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I'm new to the Linux world, but I would love to switch from Windows. I'm developer, mostly in web server based technologies, but sometimes I love to tinker with C++ and other languages. As I'm student I can't afford powerful hardware so I have:

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It's a Toshiba Satellite L10-205 (Laptop) P.S. Don't blame me for my old hardware. Whats the best distro of Linux for my PC to run fast and for my needs?

G-Man Says 'Reinstate Monica'
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Raimonds
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    You should really invest into buying more RAM. Get at least 1GB into the machine. – Šimon Tóth Dec 07 '11 at 13:53
  • I would if I had something to invest, but I'm not the richest person, and school is really expensive. For you 30$ might be lunch, but I can live half a month with it. :( – Raimonds Dec 07 '11 at 14:17
  • have you seen this question?: http://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/14757/which-gnu-linux-distribution-for-a-12-year-old-system – psj Dec 07 '11 at 14:43
  • @Raimonds 1GB RAM is something like 15USD in Europe. – Šimon Tóth Dec 07 '11 at 14:52
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    @Raimonds I realize you specify "Distro" and so this assumes linux, but OpenBSD is an excellent way to learn unix like systems as it hides very little from you. It also has no problem running on older hardware, though some wireless cards may give you problems. – gabe. Dec 07 '11 at 19:39
  • Possible duplicate of [Which GNU/Linux distribution for an old system from 1999?](https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/14757/which-gnu-linux-distribution-for-an-old-system-from-1999) – Anthony Geoghegan Nov 12 '17 at 22:50

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Since you are new to Linux, you may consider installing a distro aimed at newcomers, so probably one of the *buntu family. As you are concerned with ressources, Lubuntu may be a good choice: it should keep the ease of installation of Ubuntu, while being much lighter on ressources by default.

Dalker
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  • I seriously doubt that even Lubuntu will be usable on 256MB RAM. – Šimon Tóth Dec 07 '11 at 13:56
  • I'm running mint on a virtual machine with 256mb ram, it runs fine, Lubuntu shouldn't be any worse – squareborg Dec 07 '11 at 14:24
  • As long as he avoids Gnome, KDE and even Xfce, he should be fine. Of course it would be better to avoid desktop managers altogether and stick to a light window manager (I personally use xmonad) but he's new to Linux. Lxde is probably the lightest that will still be comfortable as a starting point, and Lubuntu installs it by default without asking too many questions. – Dalker Dec 07 '11 at 14:53
  • I'm not sure a linux distro "aimed at newcomers" makes sense for someone who wants to learn linux... they pretty much hide "linux" from you completely and make you learn "windows." Just a comment. – gabe. Dec 07 '11 at 19:36