What is the lightest distro for using Debian/Ubuntu packages

Which distro uses lowest system resource (when installed on hard_disk/usb) where I can install software from Debian OR Ubuntu repository?

I found Quelitu which is based on Lubuntu, but uses less memory as given on their site. There are lighter distros but most of them are based on Slackware. I don't have much experience so want some expert opinion. Thank you in advance.

-Ripu

Bachata linux is perhaps the lightest I have found, but takes a little work to set up

The most practical light true-Debian distro I have encountered, so far, is antiX-M11 -- see here, then here (not a fair trial, IMHO), then here, to alleviate any concerns !

I use antiX on laptop, Salix 13.37 ( a Slackware-based distro) on desktop exclusively, now. Before that, it was peppermint for a long while.

Without much experience, you are wise to steer away from slack-based distros, for now. Suggest learning how to edit /etc/apt/sources.list file and becoming moe than just familiar with apt-get and aptitude in the command line. Continue learning how to edit other config files and know where they are located within the linux file system; then you will grow into being able to use a Slackware-based distro like Salix (which is quite easy compared to the Slackware of old).

Best wishes for your journey through Linuxland!

I would use Linux Mint LXDE.

Mainly because I regard this as the easiest to use Linux stepping stone OS.

The beauty of Linux: you can tailor it to your needs (some more easily than others).

I agree with Pyroflea, stock Debian, when installed without Gnome and instead replaced with a lighter DE/WM (like LXDE, I personally prefer Fluxbox, but to each his/her own) and you're looking at a system that, at idle after a boot, will be using 50-200 megs (Linux tends to cache as much as possible and keep stuff resident in memory until it needs to reclaim the space)