[tlug] Ubuntu on just 256 MB?

[Jean-Christian Imbeault <jc.imbeault@example.com>]

First off, thanks to everyone who pointed me to various ways of
installing Linux without a CD.

I've managed to install Ubuntu's netbook version on my g/f's Vaio
netbook but it takes forever to start and is really slow. I'm running
update right now and it's been going for about 30 minutes and hasn't
finished. Gnome is *incredibly* sluggish and bordering on
unresponsiveness.

I've just realized that the netbook is a 2004 model and has only 256
MB of memory (http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/Products/VGN-T70B/). Since it
had Windows XP on it I was assuming that Ubuntu should run without any
issues but was I wrong? Are there any setting I should be looking at
to make it more responsive?

Or does someone recommend a distro other than Ubuntu for such a low
spec netbook?

Thanks,

Jc