Projects

These are a few projects that evolved over the life of this blog, some of which have become less and less appealing as my own experiences with Linux played out. Since I am personally more interested in Linux as an option for reviving old hardware, many of these are the fruits of efforts to make Ubuntu Linux play nicely on very-low-end machines. Some are just “efforts.” 🙄

Lookalike Windows XP Classic

I don’t endorse or even suggest mangling Linux to look like Windows — after all, Linux is infinitely more customizable than anything Windows can offer. Making it look like Windows is like making the prom queen wear an old houserobe.

On the other hand, my own perverse curiosity has, over time, yielded a rather striking knockoff of the Windows Classic theme that comes with XP — and it has fooled more than one unsuspecting visitor. So it must be at least a little convincing. …

Set up Ubuntu for Speed

Early versions of Ubuntu, which is to say before 9.04, were exceedingly slow to start and operate on old hardware. As a result, I collected a long list of tweaks and tips that improved system performance, and dubbed it “Set up Ubuntu for speed.” The final manifestation, which corresponds roughly to the release of Ubuntu 8.10, is here.

Early versions date all the way back to Edgy Eft (and technically, Dapper Drake). A few of these are not particularly useful, since those versions have reached their end-of-life. Most of these were downloadable, in either HTML or Zim format, but those files have since disappeared from the hosting service.

Set up Edgy | Feisty | Gutsy | Hardy for Speed

Ubuntu GTK1.2 Remix

Similarly, around the end of 2008, I released a customized version of Ubuntu into the wild. Christened “Ubuntu GTK1.2 Remix,” it was intended to use purely GTK1.2 and Xaw-based software on the then-current LTS Ubuntu 8.04. Results were mixed; it’s technically still functional, although I don’t manage it any longer and I doubt an ISO can even be found. Feel free to experiment, if you can find it.