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Brief: Don’t throw your old computer just yet. Use a lightweight Linux distro
and revive that decades-old system.
10. P e p p e r mi n t
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(https://4bds6hergc-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08
/lubuntu.jpg)
Next on our list of best lightweight Linux distributions is Lubuntu. As the name
suggests a member of Ubuntu family but based on LXDE desktop environment
(http://lxde.org/). In fact, it is one of the official flavors of Ubuntu
(https://itsfoss.com/which-ubuntu-install/).
Lubuntu also supports older computers that had been buried (Just kidding! You
(https://4bds6hergc-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08
/Lubuntu-Trasty-Tahr_3-compressed.jpg)
GPicView for image viewing, MTPaint for paint, Evince for PDF, Audacious for
music, Gnome-Player for video, guvcview for webcam, Chromium for web
browsing, Sylpheed for email, Pidgin for instant messaging, Transmission for
torrent, Gnumeric for spreadsheet, Abiword for office, Xpad for notes and there
are even more.
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If you were using Ubuntu earlier then you will not find Lubuntu unfamiliar.
Software and repositories are same so you will get all software that you were
using on Ubuntu from their repositories. But take care of your system when
installing any application. Select an application that can consume fewer
resources of your old computer. Don’t use resource-heavy apps.
Lubuntu (http://lubuntu.net/)
8. L in u x Li te
/welcome2-compressed.jpg)
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As the name suggests Linux Lite is a lightweight Linux distro that does not need
high-end hardware to run it. Even a beginner will be able to use it on older
computers easily. Linux Lite is based on Ubuntu LTS (Long Term
Support) releases. The LTS version gives support for 5 years which means once
you install Linux Lite on your computer, it should provide updates for 5 years.
Linux Lite Team says: “ Linux Lite is fully functional out of the box, this means
that you won’t have to install extra software when you boot your computer for
the first time.” This is pretty helpful for newbies as they don’t need to go for
some basic apps search to install. Most of the basic apps are built in with OS.
Some of the pre-installed apps are Firefox for web browsing, Thunderbird for
emails, Dropbox for Cloud storage, VLC Media Player for Music, LibreOffice for
office, Gimp for image editing and Lite tweaks to tweak your desktop.
Considering that it is an official Ubuntu flavor, you’ll have plenty of support and
resources online.
screen 1366×768)
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Disk space: At least 5 GB free disk space
7. L XLE
eye candies. The system is tweaked to improve performance and comes with a
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wide range of lightweight applications installed by default.
LXLE (http://www.lxle.net/)
6. C r u n c h B a n g ++
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(https://4bds6hergc-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08
/cbppanother-compressed.jpg)
Openbox is not very beginner friendly but this doesn’t mean you should be
afraid to try it:
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Telerik DevCraft. Try it Now.
CrunchBang++ (https://crunchbangplusplus.org/)
5. B o d h i Li n u x
(https://4bds6hergc-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05
/Bodhi_Linux.jpg)
Another light Linux distribution is Bodhi Linux that gives life to older PCs &
Laptops. Bodhi Linux is quite known for its lightness. There are not many
software pre-loaded on Bodhi Linux so the ISO is not big in size and when
installed on older computers it runs freely without using much memory. But do
not think that you can not install other applications, you can install any
faster than other window managers that are used in other Linux distributions.
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If you have any problem using Enlightenment or any other function of Bodhi
then there are helpful guides written by the team.
There are some basic applications such as Ephoto for Graphics, Midori for web
browsing, ePad text editor but, unfortunately, there are no applications for
Multimedia. But don’t worry! As I said above you can install other applications
through App Center (http://www.bodhilinux.com/a/). PPAs meant for Ubuntu
also work in Bodhi Linux, mostly.
4. a n ti X L in u x
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3. S p a rky Li n u x
The third position on our list of lightweight Linux distro is occupied
SparkyLinux. SparkyLinux is another lightweight but at the same time,
SparkyLinux also targets modern computers so it has another version which is
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loaded with applications so that you do not have to install them manually, but
that is not for our old computers.It's
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Base edition is not loaded with heavy
applications so it’s light and does not use much system resources. Although
Sparky has its own repositories to install most of the applications.
The list of applications installed by default is different for different Sparky, Full,
Base and Gaming edition and is available below each edition on the download
page here (http://sparkylinux.org/download/).
SparkyLinux (http://sparkylinux.org/)
2. P u p p y Lin u x
As I mentioned above now distributions will be less in size but speedy.
Puppy Linux is one of them, Puppy Linux latest release is Puppy Linux 6.0.2
tahrpup CE that is only 199 – 201MB in size. Yes! It’s very small. This small
Linux distribution can be booted with a small size USB stick.
Puppy Linux can be booted live with either a CD/DVD/USB and onceits booted
you can eject CD/DVD/USB and Puppy Linux will run smoothly. It’s so tiny that it
saves everything on RAM which makes it very fast. You can even save any data
on the same USB that you are booting the Puppy Linux from. The Quirky 7.0.3
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(https://4bds6hergc-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08
/tahrpup6-desktop-491px.jpg)
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Puppy Linux uses JWM and Openbox window managers by default which makes
it very easy on resource consumption. If you are using Puppy Linux on old
computer then this will more likely to fit into that but do not demand those
high graphics applications. Try to complete your work with light applications
and tools.
