It covers such a low amount of memory, that with openoffice in use it will not exceed 256mb ram used. It was inspired by minix, a small unix system and was introduced in october 1991. In terms of the requirements, you can boot up with only 64mb. It is based on ubuntu lts, its lightweight and easy to use linux distributions. The next generation enterprise linux operating system developed and publish by red hat. Xubuntu is a quality distribution that doesnt use too much power. Which linux distro is good for daytoday usage, with low. Dec 26, 2018 linux lite was also recently featured on our list of the best linux distros for new users.
Look for these distributions that dont use these graphical interfaces. Arch linux is one of the best low resourceconsumption linux distributions available. Use a lightweight linux distro and revive that decadesold system. Peppermint uses lxde desktop environment that is lightweight and easy to use. Best linux distributions for desktop or laptop in 2018. Its a subproject of the trisquel distribution and is aimed at low powered pcs. A very lightweight distribution from linux family, those who are looking for a lightweight os which needs low resources to run, those who need many resources for gaming in low specs.
A ubuntuspecific form of containerized application deployment. This page is powered by a knowledgeable community that helps you make an informed decision. Many linux distributions provide an installation system akin to that provided with other modern operating systems. Each desktop environment available for ubuntu is also available for linux mint and vice versa, although linux mint tends to use newer versions of cinnamon. It is based on a modern design that is pleasant to use and you can easily enjoy its appcenter to discover new apps for your needs. In my personal opinion, of all the lighter linux distributions in this post, this is the one that suits me for older pcs. All of these are full distros that do not depend on cloud services. It is the default with linux distributions such as knoppix, lubuntu, lxle linux, peppermint linux os. Firefox is the third most popular browser in the world, and likely the most popular linux browser, since it ships with many linux distributions by default. Those who are looking for a lightweight os that takes low resources to run and the rest of the resource can dedicate to gaming. This operating system has been growing at a rapid pace in. Linux distributions this forum is for distribution specific questions. Presenting a nice assortment of lightweight yet fullyfunctional linux distros for all occasions.
Head to their official website to download the iso 32bit64bit you need. Atch linux abides by the kiss principles keep it simple stupid. If you are looking for a fast, opensource and robust linux distro in 2020, elementary os is a perfect low maintenance platform that runs well on pcs and enjoys good support from the community. If you have an old windows xp pc or a netbook, you can revive it with a lightweight linux system. Then today is the day you take out that pc from the storeroom and clean all of the mud on it and then start utilizing it. The consumer operatingsystem market has largely settled on three platforms. Here is the list of 25 best lightweight linux distros sorted according to their system requirements. Linux distributions for low resources computers linux hint. This is particularly ideal for computers with very low hardware specifications. Below youll find links that lead directly to the download page of 25 popular linux distributions. There are also in the internet section other choices as well for low ram machines.
Since its formation in the early 1990s, the open source nature of linux has ensured great variation in the release of distributions, including variations on floppy disk, cdrom, dvdrom and onlineonly. Although peppermint os is not so popular than other linux distributions, it is another best linux distro for laptop. Manjaro, anarchy linux, and artix linux are probably your best bets out of the 32 options considered. Although youre free to pick the specific tool for managing packages, the package type is hardcoded into the distribution. There are dozens of lightweight distros available for the linux. You might wonder why you should care about lightweight linux distributions in the era of multicore processors and inexpensive ram. Click on the distros name to find more info, screenshots, and download links. Linux distributions sorted by weekly downloads download3k. Gnulinux distros gnu project free software foundation.
Easy to install is the primary reason people pick manjaro over the competition. Linux was developed by linus torvalds at the university of helsinki in finland. Trisquel mini is another lightweight distribution that is based on ubuntu linux. Heres our list of top 5 lightweight linux distributions.
Existing linux users will find linux lites low resource use beneficial to low end hardware. They reject nonfree applications, nonfree programming platforms, nonfree drivers, nonfree firmware blobs, and any other nonfree software and documentation. Jun 12, 2019 linux lite can boot from a live medium such as a usb stick or cd, or install to your hard drive. Oct 22, 2019 antix is a distribution based on debian linux boasting of a systemdfree linux distribution. Which low resource linux distribution should you use for your. Developed for gentoo linux, and now also used by chromeos and a few other distributions. Popular linux download distributions include debian, ubuntu, gentoo, fedora, red hat and opensuse. Jan 31, 2016 here are the five best lightweight linux distros of 2016.
