Slimmest and fastest linux?

[piergen]

I am looking for a stable but lightning fast and stable Linux.
For this project I will use the Linux as a HOST for vmware GUEST OS.

What would be the fastest and slimmest Linux to use as Host os?

[rokytnji]

Crux is pretty fast as the Crux users here will tell you.

[oz]

What would be the fastest and slimmest Linux to use as Host os?

Now that fast has been covered, CRUX can be really slim too, if it's allowed to be.

[piergen]

Ok thx. I will read more about Crux. How is crux compared to say Arch, cause I have had other telling me arch is great.

I mean the overall goal here is to run all virtual machines as stable and fast as possible and I cant have the host OS hogging recources.

[oz]

Ok thx. I will read more about Crux. How is crux compared to say Arch, cause I have had other telling me arch is great.

Arch is great, but CRUX is also great! CRUX is harder to install and a little more work to maintain, but it's the perfect distro for those that run it. I've been running Arch for the last 6 years and love it, but like CRUX, too.

The best thing to do would be to try both and then decide which you like best.

[piergen]

From Wikipedia:

CRUX is a lightweight, i686-optimized GNU/Linux distribution targeted at experienced GNU/Linux users and delivered by a tar.gz-based package system with BSD-style initscripts. It also utilizes a ports system to install and upgrade applications.[2] The current release is 2.7.

What does it mean tar.gz based package system?
Will everything added have to managed manually, or will a general update via terminal take care of whatever I added too?

Tar.gz means manual labour right? One can't use terminal like i ubuntu? Like this maybe:

sudo apt-get install apache

[oz]

CRUX uses tar.gz packages that must be compiled during installation rather than binary packages that come pre-compiled. Certain packages can take quite a while to compile while others can be pretty quick overall. Gentoo is another distribution that compiles packages from source as they are being installed.

[rokytnji]

sudo apt-get install apache

If You want to use apt-get

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/In...tion/MinimalCD

Debian -- Network install from a minimal CD

[piergen]

I am sure one would be able to learn how to compile. But I am not sure how to manage updates easily after one has compiled a tar.gz package.

I belive to have read somewhere that if one compile rather using apt-get then one would have to manage updates manually. Is that correct for ALL Linux system or could it be this only apply for ubuntu?

And if so are we talking serious manual labour to keep system up to date or is there any smart tricks one can use via terminal?

[Dapper Dan]

As has been said, CRUX is blisteringly fast and you start with a very minimal install from CD and build from there. Updating your system is not a problem. I just updated mine and everything's working perfectly. All you do to update is:

prt-get sysup

Installing packages is easy too although you will from time to time run into a compile problems. To install a package and solve dependencies automatically:

prt-get depinst packagename

With CRUX, you'll need to know how to compile the kernel to run with your hardware.