Well, we’ve reached almost the end of the year 2018! It’s been a pretty hot year with tons of Linux distro releases and updates. The industry had a hard time fighting against the Spectre and Meltdown along with a ton of ups and downs.
Linux systems are always some of the lightest weight operating systems available. With less RAM and processor power, you can enjoy the same performance as you would on some of the most powerful systems. Of course, for heavier workloads, you need enough hardware resource that will be able to handle the load.
Today, let’s check out some of the lightest weight Linux distros to check out in the year 2019!
Lightweight Linux distros
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Arch Linux
It may surprise a lot of you but Arch Linux is one of the lightest weight Linux distros available in the world of Linux. The classic Arch Linux is a difficult choice for new users, of course. However, there are a number of other Arch-based, user-friendly distros like Manjaro Linux and Antergos.
All of them offers very easy-to-use environments along with support for popular desktop environments like GNOME, KDE Plasma, and Xfce etc.
The list wouldn’t be complete if there was no Ubuntu system. Ubuntu, by far, is one of the most commonly used Linux systems because of its simplicity and user-friendliness. In the case of Lubuntu, it takes the step further and makes it way more suitable becoming another lightest weight distro.
“L” in the name Lubuntu originally was “lightweight”. Lubuntu comes up with LXDE – a super lightweight desktop environment that’s less hardware hungry and overall, more power efficient than the more popular ones.
I love Lubuntu as it runs without any problem on even the oldest machines of the dinosaur period!
Just like the name suggests, it’s a real “light” distro to pick up. The interesting part is, its interface is custom designed to match with Windows XP. If you are a Windows guy/gal and planning to switch to Linux, then don’t forget to check it out!
With the system, you get all the essential tools like VLC Media Player, Netflix, and LibreOffice etc. Another interesting feature is zRAM. This tool, by default, compresses the data in the memory for a faster overall performance.
The distro is specially designed for older machines. You can easily multi-boot Linux Lite with your existing OS, letting you get used to the new environment while still working with your older one.
It’s another strongly recommended Linux distro for new Linux users as it’s designed for simplicity. It uses Ubuntu at its core, so you’re also assured of almost all the popular apps available.
The interface of Linux Mint is also highly compatible with Windows users. It also comes up with all the essentials pre-installed. Ubuntu has officially ditched support for the 32-bit platform but Linux Mint still offers 32-bit system and software.
Feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions!
Enjoy!
You completely forgot Puppy Linux!!!
Let me get this straight, your prerequisite for a lightweight distro is 32 bit & XFCE4? By that calculations then distros like Slackware would fit. Heck! Even with Slackbuilds, you could install Openbox, Tint2, Menumaker, and Feh — then you can go Ultralight.