As an engineer, I like Ubuntu's strong repository (has Scilab and software for programming microcontrollers) but would prefer something more lightweight, especially since Ubuntu ends support of older versions while making newer versions more power-hungry. With each revision, some users of older computers get cut off and forced to another distro.

I tried Debian, but it requires MUCH more tweaking to get it working, and it takes a LONG time to install it. I've been spoiled by Puppy Linux (so user-friendly and so lightweight), but it's software repository is weak, and I had difficulty with the Woof system (perhaps it will be better by 4.3.2 or 4.3.3).

So what other Linux distros have a good repository like Ubuntu and are at least as user-friendly but are lighter-weight?  What lightweight distros are compatible with the Ubuntu and/or Debian repository?  Are Slackware and Gentoo distros I should consider?  If they have strong repositories but are user-unfriendly, are there derivative distros that are compatible with their repositories?

-- 
Jason Hsu, Linux User <jhsu802701 at jasonhsu.com>