I'm working with a low-spec netbook that has an Atom N450 processor, 2GB of RAM, and an SSD that can't be upgraded. I know browsing modern websites will be challenging, so I'm looking for a lightweight Linux distro that fulfills a few specific requirements:
1. It should be compatible with older internal Wi-Fi hardware; my netbook's Realtek RTL8192E Wi-Fi worked fine with Mint 19 but has issues with newer versions. I found that Bodhi (and Antix) worked for this Wi-Fi card, making a Debian-based distro seem favorable.
2. The distro needs to support an easy setup for syncing a folder with OneDrive, so I can save and access files from Office 2007 in Wine. I prefer a straightforward setup procedure with a GUI instead of complex terminal commands. I've struggled with Rclone in Bodhi, so something that just works with minimal hassle would be ideal.
Zorin OS has come up as a candidate due to its low system requirements and claims of easy OneDrive integration, but I've heard mixed reviews about how it performs on systems with low specifications like mine. Has anyone tried Zorin OS or any other lightweight distros that fit these criteria? I want a smooth experience editing OneDrive documents without getting bogged down by the heavier web interface.
3 Answers
The real limiting factor here is the RAM, not the CPU. You could try Puppy Linux or Lubuntu, but based on your experience, maybe stick with Antix. It's been reported that Lubuntu might not even boot up on really low-end hardware.
You might want to check out Antix or the new Damn Small Linux (DSL), which is based on Antix. It's super lightweight and can run using only about 100MB of RAM at boot. Some users find it easier to install a minimal base system and then add the extras they need instead of dealing with more bloated distros.
While Ubuntu and other Gnome-based distros do come with built-in OneDrive support, you may find they don’t run well on just 2GB of RAM. I suggest looking for a lighter distro if you want smoother performance.
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