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wattOS
|
Reader supplied reviews for wattOS
Average rating
8.4 from 10 review(s)
Version: R12
Rating: 9
Date: 2023-07-07
Votes: 3
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I'm using this since a few months on my very low spec Asus X205TA (Atom Z3735G, 2 GiB RAM [not expandable], 32 GiB eMMC [not expandable]) and it really does what it says on the tin. Sure, given the very low RAM (and the slow eMMC) this PC has, I had to setup zswap, but the PC turns on and it's ready in a few seconds, then everything works very well.
The only complain I have is that installation fails on EFI32 hardware (yes, this PC has a 64bit 4-core processor but a 32bit EFI...) so you have to fix the bootloader yourself, which is not that much fun if you don't have experience.
Good alternatives to wattOs are Bodhi and LXLE. I had tried all three of them and chose the first as my favorite anyway.
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Version: R12
Rating: 8
Date: 2023-06-22
Votes: 9
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Fast, very fast. Has a very clean, fresh looking intuitive desktop. Running as Live CD at idle with wifi connected it came in at about 360MB. It is a very fast distro running circles around MX on the same hardware 16 year old hardware. I tested this as an alternative to the untrustworthy (in my judgement antiX). It is not quite as light at idle but it appears to load browsers etc faster. Also the desktop is more intuitive. In some respects this desktop reminds me of Q4OS in terms or practicality and ease of use. One negative is the lack of available docs,it seems they want you to sign up for a forum in order to even view documentation - what the kittens?
This is a desktop that will make old Window users immediately at home. If you are running old hardware you owe it to yourself to test WattOS along with SliTaz, Q4OS, Bodhi, FossaPup, LXLE, Porteus and BionicPup.
tfb
|
Version: R12
Rating: 5
Date: 2023-04-04
Votes: 3
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I installed this on an Dell Latitude E-6500. The install was easy enough and it does run with a very light "footprint" However there are some issues. There is no Date and Time adjustment, NTP function, driver manager or print support installed by default. These can be installed after the OS install, but you'd expect these basic functions to be installed by default. Flatpak applications do not integrate with the system menu, even when installed through the Gnome software manager. I couldn't recommend this Distro for a novice. Watt OS R-12 is still a "work in progress".
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Version: R12
Rating: 9
Date: 2023-03-25
Votes: 5
|
...I give it a 9 but should be a 10...It is LXDE and one of the LAST of a dying linux breed of "flavors". I'm a SENIOR and have been using LINUX since LINDOWS - and prefer openbox simplicity and clean looks, its highly configurable! I realize WattOs is made for lightweight, but a package update notifier is lacking - it is available in SYNAPTIC though! As to printer hookup, well, printers are using driverless printing today and CUPS is changing things...wirelessly, etc. Debian #11 should last a while for now... Works on my Lenovo thinkpad T540P and plan to install on several seniors towers as their primary OS in the NEAR future. Most are older models of i3-i5 chipsets with stock memory. Other than that, for the average surfer and user - WattOS is a WAVE above for me!
Much appreciative this OS has been REVITALIZED to todays LINUX standards of "CHOICE"...
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Version: R12
Rating: 9
Date: 2023-02-18
Votes: 0
|
I run an older laptop, so am always looking at light distros that don't tax the system too much, and wattOS seem to fit the bill quite nicely.
I appreciate as well that the default selection of apps is small, as otherwise I tend to spend a great deal of time uninstalling apps that I don't need (since boomer me is not a working power user, that means that many of the apps you might find necessary are just landfill for me). But since we are using the massive Debian repos, and Synaptic is installed, everything that you might need should be there at your fingertips. You don't even have to drop to CLI to get it done.
In my trials I didn't push the envelope much, but did use it to test out some items that I had heard interesting things about (like the Brave and Min browsers). In my runs in installing various the things that I tend to use, Synaptic would occasionally throw up a caution/error message where something failed to run due to incorrect permissions and rights, yet everything seemed to install and run none-the-less. Therefore I didn't delve into any possible issues there.
So overall, I found R12 to be a quite capable desktop experience that didn't throw me any curves or lead me into any dead ends. On that I can recommend it to folks. Really, the only thing keeping me from hitting a 10 on the meter is the init software, and I know that sort of outs me as an outlier. But to the average user with average needs, this distro is solid and capable.
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Version: R12
Rating: 8
Date: 2023-01-12
Votes: 4
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I keep an eye on distros aiming to low power and memory consumption and I can say straight away that WattOS has been up to the task.