A lightweight linux server operating system for lans, based on the 4mlinux distro. Being lubuntubased, its able to get the advantage of ubuntus. Puppy linux is one of them, puppy linux latest release is puppy linux 6. Jan 02, 2018 linux mint is elegant, easy to use, up to date and comfortable communitydriven linux distribution that is based on debian and ubuntu. Top 5 best lightweight linux distros for old pc and laptop 2020. Now, onto the tiny linux distros, all of which are. Just like the other linux distros mentioned in this list, this lubuntubased distro supports both 32bit and 64bit hardware. The distro uses lxde as the default desktop environment to keep it light. This gives the current generation of mx a combination of debians large, stable repository of software, the tendency toward low resource usage of antix, and the convenient tools of mepis. Jan 04, 2020 lightweight linux distributions for older pcs. Windows users who find rufus confusing can also use etcher.
You can surf the web, manage your emails and photos, do office work, play videos or music and have a lot of fun. Windows 8 may be lighter than windows vista, but its nowhere near as lightweight as these free linux distributions. Aug 07, 2014 a free, compact and low on resource linux kernelbased operating system designed for old pcs beatrix linux is one of the oldest distribution of linux, designed to run on computers with old and semiold hardware components. The 8 smallest linux distros that are lightweight and need almost.
It also supports multibooting so you can keep your existing os if you wish. If you are new to linux and want to install linux on your older hardware then peppermint is a good choice for you. Youre guaranteed to see an improvement in performance. On the other hand, some distributions, including gentoo linux, provide only the binaries of a basic kernel, compilation tools, and an installer. Linux distros and the software that runs on them are far more optimized and compatible with old er hardware.
Oct 16, 2018 it covers such a low amount of memory, that with openoffice in use it will not exceed 256mb ram used. Mar 17, 2020 the consumer operatingsystem market has largely settled on three platforms. Further information, support options and download links for the four editions of black lab linux can. Here are the five best lightweight linux distros of 2016. There is no bundled software, but you can always download and install if you have access to the internet. Installing tiny core is easy, once you download the tcinstall or. Each desktop environment available for ubuntu is also available for linux mint and vice versa, although linux mint tends to. Download respin 7 march 2017, install libreoffice and then compare, for example, opening libreoffice writer inside peppermint 7, extix 17. Its initial release in 2002 marked the rebirth of netscape navigator, though it wasnt until 2004 that it became known as. Dec 17, 2019 for running linux on an older pc in 2019, ill recommend you to go with ubuntu mate. Here are best lightweight linux operating systems to run on old or new windowsbased pcs. Microsoft windows, apple macos, and various linuxbsd distributions. For running linux on an older pc in 2019, ill recommend you to go with ubuntu mate. Lubuntu linux is a ubuntu based linux distribution oriented for low resources devices.
The 5th lightweight linux for old computers is peppermint. Different linux distros can all work with linux software and applications, and of course, any cloudbased apps that run through a browser. Dec 07, 2019 lxde lightweight x11 desktop environment has been designed with very low resource usage. A linux download is a downloadable software installation, or distribution, of the linux open source operating system, a freely distributable, crossplatform operating system based on unix. A lightweight linux distribution is a linux distribution that has lower memory and or processorspeed requirements than a more featurerich linux distribution.
The window manager that comes with this os is the icewm that keeps the system on low resource demands. However, weve listed some of our favorite distributions. It is based on ubuntu and uses lxde desktop environment to give you a smoother experience. If you have an old machine that no longer has an operating system, you dont have to throw that machine away. Beginners, best linux distributions for beginners, best linux distro for beginners, cinnamon, cinnamon desktop environment, comparison of linux distributions, desktop environment, linux, linux distributions, linux mint, linux mint mate, ubuntu. All of these linux distributions can run from a live usb drive, so you could even boot them directly from a usb drive. In todays article, i am going to talk about top 6 best.
As i mentioned before, these os are not only for the older pcs but also for the modern pcs. Elementary os elementary os is a beautiful, fast, lightweight linux for 32 and 64bit x86. The lower demands on hardware ideally result in a more responsive machine, andor allow devices with fewer system resources e. If youre using windows or os x and it feels slow, switch to a linux distro. Aug 17, 2015 you might wonder why you should care about lightweight linux distributions in the era of multicore processors and inexpensive ram. Low resource pc pick my distro i would prefer firefox and all the various multimedia extensions so 95% of the web pages work, but ill understand if i get. Which are the best lightweight linux distributions for 2019. Because of its cloud apps compatibility, low resource uses and its software manager makes it different. For development purposes, ive used ubuntu, linux mint, elementary os and fedora. It offers familiar ubuntubased graphical installer during permanent installation. Linux lite is developed for people who are new to linux based operating systems. Slitaz is a fast, small linux distribution with a centralized control panel that.
