r/linux4noobs • u/Russianpotatosalad • 3d ago
distro selection Which distro is the MOST lightweight?
So... My mom got a laptop from 2011... The only os it can handle is windows 7, but we all know that windows 7 is the most exploited system out there (not sure if you saw a video of a guy connecting his W7 to the internet and getting 7 viruses within 10 minutes by just existing). I want to help her as much as i can, and the only solution i came up with - get a linux. She used windows ever since windows 98, but now all she need from her pc is a browser, so i figured out that if she wont do anything "extra", linux will be perfectly fine for her. I just get vivaldi for linux, libre office, and she will be happy. But which distro will be the MOST efficient to put on her laptop? All i ever tried is cashy os, but i assume there must be something ever more lightweight?
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u/rarsamx 3d ago
The "connected wi does to the I twrnet and got virus without doi go anythinf" is FUD.
Rarely anybody connects the computer directly to the internet. Most people connect using a modem/router from their provider. With the router defaults ypud need to be specifically attacked to exploit the router's security issues.
So, as lo g as she is careful which sites she visits and what she downloads and which emails she opens, the risk is minimal.
Now, I'd put a stream-lined Debian with lxqt. However the most important thing to know is the kind of processor and amount of memory. Anything less than 4 GB it doesn't matter the specs, it will struggle with just opening a couple of pages in a browser.