When comparing TinyCore vs SparkyLinux, the Slant community recommends TinyCore for most people. In the question“What are the best Linux distributions for desktops?” TinyCore is ranked 42nd while SparkyLinux is ranked 67th. The most important reason people chose TinyCore is:
Can be as small as about 9MB, and with even X, wireless modules, and more, it takes up only 72MB.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro VERY small
Can be as small as about 9MB, and with even X, wireless modules, and more, it takes up only 72MB.
Pro Surprisingly customizable
Fluxbox window manager is especially slick looking all considered, and the options one gets with it's toolbar, app bar, and wallpaper are surprisingly complex for such a small distro.
Pro Use of tcz packages stored on media outside of MyData
Pro Based on Debian
You have access to a large user repository, Ubuntu guides can mostly be applied since both are based on Debian.
Pro Rolling or Stable Choice
You have the option for Sparky to be based on Stable or Non-Stable, bringing greater flexibility to user priorities.
Pro Lightweight core
Sparky is designed to be lightweight in it's core. It is based on Debian but optimised for old hardware, meaning you can run a full heavy desktop environment on a lightweight foundation, bringing greater performance compared to similar Debian or Ubuntu-based distros.
Pro All vanilla desktop environments available
Any Linux desktop in it's vanilla form can be installed on top of Sparky, whether that be alongside a pre-existing environment, or on top of a basic command line system. Furthermore, the command line system is easy to operate due to Sparky's advanced installer utility, from which you can choose whichever desktop environment you desire, straight from the Debian repositories. Guidance is on their website.
Pro Rolling Release
Cons
Con Not visually appealing
The operating system is not very pretty.
Con Can be somewhat slow to turn on
Once it is up and going it is unrivaled in speed, but it can be sluggish when it comes to turning on, restarting, or turning off.