Very minimal memory footprint at startup 480mb~. Very responsive desktop. Stays under 2GB memory usage even under heavier loads.
The general feeling I got is that of an improved / more polished version of the standard Debian LXDE desktop without the bloat.
Preinstalled software is very limited indeed but this makes sense. WattOS installation media is one of the smallest in Linux World at ~1.2GB.
Yet the small ISO size must have been the reason why WattOS installer did not complete installation offline. It is understandable to require active network connection but users should have been at least warned ahead of starting the installation. Mabox for instance warned me that I must be online to install it.
Default dark theme is pleasant but I prefer light themes for increased legibility. "Customize feel n look" app made the switch to Adwaita theme / icons a matter of seconds. Desktop now looked more traditional / old-fashioned but easier to work with.
The only somewhat serious problem I had was with flatpaks. I keep receiving the message "'/var/lib/flatpak/exports/share'
'/home/myusername/.local/share/flatpak/exports/share' are not in the search path set by the XDG_DATA_DIRS environment variable, so applications installed by Flatpak may not appear on your desktop until the session is restarted." Reboot unlike in other DEs does not solve this problem. I tried a few workarounds. No luck. Only way to create menu entries for the one or two essential flatpaks I have to use was by creating symbolic links to /usr/share/applications or creating custom menu entries. Not biggie in my books. Still an inconvenience.
If you're familiar with Debian n debian distros, you'll find WattOS pleasant and a good base on which to build a lightweight system tailored to your needs.
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Version: R12
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-12-01
Votes: 3
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Awesome discovery!
I had never heard of wattOS, until Distrowatch announced the appearance of R12 two weeks ago. Downloaded, put on a Ventoy stick, smooth installation (important for me: Calamares allows the use of a pre-formatted partition with my choice of UUID & label, my choice if and where to install grub), booted just fine with ~ 350 MB memory usage after opening the terminal.
The preinstalled software bundle seems spartan to me, after all the ISO has 1.2 GB. I'm okay with that, easy to `apt install` just my preferred apps. After that, e.g. abiword & gnumeric instead of libreoffice, the disk usage is merely 4.7 GB. Very snappy, excellent performance, look & feel perfect for me!
For the last years LXLE has been one of my favourites, but this one is better - considering that the former came up with a 'new' release based on Ubuntu 20.04 this summer and eats more resources. As a fan of LTS releases I'm happy with the Debian 11 base.
Cons? No tool for printer setup - however after installing cups that's a piece of cake. I haven't found out yet why the repos are locked often, apt telling me that I have to wait xx hours until they are available to the public again. This behaviour is new to me.
For an average user with average Linux skills no reason for a score deduction.
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Version: R12
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-11-27
Votes: 3
|
Downloaded the R12 version. Ran the live usb testing on a Dell 3636 desktop and a Dell Inspiron 3340 laptop.
It detected the wifi in both desktop and laptop. Keyboard, mouse and touchpad (laptop) were also detected.
Firefox ESR worked quickly and well as long as you don't open many tabs.
Very low power consumption was detected in the laptop (even when running youtube)
Basic home file structure. Other folders like Videos, Templates, etc can be easily added.
This is a basic no frills distro with Debian in the LXQT desktop. It is easy to learn and manuver.
I also installed the Chrome browser and added extensions to both browsers.
I heartily recommend to anyone who wants a simple system that doesn't need much tweaking to get it to run.
Good for old and new computers.
PS.... If you need a more advanced distro with excellent out of the box adjustment, I recommend SparkyLinux Xfce but then that
would be another review.
WattOS R12 I give a 10 out of 10 review.
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Version: R12
Rating: 6
Date: 2022-11-25
Votes: 1
|
So wanted this to work
Installed on MacBook late 2009 and was intending to put on an old Dell Inspiron 5000 series
At first it looked like it could be a goer but then lots of freezing.
Pros:
- seems fast for a debian based distro
- light weight
- flatpak support built in
Cons:
- seems to freeze readily when a few tabs or programs running
- a lot of time under the bonnet command line needed
The period of no development is a little eyebrow raising, but, then so is the pleasant surprise when an old distro re-emerges
Hope they sort the freezing out...
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Version: R12
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-11-19
Votes: 15
|
First of all it is what it says. An energy saver distro,very light in resources and extremely fast. I installed this os yesterday and I'm really impressed cause i was using the antix os for a year now.
