14 DAY TRIAL // ToriOS is a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS that is built to run on low-end computers. Also, it could be a very good solution for users who can't upgrade from Windows XP to something newer due to aging hardware.
Most of the Linux distributions out there are usually built for the current generation of hardware, but they are also able to perform decently on older computers.
There are also a few operating systems that are developed specifically to run on older machines, and ToriOS is one of them. The platform is still in development and it will take a while to finish it, but it's showing progress and an RC2 is already out.
There is a very good reason for the existence of ToriOS. It's based on Ubuntu, but the official flavors don't support non-PAE hardware, which was rather common just a few years back. PAE comes from Physical Address Extension and it basically means that 32-bit processors can use more than 4GB of memory.
It was a well-known issue with Windows OSes, but it's become pretty much extinct since the 64-bit processors became mainstream.
The Linux ecosystem circumvented this issue (sort of) by ditching the support for non-PAE-enabled hardware. It didn't go without a fight, but today it's difficult to find an OS that still has this feature. Tori OS is such a distro.
ToriOS is still under development
As we said before, the new operating system is based on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and the founder and project leader, Ali Linx, has said that it will continue to use only LTS versions in an effort to maintain the stability of the OS.
"ToriOS simply save the very old computers that are still working from being in trash. We believe that is a huge waste and one should never trash a computer machine while it is still can be useful and used. ToriOS promises to breathe new life into these very old machines and bring them back to action."
"Speaking of minimal, lightweight, simple, etc … ToriOS, after you login to your desktop, takes between 60MB to 70MB only from your physical RAM and it is designed to work on 128MB of RAM. However, nowadays websites require more power (CPU and RAM) so we ask for at least 256MB to be comfortable. But yes, our tests have showed that it can be installed and run with only 128MB of RAM," reads the official website.
Also, it's worth noting that ToriOS only features JWM (Joe's Window Manager) instead of a full desktop manager. This is a good method to ensure that the system requirements are as low as possible.
You can download ToriOS Apha 2 from Softpedia and give it a go. It's a Live CD and it seems to be working just fine in a virtual environment, but you will have to enable non-PAE support in order to make it work.
