suggestions for a different distribution/project for older laptop

[jkn]

Hi all
a slightly silly question ...

I have a newly-spare old laptop; it's a Thinkpad T420 with I5 processor,
8GB DRAMy, SSD.

I like Thinkpads a lot - most of our 'household' machines are these. My
own have got Linux distributions of various sorts on them (usually
Kubuntu) and I use them for general 'work'.

I have no pressing need to do anything with this one, but wondered about
a little project to install and try out something 'different' on it.
Trying Yet Another Linux Distribution doesn't sound too thrilling
(although it might be nice to use something with a different window
manager, and without systemd).

So I'm looking for suggestions as to something a teensy bit more off the
beaten track. I realise this is a 'how long is a piece of string'
question, but I'd be interested to hear any thoughts.

Thanks, J^n

[Jeff Gaines]

Post by jkn
Hi all
a slightly silly question ...
I have a newly-spare old laptop; it's a Thinkpad T420 with I5 processor,
8GB DRAMy, SSD.
I like Thinkpads a lot - most of our 'household' machines are these. My
own have got Linux distributions of various sorts on them (usually
Kubuntu) and I use them for general 'work'.
I have no pressing need to do anything with this one, but wondered about a
little project to install and try out something 'different' on it. Trying
Yet Another Linux Distribution doesn't sound too thrilling (although it
might be nice to use something with a different window manager, and
without systemd).
So I'm looking for suggestions as to something a teensy bit more off the
beaten track. I realise this is a 'how long is a piece of string'
question, but I'd be interested to hear any thoughts.
Thanks, J^n

There's an interesting summary here:

https://www.techradar.com/news/best-alternative-operating-systems

I quite fancy ReactOS or ArcaOS, just short of round tuits!

[jkn]

Post by Jeff Gaines

Post by jkn
Hi all
   a slightly silly question ...
I have a newly-spare old laptop; it's a Thinkpad T420 with I5
processor, 8GB DRAMy, SSD.
I like Thinkpads a lot - most of our 'household' machines are these.
My own have got Linux distributions of various sorts on them (usually
Kubuntu) and I use them for general 'work'.
I have no pressing need to do anything with this one, but wondered
about a little project to install and try out something 'different' on
it. Trying Yet Another Linux Distribution doesn't sound too thrilling
(although it might be nice to use something with a different window
manager, and without systemd).
So I'm looking for suggestions as to something a teensy bit more off
the beaten track. I realise this is a 'how long is a piece of string'
question, but I'd be interested to hear any thoughts.
Thanks, J^n

https://www.techradar.com/news/best-alternative-operating-systems
I quite fancy ReactOS or ArcaOS, just short of round tuits!

Thanks, I think I have seen an older version of that article, that is
the kind of thing I was looking for.

I did slightly wonder about Plan9 (I have a very distant connection with
some of the originators), but I think I have enough going on in my life
without that.

I always wanted to take a look at BeOS, now might be the time to try
Haiku...

[Daniel James]

Post by jkn
I have a newly-spare old laptop; it's a Thinkpad T420 with I5
processor, 8GB DRAMy, SSD.

Shame, if it were a T410 it would have a much nicer keyboard.

Post by jkn
... it might be nice to use something with a different window
manager, and without systemd ...

Systemd is a curse, and learning to live without it would be a
worthwhile endeavour. I must do that, sometime.

Window managers and desktop environments are really not so different,
but they give rise to a lot of strong feeling. When I first started
playing with Linux I used KDE, and when I first found myself using it
for client work I had (for various good reasons) to use Gnome. When I
decided to get away from Microsoft altogether I tried a number of
different distros and a number of different DEs before settling on
Debian Mate. It's a journey worth taking, and it's interesting how the
scenery changes (and how the presence or absence of even quite small
features can make a huge difference to the usability of a system -- for
one person but not another).

When I first started playing I used Gentoo Linux, which was a great
learning experience, but quite time- (and electricity-) consuming when
you need to rebuilt the whole system. I haven't the patience to use it
now, but I learned a lot. If you've never experienced Gentoo I'd
recommend giving it a whirl ... or go completely crazy and try Linux
from scratch.

