Jan 04, 2020 puppy linux is a collection of multiple linux distributions comes with extraordinarily small, yet quite fullfeatured. Linux is a powerful and fully customizable operating system. It is easy to configure and has been developed to be simple enough for linux beginners to easily get up and running with it. Fedora is one of the most advanced linux distributions around today.
The best linux distributions for touchscreens laptopninja. It is a market leader in virtualization and also offers strong community support to users. Presenting a nice assortment of lightweight yet fullyfunctional linux distros for all occasions. It comes with all the components youll need to run a pleasant desktop linux environment, based on ubuntu. For those who might be looking to migrate to the open source. Although youre free to pick the specific tool for managing packages, the package type is hardcoded into the distribution. The 8 smallest linux distros that are lightweight and need. If you are new to linux and want to install linux on your older hardware then peppermint is a good choice for you.
Once you download the image, you can use cd burning. Unlike other distros, gentoo linux has an advanced, sourcebased package management system called portage. The consumer operatingsystem market has largely settled on three platforms. If you are currently using windows use this guide to. Not only does the small size make it extremely fast, but it also makes it suitable as a portable linux distro that is bootable and can run from a usb. It provides screenshots, package information, size and specs and project information on the distro. It comes with all the components youll need to run a pleasant desktop linux environment, based on. Mar 17, 2020 the consumer operatingsystem market has largely settled on three platforms. It runs directly from your usb flash drive without installing, so you can carry it everywhere you go in your pocket. Apr 16, 2020 linux mint is a great default distro for new linux users, as it comes with a lot of the software youll need when switching from mac or windows, such as libreoffice, the favored. List of free gnulinux distributions gnu project free. Dec 06, 2014 damn small linux is an open source and minimal distribution of linux based on the knoppix and debian gnu linux operating systems, as well as on other gnu linux technologies. If youre new to linux or are looking for a change, these distributions are easily among the best options in 2020.
Jan 16, 2009 damn small linux tinyme linux puppy linux there are certainly a number of other small or frugal linux distributions available, but i believe that these are probably the best known, and. Top 5 best lightweight linux distros to boost up your old computer. Porteus linux is a distro based on slackware linux. Backed by redhat the biggest linux kernel contributor, fedora is one of the fastest and most secure linux distro to use in 2020. Index applications packages download notes off site milestones faq wiki forums blogs miniitx store income guide donate browse the mydsl repository. It is based on ubuntu lts, its lightweight and easy to use linux distributions. A ubuntuspecific form of containerized application deployment. Linux lite isnt as small as some tiny distros, but it wont make you scream, either. Its such an extremely efficient model that it doesnt even include an application to install the os although you can download it from the tiny. Some of the distributions mentioned here are also a part of the best linux distributions for beginners. Dec 12, 2019 slax is a fast, small and portable linux live usb distro, was based on slackware. It is a business card size live cd that installs to usb sticks and disk drives, and runs embedded as a guest os. It was designed to run graphical environment and applications on old pc machines with 486 pentium processors and very little memory. Red hat linux was divided into a communitysupported but red hatsponsored distribution named fedora, and a commercially supported distribution called.
A small linux distro for learning oldschool linux, fast. But tiny linux distributions are powerful innovations. Vector linux vector linux is a small, fast, intel linux operating system based on one of the original linux distributions, slackware. Top 10 best lightweight linux distros of 2020 blackdown. If youre not sure which one is right for you, cinnamon 64bit edition is the most popular.
Its designed specifically for x86 pcs and will run on an ancient 486 cpu with 16mb of ram. Archbang is based on arch linux and inspired by crunchbang, which was another small linux distro. Puppy linux is a collection of multiple linux distributions comes with extraordinarily small, yet quite fullfeatured. Mx linux is an opensource antix and mepisbased linux distro designed to work efficiently on both old and modern pcs.
