Hey everyone! I'm looking for your recommendations on the best Linux distro for my low-end laptop, specifically for development work. Here are my specs: I have a Dell Inspiron 3542 with an Intel i3 (4th Gen) processor, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB HDD, and no dedicated GPU. I'm mainly into Expo & React Native app development, using tools like Android Studio and VS Code. I also work with DevOps tools like Docker, basic CI/CD, and do a ton of coding in C/C++, JavaScript, and a bit of Rust. Sometimes, I also dabble in web design and frontend testing. My requirements are to find something lightweight yet ready for development, that can perform decently on 4GB of RAM, and has good hardware support. I've tried Linux Mint XFCE but found it to be decent, although I've also tried Ubuntu (which felt heavy) and Manjaro XFCE (which had some issues after updates). I'm considering Debian XFCE, Fedora LXQt, or any Arch-based options. So, what do you think? Which distro would work best for my development needs on this low-end hardware? Any tips for keeping things running smoothly with Android Studio and Docker?
1 Answer
If you can spare $20-25, consider upgrading your laptop with an extra 4GB of RAM and a SATA SSD. This upgrade can significantly improve the performance of any Linux distro. Sometimes it's better to invest in your hardware rather than spend too much time trying to make a weaker setup work efficiently.
That sounds like solid advice! Those upgrades could really change the game.