The average temperature of CPU is between 43-45C which is absolute magnificent. If you have a 11 years old laptop like i do,the first thing you check is the average temperature cause a lot of linux distros make your pc overheating due to the lack of fitting well with the intel/amd cards etc.
Also in Watt os the ram consuming is extremely low. Its 330-340 in idle situation and cpu consuming is zero to none
The LXDE desktop is very steady compared to antix icewm manager which makes the screen blinking alot
The Watt os guys really did a nice work to put everything in the right place cause another thing i noticed is that firefox esr behaves alot better than of firefox esr in antix os. The scrolling is much better when youre browsing and the loading times in every website are extremely fast,considering the fact that firefox esr is not the fastest browser out there. Probably this happens cause Watt os guys chose to put in os the applications an average user should need and not a crazy large amount of applications which serve nothing
Althought i expected the claws email out of the box and mpv instead of vlc it didnt bother me cause i installed them later along with libre writer. Firefox ESR+claws+mpv(or vlc)+audacious+libre office is all the apps you need and you can have them in this distro so no big deal
As of the printer install and settings its very easy due to synaptics package manager to get the HPLIP toolbox and whatever you need from installations to updates the synaptics package manager is a reliable source
Yeah i think I'm alot excited about the Watt distro and i hope for everyone to give it a try especially if you own an old laptop/notebook cause honestly is worth it.
PROS
Very fast and light on resourses just what the watt os guys say
Best tuning i've ever seen between the applications and system which makes the distro user-friendly with everyday task
Calamares installation is ridiculous easy,not a problem at all. Boot loading time is ok,everything works fine
You dont have to be an advanced linux user for the Watt os. Very easy-handling
CONS
The Watt os forum has to be expanded. I understand that there was an absence for a couple of years but i hope the watt community to get back and get growing with many new users like me also
The touchpad settings. Watt os has only configurations for keyboard and mouse so you have to add some parameters in home/config file to get your touchpad back in life
The absence of redshift-like application. In my opinion every distro should have a color temperature-tuning application out of the box cause people spend a lot of time infront of a screen
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Latest Reviews
Project: wattOS
Version: R12
Rating: 9
Date: 2023-07-07
Votes: 3
|
I'm using this since a few months on my very low spec Asus X205TA (Atom Z3735G, 2 GiB RAM [not expandable], 32 GiB eMMC [not expandable]) and it really does what it says on the tin. Sure, given the very low RAM (and the slow eMMC) this PC has, I had to setup zswap, but the PC turns on and it's ready in a few seconds, then everything works very well.
The only complain I have is that installation fails on EFI32 hardware (yes, this PC has a 64bit 4-core processor but a 32bit EFI...) so you have to fix the bootloader yourself, which is not that much fun if you don't have experience.
Good alternatives to wattOs are Bodhi and LXLE. I had tried all three of them and chose the first as my favorite anyway.
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Project: wattOS
Version: R12
Rating: 8
Date: 2023-06-22
Votes: 9
|
Fast, very fast. Has a very clean, fresh looking intuitive desktop. Running as Live CD at idle with wifi connected it came in at about 360MB. It is a very fast distro running circles around MX on the same hardware 16 year old hardware. I tested this as an alternative to the untrustworthy (in my judgement antiX). It is not quite as light at idle but it appears to load browsers etc faster. Also the desktop is more intuitive. In some respects this desktop reminds me of Q4OS in terms or practicality and ease of use. One negative is the lack of available docs,it seems they want you to sign up for a forum in order to even view documentation - what the kittens?
This is a desktop that will make old Window users immediately at home. If you are running old hardware you owe it to yourself to test WattOS along with SliTaz, Q4OS, Bodhi, FossaPup, LXLE, Porteus and BionicPup.
tfb
|
Project: wattOS
Version: R12
Rating: 5
Date: 2023-04-04
Votes: 3
|
I installed this on an Dell Latitude E-6500. The install was easy enough and it does run with a very light "footprint" However there are some issues. There is no Date and Time adjustment, NTP function, driver manager or print support installed by default. These can be installed after the OS install, but you'd expect these basic functions to be installed by default. Flatpak applications do not integrate with the system menu, even when installed through the Gnome software manager. I couldn't recommend this Distro for a novice. Watt OS R-12 is still a "work in progress".
