this post was submitted on 24 May 2024
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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I think what matters most in your case is the desktop environment, not the distro. I would suggest something lightweight and fast such as Xfce with the distribution of your choice. Gnome and KDE tend to use (a lot) more resources than Xfce. I personally use Debian stable with Xfce on all my machines (which includes a Thinkpad x220), but the Xfce default settings are not ideal on Debian so you will need to fiddle with them (it can all be done easily with the GUI, but it isn't the most user friendly experience at first). If you want something that looks good outside the box that resembles Windows I would suggest Linux Mint Xfce Edition, very straightforward and easy to use with good looking defaults !
I would agree with this to an extent, but we are still talking i5 with 8-16GB of RAM. Gnome or KDE shouldn't be an issue here (unless/those devilish Snaps are involved).
They came with dual cores or quad cores but yeah basically anything would be fine.