[Jeff Gaines]

When I decided to get away from Microsoft altogether I tried a number of
different distros and a number of different DEs before settling on Debian
Mate. It's a journey worth taking, and it's interesting how the scenery
changes (and how the presence or absence of even quite small features can
make a huge difference to the usability of a system -- for one person but
not another).

May I ask a question about mate, mate :-)

My Linux box has Ubuntu MATE on it. Is MATE pronounce like mate as in
"hello mate, how are you" or something more complicated like "matay", I
don't know its roots.

[Jaimie Vandenbergh]

Post by Jeff Gaines

When I decided to get away from Microsoft altogether I tried a number of
different distros and a number of different DEs before settling on Debian
Mate. It's a journey worth taking, and it's interesting how the scenery
changes (and how the presence or absence of even quite small features can
make a huge difference to the usability of a system -- for one person but
not another).

May I ask a question about mate, mate :-)
My Linux box has Ubuntu MATE on it. Is MATE pronounce like mate as in
"hello mate, how are you" or something more complicated like "matay", I
don't know its roots.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MATE_(desktop_environment)

Mah-tey, from the tea.

Cheers - Jaimie

[Jeff Gaines]

Post by Jaimie Vandenbergh

Post by Jeff Gaines

When I decided to get away from Microsoft altogether I tried a number of
different distros and a number of different DEs before settling on Debian
Mate. It's a journey worth taking, and it's interesting how the scenery
changes (and how the presence or absence of even quite small features can
make a huge difference to the usability of a system -- for one person but
not another).

May I ask a question about mate, mate :-)
My Linux box has Ubuntu MATE on it. Is MATE pronounce like mate as in
"hello mate, how are you" or something more complicated like "matay", I
don't know its roots.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MATE_(desktop_environment)
Mah-tey, from the tea.
Cheers - Jaimie

Ooh, there's posh :-)

[Daniel James]

Post by Jeff Gaines
My Linux box has Ubuntu MATE on it. Is MATE pronounce like mate as in
"hello mate, how are you" or something more complicated like "matay", I
don't know its roots.

As Jaimie says, it's mah-tey (or mah-tay, perhaps) from the drink (it's
an infusion, but not really a tea as it's from a different plant).

As you might imagine, this has been asked before ...

https://ubuntu-mate.org/blog/how-to-pronounce-mate/

[wasbit]

snip <
May I ask a question about mate, mate :-)
My Linux box has Ubuntu MATE on it. Is MATE pronounce like mate as in
"hello mate, how are you" or something more complicated like "matay", I
don't know its roots.

Probably a mispronounced instruction by a native whilst passing on an
order from his colonial master to bring me meh tay.

[Jeff Gaines]

Post by wasbit

snip <
May I ask a question about mate, mate :-)
My Linux box has Ubuntu MATE on it. Is MATE pronounce like mate as in
"hello mate, how are you" or something more complicated like "matay", I
don't know its roots.

Probably a mispronounced instruction by a native whilst passing on an
order from his colonial master to bring me meh tay.

Yes, massah :-)

[Daniel James]

Post by wasbit
Probably a mispronounced instruction by a native whilst passing on an
order from his colonial master to bring me meh tay.

... except that it's a South American drink made fron a local herb now
known by a name that is a Spanishification (Hispanization?) of a native
Paraguayan word. It doesn't have an accent because it's Spanish and in
Spanish it doesn't need one.

[Raj Kundra]

Post by jkn
Hi all
    a slightly silly question ...
I have a newly-spare old laptop; it's a Thinkpad T420 with I5 processor,
8GB DRAMy, SSD.
I like Thinkpads a lot - most of our 'household' machines are these. My
own have got Linux distributions of various sorts on them (usually
Kubuntu) and I use them for general 'work'.
I have no pressing need to do anything with this one, but wondered about
a little project to install and try out something 'different' on it.
Trying Yet Another Linux Distribution doesn't sound too thrilling
(although it might be nice to use something with a different window
manager, and without systemd).
So I'm looking for suggestions as to something a teensy bit more off the
beaten track. I realise this is a 'how long is a piece of string'
question, but I'd be interested to hear any thoughts.
Thanks, J^n

Install MSDOS on it and play.
then install Windows 3.1 and see if you can get sound card etc working
under it.