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Project: wattOS
Version: R12
Rating: 9
Date: 2023-03-25
Votes: 5
|
...I give it a 9 but should be a 10...It is LXDE and one of the LAST of a dying linux breed of "flavors". I'm a SENIOR and have been using LINUX since LINDOWS - and prefer openbox simplicity and clean looks, its highly configurable! I realize WattOs is made for lightweight, but a package update notifier is lacking - it is available in SYNAPTIC though! As to printer hookup, well, printers are using driverless printing today and CUPS is changing things...wirelessly, etc. Debian #11 should last a while for now... Works on my Lenovo thinkpad T540P and plan to install on several seniors towers as their primary OS in the NEAR future. Most are older models of i3-i5 chipsets with stock memory. Other than that, for the average surfer and user - WattOS is a WAVE above for me!
Much appreciative this OS has been REVITALIZED to todays LINUX standards of "CHOICE"...
|
Project: wattOS
Version: R12
Rating: 9
Date: 2023-02-18
Votes: 0
|
I run an older laptop, so am always looking at light distros that don't tax the system too much, and wattOS seem to fit the bill quite nicely.
I appreciate as well that the default selection of apps is small, as otherwise I tend to spend a great deal of time uninstalling apps that I don't need (since boomer me is not a working power user, that means that many of the apps you might find necessary are just landfill for me). But since we are using the massive Debian repos, and Synaptic is installed, everything that you might need should be there at your fingertips. You don't even have to drop to CLI to get it done.
In my trials I didn't push the envelope much, but did use it to test out some items that I had heard interesting things about (like the Brave and Min browsers). In my runs in installing various the things that I tend to use, Synaptic would occasionally throw up a caution/error message where something failed to run due to incorrect permissions and rights, yet everything seemed to install and run none-the-less. Therefore I didn't delve into any possible issues there.
So overall, I found R12 to be a quite capable desktop experience that didn't throw me any curves or lead me into any dead ends. On that I can recommend it to folks. Really, the only thing keeping me from hitting a 10 on the meter is the init software, and I know that sort of outs me as an outlier. But to the average user with average needs, this distro is solid and capable.
|
Project: wattOS
Version: R12
Rating: 8
Date: 2023-01-12
Votes: 4
|
I keep an eye on distros aiming to low power and memory consumption and I can say straight away that WattOS has been up to the task.
Very minimal memory footprint at startup 480mb~. Very responsive desktop. Stays under 2GB memory usage even under heavier loads.
The general feeling I got is that of an improved / more polished version of the standard Debian LXDE desktop without the bloat.
Preinstalled software is very limited indeed but this makes sense. WattOS installation media is one of the smallest in Linux World at ~1.2GB.
Yet the small ISO size must have been the reason why WattOS installer did not complete installation offline. It is understandable to require active network connection but users should have been at least warned ahead of starting the installation. Mabox for instance warned me that I must be online to install it.
Default dark theme is pleasant but I prefer light themes for increased legibility. "Customize feel n look" app made the switch to Adwaita theme / icons a matter of seconds. Desktop now looked more traditional / old-fashioned but easier to work with.
The only somewhat serious problem I had was with flatpaks. I keep receiving the message "'/var/lib/flatpak/exports/share'
'/home/myusername/.local/share/flatpak/exports/share' are not in the search path set by the XDG_DATA_DIRS environment variable, so applications installed by Flatpak may not appear on your desktop until the session is restarted." Reboot unlike in other DEs does not solve this problem. I tried a few workarounds. No luck. Only way to create menu entries for the one or two essential flatpaks I have to use was by creating symbolic links to /usr/share/applications or creating custom menu entries. Not biggie in my books. Still an inconvenience.
If you're familiar with Debian n debian distros, you'll find WattOS pleasant and a good base on which to build a lightweight system tailored to your needs.
|
Project: wattOS
Version: R12
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-12-01
Votes: 3
|
Awesome discovery!
I had never heard of wattOS, until Distrowatch announced the appearance of R12 two weeks ago. Downloaded, put on a Ventoy stick, smooth installation (important for me: Calamares allows the use of a pre-formatted partition with my choice of UUID & label, my choice if and where to install grub), booted just fine with ~ 350 MB memory usage after opening the terminal.
The preinstalled software bundle seems spartan to me, after all the ISO has 1.2 GB. I'm okay with that, easy to `apt install` just my preferred apps. After that, e.g. abiword & gnumeric instead of libreoffice, the disk usage is merely 4.7 GB. Very snappy, excellent performance, look & feel perfect for me!
