Want to Learn Linux

[ViceLikeEye]

Honestly, jamming more RAM and a SSD is always a good answer but I don't think this PC is worth it. That's why I was thinking a light memory sipping Linux type OS would do the trick. Something more robust than a Chomebook (I have one and I'm not impressed) but something lighter than W7. This PC will be doing light duty. I will keep it in the kitchen for easy recipe access and some Youtube or Nexflix watching while eating.

I'll have a gander at the links you provided. I'll see what I can do. Like I said, worst case scenario, it gets recycled.

Thanks for the help.

[cylnz]

meh, the mem+ssd is nothing. $20 for a couple more 1gb sticks or just grab 2x 2Gb sticks to max it @ #Gb if its a 32bit unit. 64GB SSD's are about $40 so you get max speed for less than $100, and its way better than a tablet. you can use it to play around. If you really wanna get spiffy, you can put android on the chromebook to make it a decent tablet.

I use old laptops for things like media servers, firewalls, security camera setups etc.

[Intershar1]

For a low-end system, you could use Lubuntu. It's based on Ubuntu, so installing the OS is pretty much the same as Ubuntu or Mint.

[cylnz]

Lubuntu is ook, I just find XFCE to be more powerful than LXDE.

and since x11 development is dead with wayland coming in I go with XFCE (XFCE has wayland support now wheras X11 will always be X11)

Still both are easy on resources.

http://linux.com/news/best-ligh...x-distros-2017

is a nice article on 2017's best lightweights. Just remember, contrary to the article,, stripped down light weights can definitely be a bigger pita than tried and trusted environments. Lots of hardware that takes days to get running right in Gentoo takes 45 seconds to accomplish in Cinnamon.

wide ranging repositories is a good thing.

[JusticeKun]

Glad I found this. With Windows 7 losing support soon I'm looking at moving over to Linux. Which version is the best for a novice?

[Overlander]

Originally Posted by JusticeKun

Glad I found this. With Windows 7 losing support soon I'm looking at moving over to Linux. Which version is the best for a novice?

I started with Ubuntu and still use it..

I moved from a Windoze environment and was a little daunted by the learning curve at first but in truth, the transition proved easy. Wouldn't go back to Win now if Bill Gates paid me..

Tons of support available from the community out there. Have a look at
Ubuntuforums.org

[ViceLikeEye]

I still haven't made the OS swap on that laptop. I haven't even fired it up. To be honest I kind of forgot about it. It's not top priority. If didn't have other computing options and I had more free time I probably would have messed with it by now.

[Overlander]

Originally Posted by ViceLikeEye

I still haven't made the OS swap on that laptop. I haven't even fired it up. To be honest I kind of forgot about it. It's not top priority. If didn't have other computing options and I had more free time I probably would have messed with it by now.

You don't need to install Ubuntu onto a hard drive to try it out... It will run in full mode from a memory stick, pen drive or CD/DVD.

It doesn't run as fast (obviously) but is easily workable. Makes an easy way to try it out before committing to full installation.

[JusticeKun]

Originally Posted by Overlander

I started with Ubuntu and still use it..

I moved from a Windoze environment and was a little daunted by the learning curve at first but in truth, the transition proved easy. Wouldn't go back to Win now if Bill Gates paid me..

Tons of support available from the community out there. Have a look at
Ubuntuforums.org

Thanks. Bookmarked those forums.

[zzyeahok]

JusticeKun,

Originally Posted by JusticeKun

Glad I found this. With Windows 7 losing support soon I'm looking at moving over to Linux. Which version is the best for a novice?

I'm beginning to be a bit of an old fart having started with DOS 3 and now dual booting Win 7 and Mint Cinnamon. I've only really been using Linux for around a year and the reason I started looking into it is the same as yours. I'm not upgrading to 8 and certainly not 10 until MS changes its attitude about user privacy (I don't think thats going to happen).

So I did the same thing you're now doing and have futzed around with most everything mentioned above. I've settled on Mint Cinnamon. The reasons? Many.

But mainly ease of use. I'm now in my 60's so the idea of spending a lot of time learning a now OS just doesn't have the appeal it used to. As someone above said, Mint is a pretty easy switch from Win. Most everything is in the same place and works pretty much the same.

As I said, I've been using it for a year or so and now use Mint almost exclusively. About the only reason I go back to Win is for file maintenance (moving, renaming and comparing files mostly). Also, once in a while, I'll have to write something in MS Word. But thats about it.

So, having started for the same exact reason as you, I'd really recommend Mint Cinnamon as a really good Win alternative. Very little learning needed and you can be up and productive pretty quickly. I'm very happy with my decision to change. I think you will be also.

Good luck!

One last thing. Other than the idea of using Mint I am no expert in Linux. Very much a newbie. So I probably can't answer many questions you may have.