Lxde lightweight x11 desktop environment has been designed with very low resource usage. Fortunately there are plenty of linux distributions that will work on your old hardware and run at fairly moderate speeds even if your machine is really old. Apr 02, 2017 for development purposes, or any other purpose for that matter, no linux distro is good or bad. Get ready to power up your old computer with lightweight linux distro. Dec 07, 2019 the 5th lightweight linux for old computers is peppermint. Yes peppermint is a cloudfocused linux distribution that doesnt need highend hardware. Any linux distro is better than windowsos x when it comes to old hardware. For really old low resource machines it is recommended to use firedog instead of seamonkey for general browsing. A lightweight linux distribution is a linux distribution that has lower memory andor processorspeed requirements than a more featurerich linux distribution. Microsoft windows, apple macos, and various linux bsd distributions. Download your favorite linux distribution at lq iso.
Linux lite can boot from a live medium such as a usb stick or cd, or install to your hard drive. For development purposes, or any other purpose for that matter, no linux distro is good or bad. This operating system has been growing at a rapid pace in the recent past. It supports twitch, youtube, livestream, dlive, mixer, dailymotion, bbc iplayer, itv player, nbc, periscope, vimeo, and many more. Further information, support options and download links for the four editions of black lab linux can be found in the companys release announcement. What this really boils down to is the desktop environment used. Whats less resource intensive, linux mint or ubuntu. Originally created with the webcentric approach of netbooks in mind, peppermint includes the ice application for integrating any website or web app as a standalone desktop app. Arch linux is one of the best low resource consumption linux distributions available. Linux lite was also recently featured on our list of the best linux distros for new users. The one requires low system configuration comes first and also keep in mind that, the distributions which require low processing power couldnt have fancy ui animations and 3d stuff. If you want lightning fast linux computer, you can also try lightweight distros in modern computers too. If you have an old computer in your storeroom or you are still using an older pc.
Linux mint is elegant, easy to use, up to date and comfortable communitydriven linux distribution that is based on debian and ubuntu. Because of its cloud apps compatibility, low resource uses and its software manager makes it. Mx linux can trace its digital genealogy back through antix, mepis, and debian. Mar 18, 2020 top 6 lightweight linux distributions for oldslow desktops and laptops download 2020 edition now i am going to display a list of all of the linux distributions or distros. A free, compact and low on resource linux kernelbased operating system designed for old pcs beatrix linux is one of the oldest distribution of linux, designed to run on computers with old and semiold hardware components. As i mentioned above now distributions will be less in size but speedy. The linux distribution archive is a growing collection of media for the installation of linux on various systems from the past 20 years. Those who have an issue with the latest linux distribution to work on their old laptop or desktop that does not support the pae kernel extension, then this. It comes with a decent set of applications including abiword, mplayer, and midori web browser. Linux mint uses customized cinnamon desktop environment that provides windows like a desktop environment. Contrary to the rest of linux distributions mentioned in this article, puppy linux isnt based on a specific linux distribution only once it was based on vector linux but not today, it uses packages compatible with different distributions ranging from ubuntu to. With linux, the underlying kernel may be the same, but the software around it the apps, skins, window managers, and package managers commitment to free and opensource software.
Puppy linux is a minimalist linux distribution oriented to low resource devices. Jul 18, 2014 presenting a nice assortment of lightweight yet fullyfunctional linux distros for all occasions. Top 6 lightweight linux distributions for oldslow desktops and laptops download 2020 edition now i am going to display a list of all of the linux distributions or distros. Its simplicity and lightweight nature mean your server conserves resources for more intensive tasks, like streaming video or massive file transfers. Basically, there are three points that make lightweight distros important. Another lightweight distro from the linux family, linux lite. You can surf the web, manage your emails and photos, do. Distro, minimum ram mb, minimum cpu, minimum disk space. You can put it to good use with an operating system that doesnt require a fast processor or big disk drive. The following lightweight linux os requires up to 512mb ram. Lightweight linux distros for slow and old computerslaptops 2020 download. These low resource distributions are all based on ubuntu meaning that you have access to all the debian packages that canonical supports giving you access to tons of software. Streamlink is a free and open source command line utility which pipes live video streams to players like vlc, mpv, mplayer, omxplayer or mpchc, with the purpose of avoiding resourceheavy websites and on linux, to use hardwareaccelerated video playback. Free distributions or distros of the gnu linux system only include and only propose free software.
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