There are plenty of linux distributions out there to choose from when youre deciding what to run on a daily basis, yet some are so small that they get little notice. If you like damn small linux, please consider donating. Jun 12, 2019 damn small linux dsl lives up to its name in that the install image is barely 50mb. Install a lightweight linux distro on them and theyre as good as new. Red hat linux and suse linux were the original major distributions that used the. The 8 smallest linux distros that are lightweight and need almost.
Some of you might be running insecure windows xp on. Lightweight distros dont even have to be used on old hardware. Nov 17, 2016 damn small linux dsl a small, business card size computer operating system based on knoppix. While our focus is on older computers, you can also use most of these lightweight linux distros on relatively new hardware.
This means that all applications start in the blink of an eye and respond to user input instantly. With linux, the underlying kernel may be the same, but the software around it the apps, skins, window managers, and package managers commitment to free and opensource software. Since its formation in the early 1990s, the open source nature of linux has ensured great variation in the release of distributions, including variations on. Jul 18, 2014 presenting a nice assortment of lightweight yet fullyfunctional linux distros for all occasions. The small linux distro known as levinux download 20 mb is a tiny virtual linux server that runs from usb or dropbox with a doubleclick no install or admin rights required on macs, windows or linux pcsmaking it the perfect controlled environment for learning linux. If you are currently using windows use this guide to do so. Apr 17, 2018 download damn small linux damn small linux 4. A lightweight linux server operating system for lans, based on the 4mlinux distro. These distributions are meant for devices with limited resources, like a wireless router for example. The next generation enterprise linux operating system developed and publish by red hat. Elementary os elementary os is a beautiful, fast, lightweight linux for 32 and 64bit x86.
As i mentioned above now distributions will be less in size but speedy. Ubuntu flavours offer a unique way to experience ubuntu, each with their own choice of default applications and settings. Manjaro linux comes in xfce, kde, gnome, cinnamon and a host of more desktop environments. Slax is a modern, portable, small and fast linux operating system with modular approach and outstanding design. Peppermint uses lxde desktop environment that is lightweight and easy to use. Both of these were later divided into commercial and communitysupported distributions. From familiar software like firefox and thunderbird, to simply named menu items, to one click updates and software installs that you will find linux lite an enjoyable computing experience. They reject nonfree applications, nonfree programming platforms, nonfree drivers, nonfree firmware blobs, and any other nonfree software and documentation. Microsoft windows, apple macos, and various linuxbsd distributions. Whereas 2017 brought about some big changes to a number of linux distributions, i believe 2018 will bring serious stability and market share growthfor both the server and the desktop.
It offers an endless number of distributions that differ significantly from each other, offering complete personalization to all. So, you might want to check that if youre new to the linux universe. It runs directly from your usb flash drive without installing, so. Now, onto the tiny linux distros, all of which are free unless otherwise stated. Puppy boots into a ramdisk and, unlike live cd distributions it loads into ram. Dec 12, 2019 porteus linux is a distro based on slackware linux. You can also install arch linux or debian and use a lightweight desktop environment.
As a result, you may need to install some additional programs in order to tailor the linux distributions were going to talk about in this article to your specific. Kubuntu offers the kde plasma workspace experience, a goodlooking system for home and office use. This is an overview of small operating systems and linux distributions, most of them work well on older hardware predual core era. Linux is a far cry from the esoteric bundles of code it once was, and the number of polished distros out there, offering variants on windows, os x and ubuntu, is testament to that. Not ranked damn small linux is a business card size 50mb live cd linux distribution. Dec 07, 2019 the 5th lightweight linux for old computers is peppermint. May 16, 2020 linux is a powerful and fully customizable operating system. Here is the list of top 10 linux distributions to free download latest version of linux operating system with links to linux documentation and home pages. Strongly affiliated with the red hat group, fedora is often a test bed for new software. Damn small linux tinyme linux puppy linux there are certainly a number of other small or frugal linux distributions available, but i believe that these are probably the best known, and. May 24, 2019 with that being said, heres my list of the best portable linux distributions. Iso images are mainly used as source files from which to create cds. The linux distribution archive is a growing collection of media for the installation of linux on various systems from the past 20 years. Tiny core linux is a mini linux operating system developed by robert shingledecker to provide a base system using fltk and busybox and it stands out for its small size and minimalist approach to applications manager, among other features the goal of the tiny core linux project is to create an os capable of booting from a cd rom, pen drive, or booting frugally from a hard.
