Memory usage of LXDE on Acer Aspire One

[mmutoo]

Hi everybody. I am trying to make my netbook WORK, since with Win 7 starter it actually just boots up and all the system resources are used to keep the OS alive. I used bodhi linux and I think it is a great option and I love it. However, E17 is a bit buggy and I see some strange behaviors once a while. So I was thinking to make it a dual boot system using LinuxMint LXDE 11. I used the live CD to make a USB. Booted up. The system is responsive. I am only concerned about memory usage. With bodhi I have around 100MB. When I bootup with LinuxMint LXDE the usage is 190MB immediately after boot. I checked the processes in the task manager. You see the top memory using processes (RSS column) below. Also I tried the Lite version of Zorin OS, and just for comparison you see the equivalent processes.

NOW, my question is:
1) What is applet.py (it has two instances running, and I guess it is somehow related to python process)?
2) Why all the equivalent running processes in Zorin use a bit less memory than Mint? (It is not for some, it is for all processes, even those in the bottom of the list. It is a systematic thing!).

---------------- LinuxMint LXDE / Zorin 5 Lite
applet.py----> 16.5 / NA
applet.py----> 16.5 / NA
jocky-backend--->15.8 / NA
nm-applet---> 14.4 / 12.8 (Network manager)
lxpanel----> 13.5 / 11.8
python----> 12.4 / NA
lxtask---> 12.4 / 10.5
pcmanfm---> 11.9 / 10.2
notify.osd---> 11.6 / 11.3
xorg---> 11.3 / 10.4
gnome-power---> 10.1 / 9.7


WOW! I just wrote a report. If I have done my research like this, I would be somebody by now! It is called procrastinating BTW!

[bobpur]

I, also, have an Acer Aspire One (D257-13450) Set up the way you describe. With mine I maxed out the RAM at 2 gbs and put in a 500 gb 7200 rpm hard drive.
These changes made Win 7 Starter a lot easier to live with. I did an OEM install of Win 7 Starter and for a distro I, first, tried Lubuntu 11.04. It was OK but it had shutdown issues. I had to use the power button to finish turning my netbook off.
Next came Linux Mint 11 LXDE. No problems whatsoever. It's responsive and more fully featured than Lubuntu.

The Applets that you refer to are probably items on your system tray or some form of sensor on your desktop. I'm just guessing here based on what an applet is.
I do not have your memory issues in Linux Mint. I do get pop-ups in Windows 7 Starter about "High memory usage detected by Internet Explorer." Mostly when I'm on Youtube or something with a lot of graphics activity.

These little machines,as good as they are, are not powerhouses. Even with the changes I stated earlier; I think my Acer is bottlenecked by the processor. Not much you can do about that except get a bigger, heavier, and more costly machine.

Good luck.

[mmutoo]

Thanks bobpur! Yes I see. The problem is exactly the CPU. I do not want to increase the memory since I have a more powerful machine. This is just used for basic surfing and emergencies. I tried bodhi on it but it is too basic and E17 is a bit buggy. I had strange behavior on it. Now I installed Mint LXDE 11 and so far, everything is OK. Lubuntu is lighter but it needs a lot of tweaks. About the applets you might be right. I have to investigate them more unless a geek guy shows up around

Thanks anyways.

[nunol]

How to fix the two update managers:
viewtopic.php?f=175&t=79639&hilit=+autostart

You should check this thread to get more free RAM out of your Mint LXDE:
viewtopic.php?f=175&t=84454&hilit=+autostart

[Pjotr]

You might uninstall jockey. This is the service that checks whether you have an Nvidia or ATI video card etc., and provides a closed source driver from the manufacturor. If that's not applicable, you can safely remove it.

This will probably free up 16 MB which is apparently now used by jockey-backend. Don't forget to reboot after uninstalling jockey.

[mmutoo]

@Pjotr: Thanks! I did remove it.
@nunol: Thanks! I did the steps in the second post you advised. And I disabled the updater completely. However, I still have two applet.py processes running. Does anybody know what are they?

Thank you again guys.

[Pjotr]

You're welcome.

About the applets: I don't know. Important rule: when you are in doubt or unsure, do not remove.

[mmutoo]

I found the path to the two applet.py processes! It is /usr/share/system-config-printer/applet.py.

[nunol]

If you don't use a printer (or print to pdf) you can remove all that.