Good day

I would please like to ask for suggestions for first time installation of linux on an old pc that has recently come into my possession

It is

Pentium 4 3.4 Ghz (2 cpu) 2 Gb Ram 1Tb hardrive Onboard graphics 128 mb

I have been looking at Mint and I am assuming that the Xfce Edition would probably be the smarter choice, but I am curious to know if I could use something like Cinnamon Edition and will it run smoothly hitting at the minimum spec of 2Gb RAM. Is their other alternatives that provide a good exprience for the limited resources as I decide to take the plunge?

  • KISSmyOSFeddit@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    6 months ago

    I’d go with Mint Xfce and if that feels too sluggish, Lubuntu would be even lighter and also focussed on ease of use for new users.
    Keep in mind that the OS probably won’t be the biggest issue, running a modern web browser is.
    Cause nowadays that’s basically its own OS, running code from god-knows-who.

  • JayEchoRay@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
    1·
    6 months ago

    Hello, writing this from the recently installed Mint Xfce install. so far the only thing I am still a bit confused with is some of the keyboard input is swapped around like " is @ and a couple other keys. Also not too sure where the check if a headset I have has microphone drivers, but that is something I think I need to read up on

    • KISSmyOSFeddit@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      6 months ago

      Sounds like you have the English keyboard layout set and expect German.
      This should be changeable somewhere in Xfce’s settings.

    • Kory@lemmy.mlEnglish
      0·
      6 months ago

      Hey, looks good! The sound panel (Menu - Sound & Video or simply type “sound”) should let you choose and test your headset. Let us know how it goes!

      • JayEchoRay@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
        0·
        6 months ago

        Thanks, and in regards to the sound I think it might be a failure of the mic itself and not a software thing ( seems to not pick up audio on two different devices - tried on one before and now again on the new install seems to be the case - audio just picks up a popping sound and not voice at all) . I probably need to look at a cheap one-off microphone to get me by. 2 Browser stuff is a bit harsh with only 2Gb - need to look at maybe getting firefox lite or something lightweight, but I can get used to 1 tab at a time, can think of it as an opportunity to try work towards something more, but overall pretty impressed by what it is able to accomplish with the old tech.

        I feel I have been converted away from microsoft and like what I am seeing with Linux systems so far. I will likely consider it for future systems if I am able to get something more capable later down the line