this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2023
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Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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What disros works on low end, slow, very outdated pc's? (lemmy.fmhy.ml)
submitted 2 years ago by QuietStorm@lemmy.fmhy.ml to c/linux@lemmy.ml
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So i have a bunch of pc's/laptops/computers and such that my family members refuse to depart with even though there really bad. so far they mangae to keep 4 bulky computers in total, we do have some new-ish ones but theses ones im talking about need some loving.1 computer is 32 bit and has 2gb of ram, the other 3 have 64-bit and range from 1gb of ram- to 2 and one of which has only 75 space hardrive.

are there any linux distros that might work becasue im a noob who uses windows so im very lost. any tips or suggestions or something would be great.

also if im posting in the wrong plac eplease let me know in the comments.

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[–] plactagonic 6 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Try mint with Xfce - on 64 bit machines and then go lighter.

[–] QuietStorm@lemmy.fmhy.ml 3 points 2 years ago (4 children)

alright and are you sure that is the best starter option? also what can i do on linux compared to windows?

[–] aMalayali 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

best option

Ubuntu is popular and new-user friendly. And xfce is generally lighter on resources. It's a good choice.

What can I do

Almost everything.
Some proprietary apps you've used from windows may not be available, but equivalent ones would be available on linux.
Stuff like browsing the web(provided that you don't open too many tabs, because you have low ram) and watching movies n all is quite good.
What all things fo you intend to do on it? I think it'll be easier to check that the things you want are there.

[–] PEnorman 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)
  • Gaming is less stable overall but it's exponentially better now thanks to Valve and the Steam Deck driving support. Like seriously, from a cointoss whether it even launches a couple years ago to 74% Gold or Platinum on the top 1000 games on Steam.
  • Programming is easier (you can ask your commandline to install all you need at once instead of having to painstakingly individually install and set up requirements or addons to programming languages), but you don't have access to Visual Studio if you're working on C# or C++.
  • Web browsing is identical, watching movies too. I've never had a problem using LibreOffice and OnlyOffice as a replacement for Word and PowerPoint, but I don't use many complicated features in Word or PowerPoint so your mileage may vary.
  • Photoshop, Premiere, etc are a pain to get good replacements for, OBS for recording and DaVinci Resolve for editing is a really powerful pair though.
  • I vouch for Mint with XFCE too. It was very fast on my laptop and some of the themes now are pretty. It barely uses any RAM. It has a Windows-style start menu and taskbar.

Just be warned that your family members will probably have (usually solvable) issues if they want to do anything beyond web browsing. It's a different operating system after all and it works differently in a lot of ways. Definitely recommend looking up some videos about Mint, XFCE, transitioning from Windows to Linux.

[–] plactagonic 1 points 2 years ago

It has everything you may want to use - LibreOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird ...

Some programs aren't supported for Linux but you can find replacement. For me it has 100% of tools that I need.

When you go from windows to mint - they feel similar (UI), but some things are different (installing programs, settings...)

It is just solid out of the box experience. You don't have to customise it to be usable, complete suite of programs and it is stable.

Some of really light distros for old PCs are missing lot of these things but you may need to explore those options if it doesn't run well.

[–] Granixo@feddit.cl 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Think of it as Windows 7 in terms of functionality but with a Windows Vista/XP GUI.

That said, your CPU's performance will increase noticebly on Linux.

[–] sounddrill@lemmy.antemeridiem.xyz 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

This is good advice, and alpine/nix for 32 bit