Do you want to save your aging computer? Try These 5 Linux Distributions

As someone who’s been in technology a few hundred times, planned obsolescence has long bothered me. This means that software and hardware vendors ensure that consumers will eventually have to buy new hardware because the software they need stops working on older systems.

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Consider this: When Microsoft released Windows 11, it became quite clear that a lot of hardware (capable of running the previous iteration) would not support the new version of Windows. That was problematic (at best) and expensive (at worst). Many people have to buy new systems (if they want to stick with Windows). For some, this was not an option, so they had to continue using the Windows operating system which would eventually go out of support.

In addition, many other modern operating systems are not exactly compatible with older hardware. If you’ve found yourself in such a situation, there is hope through some Linux distributions that are specifically designed for older hardware. With these operating systems, you can revive old hardware and get it running as if it were new.

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Here are five such Linux distributions, each one perfectly suited to new and old hardware.

Bodhi Linux

for about five years, Bodhi Linux Was my favorite operating system. Not only is it a perfect fit for older hardware, but it also provides a unique take on the desktop. Moksha is similar to Desktop Enlightenment (another old favorite of mine) and includes a lot of features to make it a full desktop operating system.

The one caveat to using Bohdi Linux is that you’ll need to rethink the way you interact with the desktop, as it’s quite different from anything you’re used to. That doesn’t make it challenging (it isn’t) but know that it will take some time for Moshka to get used to it. One of my favorite features of Moshka (which also appears in Enlightenment) is that you can access the desktop menu by clicking anywhere on the desktop. This makes for a very efficient workflow.

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The recommended system requirements for Bodhi Linux are:

• 64bit, 1.0GHz processor
• 768MB RAM
• 10GB drive space

With just a minimal system, you’ll have a desktop computer that not only runs like a champ but looks really cool.

linux lite

If you’re looking for a more standard desktop interface, linux lite It might be right up your alley. Linux Lite uses a custom XFCE desktop environment to create an interface that should be immediately familiar to all types of user.

Even better, Linux Lite was designed to be user-friendly from the start. So even if you are not familiar with Linux, you should be able to get up to speed with the operating system very quickly. Linux Lite comes pre-installed with the Chrome web browser, Thunderbird email client, GIMP image editor, VLC media player, LibreOffice office suite and more.

The minimum system requirements for Linux Lite are:

• 1 GHz CPU
• 768MB RAM (1GB recommended)
• 8 GB drive space (minimum)

puppy linux

puppy linux Here it is a bit different as installing it is not as easy as other distributions. In fact, Puppy Linux is quite challenging on this front, so it’s often best to use it as a live distribution. With it, you can “install” it on a USB flash drive (and do the same with persistent file storage) and boot as needed. This way, you can take Puppy Linux with you and boot it on any machine you like, without making a single change to the one installed on the local drive.

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You’ll find more than enough installed software, such as the Palemoon web browser, Clause Mail email client, AbiWord word processor, Gnumeric Spreadsheet Tool, and more. The Puppy Linux desktop is a bit cluttered but it’s still very easy to use.

The minimum system requirements for Puppy Linux are:

• CPU: Pentium 900Mhz
• RAM: 300MB RAM
• Hard Drive: Optional
• DVD-ROM: 20x and above or USB

Just remember, even though Puppy Linux can do wonders for reviving your old hardware, you’ll need a bit more Linux experience to get the most out of this distribution.

Tiny Core Linux

Tiny Core Linux There cannot be a more appropriate name than this. it’s small. Very small. Tiny Core is another distribution that you don’t actually need to install on your hard drive. You boot it up, add only the applications you need (using a GUI installer), and interact with a minimal desktop (based on busybox and FLTK).

Like Puppy Linux, I do not recommend Tiny Core Linux to people who are new to Linux, as it is not as straight forward as you might think.

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Tiny Core supports virtual desktops, sticky windows, and includes a control panel for configuring backup/restore, services, date/time, mouse, network, and more.

The minimum system requirements for Tiny Core Linux are:

Of all the lightweight Linux distributions, Tiny Core can run on the oldest hardware.

LXLE Linux

LXLE Linux Ubuntu is built on the latest version of Linux and uses the LXLE desktop environment to create an operating system that is very lightweight, easy to install, and easy to use. LXLE provides a fairly nice desktop (especially for a lightweight distribution) that includes all the software needed to be productive or for entertainment.

One thing I found about LXLE Linux is that the installation is a bit slow (mostly due to downloading issues) compared to the rest of the entries here, while at the same time it is one of the easiest.

The default desktop, should be pretty familiar to anyone who has used any type of desktop interface.

The system requirements for LXLE are about as minimal as you can get:

• 512 MB RAM
• P3 CPU or better

Yes you read that right, a Pentium 3 CPU. This means that you can revive really old hardware with this distribution.

With these five different lightweight Linux distributions that can help give new life to old computers, you can save some money and the environment by keeping hardware that can’t run the most modern operating systems, and the planet and You can feel good about doing a good deed for yourself. ,