Because Puppy Linux is built to be fast, it does not come along with bundles of
applications. It does have some basic apps, though. For example, Abiword for
M i n i m u m h a r d w a r e r e q u i r e m e n t s f o r P uIt's
p p yFOSS
Linux:
1. T in y C o r e
Be ready to be amazed by the Tiny Core. I bet Windows’ smallest image editing
app will be heavier than Tiny Core Linux. Yes! It is just 15MB in size! Amazed? It
takes more time download a low quality small video clip than the Tiny Core.
Well, that was about the size of distro but what is inside will also amaze you. It
comes with the minimal interface and very few applications installed. If you
have an ancient computer then try this out and see the magic. It boots faster
than any other OS.
(https://4bds6hergc-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08
/tc_010_dt.png) It's FOSS
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The Tiny Core Linux was forked from Damn Small project
(http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/) but now it is completely independent. This
small distro comes with FLTK/FKWM and BusyBox desktop by default. You will
find many things missing, for example, hardware graphics but don’t worry you
can install them manually if you want.
(https://4bds6hergc-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08
/tc_020_trm.png) It's FOSS
There are three editions of Tiny Core which are Core, Tiny Core and CorePlus.
Core is the base system that has only CLI (Command Line Interface). This will
amazingly fit inside the old computer but as this is a CLI so an
experienced/advance users can operate it well. The current version of Core
edition is only 9MB. :)
TinyCore edition will be for a normal user who is familiar with GUI (Graphical
User Interface). A beginner can be familiar with this edition of Tiny Core Linux.
The current release of TinyCore is only 15MB in size. Yeah, that’s tiny, I know.
Conclusion
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Installing any of the following Linux on your older hardware will be very easy.
The good thing is that there are many tutorials or guides provided by the team
itself to help new users. Also, you will need to do a little research about the
applications you want to install on very tiny distributions. Prefer the
application that uses fewer system resources and has a simple user interface. If
you maintain the installations then there will be no problem using any of the
light Linux distro listed above.
Finally, thank you for reading the article and don’t forget to tell your favorite
Linux distributions in the comment below. In similar read, I recommend
reading about the best Linux distributions for beginners (https://itsfoss.com
/best-linux-beginners/). Also, check out some non Ubuntu beginner friendly
Linux distributions (https://itsfoss.com/non-ubuntu-beginner-linux/).
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Comments
u/PaulAndrewAnderson58 says
August 19, 2018 at 5:21 am (https://itsfoss.com/lightweight-linux-beginners
/comment-page-11/#comment-293955)
Every newbie reading here should follow the advise of this list, based
on their equipment specs. There’s other Linux Distros out there, but
once you become familiar with Linux OS’s (Distros) you’ll realize that
they are minor variations of one another, especially if you adhere to
long-term support (LTS) Ubuntu or its derivatives. Most really old
equipment is 32-bit; in 2003, 64-bit CPUs were introduced to the
(formerly 32-bit) mainstream PC market, but it wasn’t until about 07
before so many laptops were 64-bit. There are limits to 32-bit Distros
(e.g. Chrome browser no longer supports 32-bit, but Chromium still
does, and better than others common on Linux).
Reply (https://itsfoss.com/lightweight-linux-beginners
/?replytocom=293955#respond)
davea0511 says
July 17, 2018 at 5:22 pm (https://itsfoss.com/lightweight-linux-beginners
/comment-page-11/#comment-293170)
Reply (https://itsfoss.com/lightweight-linux-beginners
/?replytocom=293170#respond)
davea0511 says
July 17, 2018 at 11:52 pm (https://itsfoss.com/lightweight-linux-
beginners/comment-page-11/#comment-293175)
It's FOSS
Reply (https://itsfoss.com/lightweight-linux-beginners
/?replytocom=293175#respond)
Guppy says
July 15, 2018 at 10:27 am (https://itsfoss.com/lightweight-linux-beginners
/comment-page-11/#comment-293133)
You missed out one of the best – Slitaz which provides a good gui
and loads of apps. Specially great for older PCs.
Reply (https://itsfoss.com/lightweight-linux-beginners
/?replytocom=293133#respond)
Flavio says
July 8, 2018 at 8:21 pm (https://itsfoss.com/lightweight-linux-beginners
/comment-page-11/#comment-292938)
Reply (https://itsfoss.com/lightweight-linux-beginners
/?replytocom=292938#respond)
/comment-page-11/#comment-292922)
It's FOSS
Thanks for the information. Was using Linux Mint but now that
distributions are for 64bit and my older laptop is 32bit I need
something else to keep believing in Linux. I’ll give these a try.
Reply (https://itsfoss.com/lightweight-linux-beginners
/?replytocom=292922#respond)
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