Best Linux OS for older devices

[Minux1]

Why some people keep resurrecting very old PCs is beyond my comprehension

I´m equally if not more puzzled why the fact that we do resurrect legacy computers really seems to bother some people.

[cgs1025]

Some folks need to be bigger, better, newer, etc.
Being quite old myself, I don't mind waking up each day and performing adequately.... like my older computers using Mint.

[Minux1]

The old computers a door stop or a paperweight and the o/s is a free download.
If it works great.
If it doesn´t ... no big deal ... at least you´ve had a bit of fun and might even have learned something.
The more we play with these toys the more we learn.
Some people need to ´chill´.

[BG405]

If it works great.
If it doesn´t ... no big deal ... at least you´ve had a bit of fun and might even have learned something.
The more we play with these toys the more we learn.

Exactly! Learning stuff is always good & a great bonus when some supposedly obsolete equipment can be put to practical use.

[Minux1]

I have a dozen year old AOA150 netbook that is giving me a respectable performance on Linux Mint v19.2 XFCE 32 bit. It has the factory 160 GB HDD, 1.6 GHz 32 bit CPU, 1.5 GB RAM (1/2 GB more than factory). Satisfactory on boot up, web surfing, emailing ... she´s no gamer. The only peculiarity I´ve noticed is that I have to double tap the single ´ and double ¨ quotation marks or they won´t print out. Probably has more to do with faulty keyboard settings than the PC or the o/s.

[Minux1]

Friend of mine has a ¨skeleton¨ Linux distro (probably antiX) loaded up on a rather ancient IBM branded P3 laptop which seems capable of basic recreational computing (surfing, emailing). I kinda doubt if he does internet banking or credit card purchases on it. I watched him operating the old relic of a laptop and it seems to function surprisingly well. The N270 Atom processor being used in many netbooks running Linux is not much zippier than a P3.

[Pjotr]

Friend of mine has a ¨skeleton¨ Linux distro (probably antiX) loaded up on a rather ancient IBM branded P3 laptop which seems capable of basic recreational computing (surfing, emailing).

A P3? Web surfing with an up to date modern web browser? Hard to believe. Very hard. In fact, I don't believe it. It's bollocks.

If that friend of yours is doing his "basic recreational surfing" with a prehistoric outdated hyper-insecure web browser, tell him he's nuts to risk his security like that.

[Minux1]

Like I said ... I don’t think he’s doing credit card and banking transactions on that old lamer laptop.
The hackers can’t access what’s not there.
He has a smile on his face and looks like he’s having fun.
Not as intense as some.

[Neil Edmond]

Here are the system requirements for antiX direct from the antiX Linux FAQ page:

antiX should run on most computers, ranging from 192MB old PII systems with pre-configured 128MB swap to the latest powerful boxes.

antiX-core and antiX-net will run with 128MB RAM plus swap, but don’t expect miracles!

192MB RAM is the recommended minimum for antiX. 256MB RAM and above is preferred especially for antiX-full.

antiX-full needs a 3.8GB minimum hard disk size. antiX-base needs 2.6GB and antiX-core needs 1.0GB. antiX-net needs 0.7GB.

If it's OK on a PII, I don't see why it wouldn't run satisfactorily on a PIII machine. Sure, it won't be a speed demon, but it should function and be secure enough for most things as the ISO includes the latest Firefox ESR.

[Minux1]

XP could run on 64 MB and was comfortable on 128 MB RAM and XP could easily run on modestly resourced P3 PCs.
It’s not hard to imagine antiX or Puppy running on the same not having to drag a resource sucking AV suite in tow.

[Pjotr]

It's not the operating system that renders antique PIII's virtually unusable. It's the modern web browser.

[Moem]

And a modern web browser is needed to interact with the modern web. I use the Ikea homepage as a benchmark: if that won't render or brings either the browser or the OS to their knees, I consider the machine to be unsuitable for any realistic purpose.

Are horse wagons still usable? In and of themselves they are, but... not on the motorway. It's the nature of progress that some things will become unsuitable for daily use even if they are technically still functional.

[Minux1]

TRUE
To think otherwise would reveal a lack of a basic understanding of how the modern internet works.
My little AOA150 netbook (1.5 GB RAM, 1.6GHz Atom N270) is right on the cusp.