[Mike Scott]

Post by jkn
So I'm looking for suggestions as to something a teensy bit more off the
beaten track. I realise this is a 'how long is a piece of string'
question, but I'd be interested to hear any thoughts.

You could give OpenBSD a go. I run it on my X61s, my VPS and my HP T620
thin client, which is my desktop computer.
If you wish to stick with linux, but without the systemd, you could try
devuan, if you like debian-like distros. Or you could try something a
little more out there like void linux or alpine linux.
Have a look see if any of those take your fancy.

what is the issue with Systemd?

Principle. It seems to me that it's a break with the *nix concept of
having one program do one job and do it simply and well. It seems to me
(outside the circle of systemd experts) that it's monolithic, arcane and
a big shift in a windows-like direction, trying to be an OS in its own
right. A bit like windows under msdos. IMBW.

BTW BSD's work well. I've got FreeBSD running on a Pi4 as our family
server. Been running for about 9 months solid now since last booted.
OTOH outside s/ware tends to be linux- oriented if it's not windows,
although the fbsd package repo isn't bad.

[jkn]

Post by Mike Scott

Post by jkn
So I'm looking for suggestions as to something a teensy bit more off the
beaten track. I realise this is a 'how long is a piece of string'
question, but I'd be interested to hear any thoughts.

You could give OpenBSD a go. I run it on my X61s, my VPS and my HP T620
thin client, which is my desktop computer.
If you wish to stick with linux, but without the systemd, you could try
devuan, if you like debian-like distros. Or you could try something a
little more out there like void linux or alpine linux.
Have a look see if any of those take your fancy.

what is the issue with Systemd?

Principle. It seems to me that it's a break with the *nix concept of
having one program do one job and do it simply and well. It seems to me
(outside the circle of systemd experts) that it's monolithic, arcane and
a big shift in a windows-like direction, trying to be an OS in its own
right. A bit like windows under msdos. IMBW.
BTW BSD's work well. I've got FreeBSD running on a Pi4 as our family
server. Been running for about 9 months solid now since last booted.
OTOH outside s/ware tends to be linux- oriented if it's not windows,
although the fbsd package repo isn't bad.

Hi all - sorry for the delayed reply, I have been away.

Brief summary - I used to use Gentoo years ago, but it got to need more
enthusiasm than I had at the time. I see Daniel Robbins had a bit of a
falling out ... I probably won't head back there, although I remember
Gentoo with some fondness.

I am probably going to choose between a BSD, or Haiku, as mentioned
previously.

Oh, and the T420 *does* have the proper Thinkpad keyboard. Later models
don't ... but I am actually typing this on a T430 which I have
retrofitted with a T420 keyboard ;-)

Cheers, J^n

[IanJ]

Post by jkn
So I'm looking for suggestions as to something a teensy bit more off the
beaten track. I realise this is a 'how long is a piece of string'
question, but I'd be interested to hear any thoughts.

You could give OpenBSD a go. I run it on my X61s, my VPS and my HP T620
thin client, which is my desktop computer.

If you wish to stick with linux, but without the systemd, you could try
devuan, if you like debian-like distros. Or you could try something a
little more out there like void linux or alpine linux.

Have a look see if any of those take your fancy.

[SH]

Post by jkn
So I'm looking for suggestions as to something a teensy bit more off the
beaten track. I realise this is a 'how long is a piece of string'
question, but I'd be interested to hear any thoughts.

You could give OpenBSD a go. I run it on my X61s, my VPS and my HP T620
thin client, which is my desktop computer.
If you wish to stick with linux, but without the systemd, you could try
devuan, if you like debian-like distros. Or you could try something a
little more out there like void linux or alpine linux.
Have a look see if any of those take your fancy.

what is the issue with Systemd?