For the last years LXLE has been one of my favourites, but this one is better - considering that the former came up with a 'new' release based on Ubuntu 20.04 this summer and eats more resources. As a fan of LTS releases I'm happy with the Debian 11 base.
Cons? No tool for printer setup - however after installing cups that's a piece of cake. I haven't found out yet why the repos are locked often, apt telling me that I have to wait xx hours until they are available to the public again. This behaviour is new to me.
For an average user with average Linux skills no reason for a score deduction.
|
Project: wattOS
Version: R12
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-11-27
Votes: 3
|
Downloaded the R12 version. Ran the live usb testing on a Dell 3636 desktop and a Dell Inspiron 3340 laptop.
It detected the wifi in both desktop and laptop. Keyboard, mouse and touchpad (laptop) were also detected.
Firefox ESR worked quickly and well as long as you don't open many tabs.
Very low power consumption was detected in the laptop (even when running youtube)
Basic home file structure. Other folders like Videos, Templates, etc can be easily added.
This is a basic no frills distro with Debian in the LXQT desktop. It is easy to learn and manuver.
I also installed the Chrome browser and added extensions to both browsers.
I heartily recommend to anyone who wants a simple system that doesn't need much tweaking to get it to run.
Good for old and new computers.
PS.... If you need a more advanced distro with excellent out of the box adjustment, I recommend SparkyLinux Xfce but then that
would be another review.
WattOS R12 I give a 10 out of 10 review.
|
Project: wattOS
Version: R12
Rating: 6
Date: 2022-11-25
Votes: 1
|
So wanted this to work
Installed on MacBook late 2009 and was intending to put on an old Dell Inspiron 5000 series
At first it looked like it could be a goer but then lots of freezing.
Pros:
- seems fast for a debian based distro
- light weight
- flatpak support built in
Cons:
- seems to freeze readily when a few tabs or programs running
- a lot of time under the bonnet command line needed
The period of no development is a little eyebrow raising, but, then so is the pleasant surprise when an old distro re-emerges
Hope they sort the freezing out...
|
Project: wattOS
Version: R12
Rating: 10
Date: 2022-11-19
Votes: 15
|
First of all it is what it says. An energy saver distro,very light in resources and extremely fast. I installed this os yesterday and I'm really impressed cause i was using the antix os for a year now.
The average temperature of CPU is between 43-45C which is absolute magnificent. If you have a 11 years old laptop like i do,the first thing you check is the average temperature cause a lot of linux distros make your pc overheating due to the lack of fitting well with the intel/amd cards etc.
Also in Watt os the ram consuming is extremely low. Its 330-340 in idle situation and cpu consuming is zero to none
The LXDE desktop is very steady compared to antix icewm manager which makes the screen blinking alot
The Watt os guys really did a nice work to put everything in the right place cause another thing i noticed is that firefox esr behaves alot better than of firefox esr in antix os. The scrolling is much better when youre browsing and the loading times in every website are extremely fast,considering the fact that firefox esr is not the fastest browser out there. Probably this happens cause Watt os guys chose to put in os the applications an average user should need and not a crazy large amount of applications which serve nothing
Althought i expected the claws email out of the box and mpv instead of vlc it didnt bother me cause i installed them later along with libre writer. Firefox ESR+claws+mpv(or vlc)+audacious+libre office is all the apps you need and you can have them in this distro so no big deal
As of the printer install and settings its very easy due to synaptics package manager to get the HPLIP toolbox and whatever you need from installations to updates the synaptics package manager is a reliable source
Yeah i think I'm alot excited about the Watt distro and i hope for everyone to give it a try especially if you own an old laptop/notebook cause honestly is worth it.
PROS
Very fast and light on resourses just what the watt os guys say
Best tuning i've ever seen between the applications and system which makes the distro user-friendly with everyday task
Calamares installation is ridiculous easy,not a problem at all. Boot loading time is ok,everything works fine
You dont have to be an advanced linux user for the Watt os. Very easy-handling
CONS
The Watt os forum has to be expanded. I understand that there was an absence for a couple of years but i hope the watt community to get back and get growing with many new users like me also
The touchpad settings. Watt os has only configurations for keyboard and mouse so you have to add some parameters in home/config file to get your touchpad back in life
The absence of redshift-like application. In my opinion every distro should have a color temperature-tuning application out of the box cause people spend a lot of time infront of a screen
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