I have a Lenovo IdeaPad S12 running an Intel Atom N270, currently using vanilla Debian 12 with LXQt. It's really sluggish—just navigating the LXQt menu causes frustrating stutters. I've heard that lightweight distros like antiX, MX Linux, Q4OS, and Puppy Linux are better suited for older hardware. What makes these distros more effective than vanilla Debian for older machines? Also, I might consider Alpine, but I really prefer Debian-based systems since I'm more familiar with them.
3 Answers
Honestly, the best lightweight distro is still Debian itself. It’s all about how you set it up. The stock version might be heavy, but you can tweak it for better performance. Experiment a bit and see how it feels.
The primary differences revolve around the pre-installed software and configurations. For instance, Puppy Linux comes with a lightweight desktop environment right out of the box, while Debian requires you to do a lot more setup. Those changes can contribute significantly to how well the distros perform on older hardware.
Consider checking out the distro selection guides out there! The ease of use with naming options like MX Linux and antiX without systemd can make for a smoother experience on older hardware. Just keep in mind that Puppy Linux lacks a standard login process, so I’d avoid using it for anything sensitive.
Thanks for the heads-up! That’s really good to know about Puppy Linux.