I'm just getting started with programming and want to learn on my very old laptop that only has 2GB of RAM and 500GB of SSD storage. I've read that most resources suggest at least 8GB of RAM for a smoother experience. How much can I realistically accomplish with these specs? I'm planning to install a lightweight Linux distribution to help with any memory issues.
3 Answers
Definitely, you can learn programming even with just 2GB of RAM. Instead of heavy operating systems like Windows, if you opt for a lightweight Linux distro, you'll have plenty of resources to work with. I actually started programming with just 64KB, so to me, 2GB feels like a luxury!
I admire how you all learned with those constraints! Thanks for sharing your experiences!
If you're looking for flexibility, consider using cloud services or GitHub Codespaces for coding. This way, you can offload some of the resource demands and still work on your projects without being constrained by your laptop's specs.
Thanks for this idea! I'll definitely explore cloud options!
You can definitely code on older hardware. Many folks program on Raspberry Pis or even use virtual machines that require much less than 256MB of RAM. It's all about how efficiently you use your resources!
Seriously, I love seeing how people run resource-intensive games like Doom on tiny systems. It's so inspiring!
Haha, 64KB? That's nothing! I remember having to connect extras just to access 16KB!