



Click to viewWhile Linux is pretty efficient with a computer's resources out of the box, there are still ways you can make it run leaner and meaner on your desktop. Using a little bit of know-how, a willingness to run a few terminal commands, and a mind for efficiency, you can get every last bit of power from your Linux box, or get more life from an older system. Read on for a roundup of ways to slim down and speed up Linux that any level of user can implement.


One quick note: Many of these tweaks require altering system files, disabling processes or otherwise changing how your system runs. Whenever you alter a system file, back it up. The easiest way is to open a terminal and create a ".backup" version of it. For instance, to back up the /etc/hosts file, open a terminal and type:

sudo cp /etc/hosts /etc/hosts.backup

More importantly, if you're unsure of anything, don't do it.

Prune your processes

The easiest and safest way to free up memory in any Linux system is to stop unnecessary programs and background processes from running, and then get your system to remember how you like it. Most Linux distributions have a tool in their "System" or "Administration" menus that let you see what's going on and halt things, if necessary—in Ubuntu, there are two of them: System->Preferences->Sessions, and System->Administration->Services.


On every computer I've loaded Linux onto, there are a few startup programs I almost always disable from the "Sessions" menu. I don't sync my phone to my computer and use Thunderbird instead of the built-in Evolution, so the Bluetooth Manager and Evolution Alarm Notifier are first to go. Before touching anything in the "Services" window, consult this ExtremeTech guide for pointers on what is and isn't safe to turn off. As mentioned in the guide, Ubuntu (like most distro GUIs) only sees a few of the many services your computer is running. If you really want to fine-tune your system, you can install the sysv-rc-conf package found in many distros and surgically remove unnecessary background programs—but I'll reiterate that point made above about backing up and making only a few changes at a time.

Install Lighter, Faster Applications


Full-featured, well-rounded programs like Firefox, OpenOffice.org, and Amarok are a big part of the growth in Linux users. For computers running tight on memory, however, they can make Linux feel less like the streamlined system it's meant to be. For users who only need the basics, there are lighter-weight alternative applications that take up less memory and move a little swifter.


Remove extra virtual terminals

Virtual terminals are a good tool to have—they offer a last-ditch escape to command line for a chance to fix things in a crashing system. But many Linux systems come with six of them enabled, which isn't usually necessary. You can usually disable five of them with few consequences. If you're using Gutsy, open a terminal and type in the following commands:

cd /etc/event.d



sudo mv tty3 tty3.bak



sudo mv tty4 tty4.bak

... and so on, through the tty6 file. If you're still on Feisty or other Linux distros, you'll likely have to edit the file in /etc/inittab and add a # character in front of the lines ending with tty3, tty4 and the like.


Reduce swappiness


If your system generally has enough memory to handle what you throw at it, your use of swap space should be minimal, but your system doesn't know that. To temporarily lower your swappiness, type the following command into a terminal (replacing "sudo" with "su" in some systems):

Learn More About Swap Space Swap space, the hard drive portion used as temporary memory by Linux systems, is often one of the… Read more

sudo sysctl -w vm.swappiness=10

To make that fix permanent, enter the following command (trading "gedit" for "kate" in KDE systems, or "nano" or "vi" if you have neither):

sudo gedit /etc/sysctl.conf

In the file that comes up, look for the line vm.swappiness=x and change the value to 10, or add the line if it doesn't exist.


Get good with the terminal


You've heard us evangelize about the efficiency of terminals before, but it's especially true in Linux. Give your terminal a handy keyboard shortcut, keep a list of basic commands handy, and learn to write bash scripts, create command shortcuts and find anything from one no-nonsense interface.


Five more tips and guides to speeding up your system


How do you optimize your Linux desktop? Let us know in the comments.

Kevin Purdy, Lifehacker's newest Associate Editor, digs finding optimization tips. His weekly feature will appear every Friday on Lifehacker.