linux4noobs

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linux4noobs

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Whether you're a seasoned pro or the noobiest of noobs, you've found the right place for Linux support and information. With a dedication to supporting free and open source software, this community aims to ensure Linux fits your needs and works for you. From troubleshooting to tutorials, practical tips, news and more, all aspects of Linux are warmly welcomed. Join a community of like-minded enthusiasts and professionals driving Linux's ongoing evolution.

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Is there a distro finder? (slrpnk.net)

submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by nocturne@slrpnk.net to c/linux4noobs@programming.dev

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My wife has an old Lenovo i5 thinkpad that we would like to use again with linux, before buying a new computer. I was wondering if there is a tool that I can input the model and stats of the device and it will output a few suggested distros for it.

It is the X1 Carbon 20BT with the i5-5300U Processor, it has 8gb ram. https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/pd100509-overview-for-thinkpad-x1-carbon-type-20bs-20bt

Update: I have installed mint xfce but am downloading cinnamon and switching to that.

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[–] GolfNovemberUniform@infosec.pub 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Well first of all the "best" distros in many people's opinions are DIY ones like Arch or Gentoo and for older hardware it's minimal distros which have learning curves of their own so such lists would probably be bad for beginners.

Anyways your hardware isn't too slow so any distro should be usable I think. Choose one that is well known and that has a desktop environment (UI) you think your wife (congrats on having one btw) would like. If you have no idea, just go for the Cinnamon version of Linux Mint. Its UI is very much similar to Windows and it's as easy to use as it gets.

If you're feeling brave, you can try a distro with vanilla (not customized as hell) GNOME environment like Fedora. It's unique and known for not having any features by default lol so it's very easy once you get a hang of it. The UI is the most similar to Android than anything I'd say.

EDIT: any modern OS will be pretty slow if it's installed on an HDD (spinning hard drive). If you have that, I'd highly recommend upgrading to a cheap SSD. The difference will be night and day, especially in boot times.

[–] nocturne@slrpnk.net 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I am downloading Mint xfce currently, was to see how that runs and if it goes well do cinnamon. The laptop has an M.2 SSD, unsure of the capacity, but I am going to guess 512gb.

congrats on having one btw

Coming up on 24 years!

[–] GolfNovemberUniform@infosec.pub 5 points 1 day ago

The laptop has an M.2 SSD

Yea then there should be no speed issues related to it.

Coming up on 24 years!

Wow you're a real man. A ton of respect for you.