I want to be sure of the pro/cons of every media player / skin

Bye

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