Breath Life Into Your Used Laptop with a Lightweight Linux Distro
The Problem
It happens to many desktop owners. They see others walking around, carrying their lightweight computers and being able to stay in constant connectivity. Anytime, anywhere, being a laptop owner mean you can get your work done. Many crave this ability, but given the expense of a new laptop, aren't able to afford it.
A Solution?
Of course, there is a solution: used laptops. However, many used laptops are slow, too slow to run many modern applications. Many are also virus ridden and sluggish. To make matters worse, they often come with old operating systems that can be flaky at the best of times (Windows ME, anyone?). This systems may still run, but good luck getting anything done with them.
The Real Solution: Lightweight Linux
Ah, yes, good old Linux. Thanks to the open source operating system's flexibility, you can get many highly functional Linux distributions that will run great on an old laptop. Additionally, you'll have a wide selection of open source applications to choose from, and very few security problems to worry about. A good fit for an old laptop, indeed.
So, which distributions are lightweight enough to serve this purpose well? The most popular choice for this would most likely be the venerable Damn Small Linux, which provides a tried and true system for those looking for a minimal system install. Another good option for fans of the popular Ubuntu distro is Fluxbuntu, which is simply Ubuntu with a very lightweight window manager, Fluxbox. You can start with one of these lightweight systems, and slowly add functionality with time as you feel you have the resources.
Speaking of resources, you might find that even with one of these lightweight Linux distros, your performance isn't quite up to par. The biggest cause of poor performance in old laptops is the lack of RAM. Fortunately, it is often possible to upgrade the RAM in an old laptop fairly cheaply. This should greatly improve its performance in everyday computing applications.
Conclusions
I hope this has help you out a bit by allowing you to see how you can make an old computer fresh again by means of a small Linux distro. With all the cheap used laptops out there, you can surely find something that can work for you.
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