DIY 64 bit Mint 12 Lisa LXDE

[Miami592]

There have been numerous requests for Mint 12 LXDE 64 bit. While the team has decided not to make a 64 bit version, there is a DIY workaround.


This 64 bit LXDE will not be as lightweight as the 32 bit version developed by Clem and the team, but chances are if you want a 64 bit version, you’re not exactly running a low resource machine to begin with.


Step 1: Install 64 bit main version of Linux Mint 12- I know I know, It’s gnome 3, It’s only temporary. It’s best to have it set for password on each log-in right now. Make sure you are configured and fully up to date before moving on to the next step.


Step 2: Install aftermarket LXDE- Open a terminal and type the following command:

Code: Select all

sudo apt-get install lxde

Provide your password when prompted and let the magic happen!


Step 3: Reboot- When you get to the log-in screen, click the gear in the upper right hand side of the password box. When the drop list appears lick on “LXDE” and log-in normally.


Voila! Welcome to Linux Mint 12 LXDE 64 bit! You will have all the goodies of the 64 bit main version on the LXDE desktop. If you have a question on doing this or tweaking the DE just send your question in a reply to this post.

Hope someone else finds this useful,

M5

[sagirfahmid3]

I don't mean to be a party pooper, but this is common knowledge. The installed LXDE from the repo will perform fast, not slow, so the below statement is wrong.

This 64 bit LXDE will not be as lightweight as the 32 bit version developed by Clem and the team

Mint LXDE is just LXDE with a different profile made--icons, themes, backgrounds, etc.

You don't need to restart your computer.
Installing LXDE in one step: "sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install lxde"
You don't need to do anything else, that's basically it up there ^^

[Miami592]

You're not party pooping at all.

You're just giving a different perspective.

It may be "common knowledge" for those in the know. That being said, I wrote that post for mint newbs, many of whom would be coming from MSFT or AAPL OS's and need a bit of hand holding.

As for your statement that aftermarket LXDE systems run faster than Mint XX LXDE, my experience has been that the aftermarket LXDE install uses between 40-95mb more ram than Mint XX LXDE. I know I've only tested on 3 different machines and two different versions (Katya & Lisa) but those are my findings.

Thanks for posting the simpler way to install aftermarket LXDE. I hope it proves useful to the many who ask for 64 bit LXDE.

As for never needing to restart after installing, I would agree with you for the most part. There have been occasions in the past where I've installed a new DE and had problems when I simply log out & back in. I don't see the harm in a normal restart. Perhaps that's just the MSFT & AAPL refugee mentality I still have.

Many thanks,

M5

[nunol]

... but this is common knowledge.

Probably not to everyone that requested a 64bit version of Mint 12 LXDE.

Also allows you to have the LXDE desktop (64bit or 32bit) without having to wait for the official version. Works for other DE/WM.

The installed LXDE from the repo will perform fast, not slow...

LXDE should be fast on any x86-64 CPU out there.

Building the DIY 64bit LXDE on top of the 64bit Gnome will use more RAM than the 32bit Mint 12 LXDE because 64bit uses more RAM than 32bit and there is some Gnome stuff in there. It all depends on the amount of RAM of the system:
- With 256MB the 64bit version will be a problem to install and run but the 32bit version will install and work OK.
- With 512MB of RAM the 64bit should work (could be slow because of trashing during install, when using Firefox or LibreOffice, etc) but the 32bit version should run fine.
- With more than 512MB of RAM both should run fine.
He was not wrong and because most CPU's capable of x86-64 should have more than 512MB of RAM or more you are not wrong either. The difference between a DIY Mint 12 LXDE 64bit version and the genuine Mint 12 LXDE 64bit should be small for computers with 1024MB of RAM or more.

The Mint 12 LXDE repo is here and packages are not arch specific: http://packages.linuxmint.com/list.php? ... =Lisa-LXDE

[Miami592]

Thanks Nunol. That repo looks to be quite the resource.