There are quite a few lightweight Linux distributions around but why should you care especially when most of our PCs that are on the market boast some very fast multi-core processors, large volumes of RAM and very fast Solid State Drives. Sure they can bring new life to old machines but there are many other reasons why they could be awesome for you. Let me give you a few reasons you would so much benefit from going with a Lightweight Linux distribution.
1. Bring old PC to life
One very popular reason for lightweight Linux distributions is their ability to breathe new life into old PCs. Lightweight Linux distros require some very minimum requirements and will run on very old computers (the ones that came with XP). You could even build your very own server with these lightweight distros and you would be surprised how smooth the entire experience is going to be.
2. More available resources
So you have a relatively newer PC so why use a lightweight distro? One major benefit of lightweight distros is that they use very minimal system resources. So, on your modern PC with lots of speed and ram, using a lightweight distro which consumes so little of your system resources will reserve more resources for running the main software or apps you intend to. The lesser resources used by the OS, the more resources available for use.
3. Less bloatware and crapware
One reason lightweight distros are so “lightweight” is that they come without most of the fancy, eye candy, and tools that are typical with most modern distros. Lightweight distros come with the barest of tools and apps. If it is not required, it’s probably not going to be added. So your OS won’t be pre-loaded with things you probably are not going to use.
4. For low-power systems such as Raspberry Pi
These days, there are quite a number of systems such as the Raspberry Pi that is being employed in the teaching of basic computer science all over the world. These awesome systems will have some difficulty running your typical modern distros and in such situations, lightweight distros offer the best of approaches.
5. KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)
KISS is a design principle that states that “most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated; therefore simplicity should be a key goal in design and unnecessary complexity should be avoided” and this is one reason you should definitely consider lightweight Linux distributions. By focusing on keeping these distros lightweight, they are most of the time also made with simplicity in mind avoiding all forms of complications.
Conclusion
So you see you don’t have to use lightweight distros only when you have some aging hardware. These are just a few reasons why you may want to go in for a lightweight Linux distro. There are quite a number of them that are available. There is Linux Lite, Lubuntu, Bodhi Linux, Puppy Linux Tiny Core, and many more others. So do you use any lightweight distros? Why do you prefer them? Please share with us in the comments.
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1 comment
Have been using lubuntu based Peppermint 8 and the newer Peppermint 9 for about a year and half now. 8 is rock stable and have never had any problems with it. The new platform 18.04/9 seems to to be far better than Zorin which I have used in thhe past. Unix/BSD patches/modifications which Peppermint Group makes to the Intel chip may make # 9 good for 10 years. No mystery about Peppermint 9 updates – everything is shown in detail.