[lsemmens]

I use the Ikea homepage as a benchmark:

Interesting thought, is that because of all the graphics or the coding? I'd not have considered it as any more demanding than many other pages.

[Moem]

I use the Ikea homepage as a benchmark:

Interesting thought, is that because of all the graphics or the coding? I'd not have considered it as any more demanding than many other pages.

It isn't. It's a good example of a pretty normal modern webpage. It would not make a good benchmark if it were more demanding than most pages.

[Minux1]

And a modern web browser is needed to interact with the modern web. I use the Ikea homepage as a benchmark: if that won't render or brings either the browser or the OS to their knees, I consider the machine to be unsuitable for any realistic purpose.

Are horse wagons still usable? In and of themselves they are, but... not on the motorway. It's the nature of progress that some things will become unsuitable for daily use even if they are technically still functional.

The criteria for ¨useful¨, ¨usable¨ or ¨functional¨ are user defined.
If secure internet use is a set in stone criterion then you are quite right.
My kid still watches DVD movies on a IBM ThinkPad A22m Pentium 3 laptop with XP on it.
No AV or anti-malware just the O/S and an old version of VLC.
Does he do his online banking on the same machine? ... NOPE.

[Moem]

The criteria for ¨useful¨, ¨usable¨ or ¨functional¨ are user defined.
If secure internet use is a set in stone criterion then you are quite right.
My kid still watches DVD movies on a IBM ThinkPad A22m Pentium 3 laptop with XP on it.
No AV or anti-malware just the O/S and an old version of VLC.
Does he do his online banking on the same machine? ... NOPE.

You're right, it is very much user defined. If a machine is not used for browsing the web, and in fact does not connect to the internet at all, then that changes things considerably.

[Minux1]

And a modern web browser is needed to interact with the modern web. I use the Ikea homepage as a benchmark: if that won't render or brings either the browser or the OS to their knees, I consider the machine to be unsuitable for any realistic purpose.

Are horse wagons still usable? In and of themselves they are, but... not on the motorway. It's the nature of progress that some things will become unsuitable for daily use even if they are technically still functional.

They have some “bare bones” browsers out there.
Exactly what base line resources these “no frills” browsers would require that would still enable all necessary security protocols for the modern internet I’m not sure.
Could a P3 machine run such a browser without the system being brought to its knees?
I’ll leave that question to the experts.
I’m a newbie here to learn Linux.

[ACE_]

To give you an idea of what you are up against, I have Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus) Linux Mint 18 Xfce Sarah installed on an old Dell laptop with the following specs:

Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor 1.73GHz
40 Gb
512 Mb RAM (that is not a misprint)

The Pentium M processor came out after Pentium III. Surprisingly, the installation of Linux went well without any issues. I just had to update a few drivers for sound but everything else, including WiFi, worked well. Opening folders, configuring all of the settings and using the interface was quick and without issue. Firefox was already included with the distribution that I installed and surprisingly, again, it worked well. It was an older version so I updated it to the most recent version, Firefox 69. I did notice that the newer version was slower but your could still browse the Internet without too much issue. One of the problems, however, is if you want to add extensions. Although they will be compatible, they will also slow your browsing experience down to a crawl, depending on which ones or how many that you have installed. Also, multimedia based sites will expand your vocabulary of expletives. As jimallyn mentioned, using a lightweight browser like Midori might make a difference as you will want to keep everything that you install, on such an older system, on the lightweight side. But the more modern that you try to make your older PC, the slower it is likely to become.

Other distributions of Linux which can function on older PCs are:
- Peppermint
- LXLE
- antiX

No guarantee though on how they will install and/or function on your particular PC.

Having said all of that, if you do want to experience all that the web has to offer and do so without cursing at the screen, without having to constantly check whether what you want to do or install is compatible with your system and without the fear of potential security threats, then there comes a time when you have to finally pull the plug on that old PC.

[Minux1]

Extensions?
My ¨lamer¨ machines are solely for rudimentary functions like email, browsing, playing movies from media files or dvd.
The O/Ss and software I run on them are bare bones and they handle it well.
Do I do online banking or run the latest Luke Nukem takes Manhattan games on the lamers? ... NOPE!
Tasks requiring more security, cpu cycles, ram are relegated to my muscle machines.
All about picking the right tool for the job.
Keeping the 15 year old lamers running is a labour of love not necessity or efficiency.
People need to RELAX.