Recommend a Linux distro please?

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,168
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My uncle asked me to take a look at his computer because it was asking for a Flash update. When I went and tried to update it, it wouldn't. Turns out it was Ubuntu Jaunty and went out of support in 2010... which means I haven't been to fix it since before then! Who says Linux isn't ready for the desktop?

Anyway, it's a pretty low spec machine - eMachines with integrated Intel graphics, DDR 1 memory, Celeron but still feels perfectly sprightly to use.

I'm looking for something fairly lightweight either running GNOME 2 or MATE. I put Debian stable on there as a replacement but although it installs fine, there is loads of randomness with GNOME, like locking up and just nothing loading but the top and bottom bars.

So I don't need anything totally lightweight like Puppy or DSL but it's not going to run Unity either. I can't get on with LXDE or XFCE. Any recommendations please? I'd just try them but my broadband is flaky as hell, I kept having to reboot the router doing a Debian net install (maybe why it doesn't work properly?)

Cheers.

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  • 1saintly1saintly Posts: 4,197
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    I can't get on with LXDE or XFCE. Any recommendations please? I'd just try them but my broadband is flaky as hell, I kept having to reboot the router doing a Debian net install (maybe why it doesn't work properly?)

    Cheers.

    But its not for you its for youre uncle!
    So let him try XFCE, its a great OS

    Also trying to load a new OS with a iffy broadband is going to give you a headache.

    I'm looking for something fairly lightweight either running GNOME 2 or MATE. I put Debian stable on there as a replacement but although it installs fine, there is loads of randomness with GNOME, like locking up and just nothing loading but the top and bottom bars.



    Cheers.

    The main one for Mate is
    http://www.linuxmint.com/release.php?id=18
    its a LTS with support until 2017
  • darkknight77darkknight77 Posts: 3,430
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    For a low end system, I'd highly recommend Puppy Linux Slacko, very lightweight and fast and mostly runs in RAM so you get a very speedy system:

    http://puppylinux.org/wikka/Puppy53
  • mred2000mred2000 Posts: 10,050
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    ...So I don't need anything totally lightweight like Puppy...
    For a low end system, I'd highly recommend Puppy Linux Slacko...

    :confused:
  • henm2henm2 Posts: 160
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    For a lightweight distro but more comprehensive than Puppy I would recommend either Lubuntu or Peppermint 3
  • Rodney McKayRodney McKay Posts: 8,143
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    For a low end system, I'd highly recommend Puppy Linux Slacko, very lightweight and fast and mostly runs in RAM so you get a very speedy system:

    http://puppylinux.org/wikka/Puppy53

    Lubuntu is a nice lightweight distro of Ubuntu
  • DJGMDJGM Posts: 3,934
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    Linux Mint with the MATE desktop all the way IMO.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
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    On a low spec I would definitely recommend Bodhi Linux. It's really fast and gorgeous, but there is one proviso. It can feel a little foreign if you're used to more "traditional" desktops. However, to me it gives so much that it's worth learning your way around it. I'm happy enough with it on my Eee that I'm gonna put it on my mum's old Sempron desktop too. My current favourite distro for sure.
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