Boot from a business card cd as a live linux distribution livecd boot from a usb pen drive. The latest version of puppy linux is based on ubuntu, so users will get access to ubuntu software repository to install necessary applications. Linux lite is a showcase for just how easy it can be to use linux. Plus, it is almost automatically updated against bugs and old versions. Despite its minuscule size it strives to have a functional and easy to use desktop. Free distributions or distros of the gnulinux system only include and only propose free software. Linux mint is a great default distro for new linux users, as it comes with a lot of the software youll need when switching from mac or windows, such as libreoffice, the favored. Developed for gentoo linux, and now also used by chromeos and a few other distributions. Damn small linux is a business card size 50mb bootable live cd linux distribution. Archbang is essentially arch linux made easier and reduced in size. Gnulinux distros gnu project free software foundation. Slackware has been traditionally known to be about as user friendly as a coiled rattlesnake and thats where vector linux comes into play.
The size of puppy linux is very less, somewhere around 300mb. Red hat linux was divided into a communitysupported but red hat sponsored distribution named. Nov 25, 2019 linux lite isnt as small as some tiny distros, but it wont make you scream, either. Damn small linux is an open source and minimal distribution of linux based on the knoppix and debian gnulinux operating systems, as well as on other gnulinux technologies. Since its formation in the early 1990s, the open source nature of linux has ensured great variation in the release of distributions, including variations on floppy disk, cdrom, dvdrom and onlineonly.
Its one of the smallest linux distros on this list for 2019. Install one of these small and lightweight linux distros to make your pc usable again. As an example, most distributions of linux release iso images of the installation cds. So, dump all your worries about lesser storage space on your old pc in. Damn small linux is a very versatile 50mb mini desktop oriented linux distribution. Dec 26, 2018 the size of puppy linux is very less, somewhere around 300mb. All of these are full distros that do not depend on cloud services. The 5th lightweight linux for old computers is peppermint. It was the first fully free gnu linux system recognized by the gnu project.
To install any of the above 6 operating systems, you need to create a bootable usb stick. Portage is a true ports system in the tradition of bsd ports, but is pythonbased and sports a number of advanced features including. Its a new year and the landscape of possibility is limitless for linux. Puppy linux is one of them, puppy linux latest release is puppy linux 6. You will find it easy to use and can also install it on your older computers with no issues. Below youll find links that lead directly to the download page of 25 popular linux distributions. Ubuntu flavours are backed by the full ubuntu archive for packages and updates.
Damn small linux dsl a small, business card size computer operating system based on knoppix. Portage is a true ports system in the tradition of bsd ports, but is pythonbased and sports a number. These images are usually available from anonymous ftp servers. Damn small linux or dsl is a computer operating system for the x86 family of personal computers. Head to their official website to download the iso 32bit. Gentoo gentoo linux is a versatile and fast, completely free linux metadistribution geared towards developers and network professionals. It is free and open source software under the terms of gnu gpl and other free and open source licenses. It provides outofthebox solution and include browser,media supports java and lots of other components. Slax is a fast, small and portable linux live usb distro, was based on slackware. Jan 05, 2018 its a new year and the landscape of possibility is limitless for linux. Damn small linux has a nearly complete desktop, including xmms mp3, and mpeg, ftp client, linkshacked web browser, spreadsheet, sylpheed email, spellcheck us english, a wordprocessor, three editors nedit, nvi, zile. Microsoft windows, apple macos, and various linux bsd distributions.