Eugenia

You can install Haiku, the BeOS clone. That one runs well on less than 1 GB of RAM, and it had a new beta recently. Linux requires a minimum of 2 GB RAM these days to load 1 tab on a browser of a middle-complexity website, before it starts swapping. To really use Linux more comfortably, you’d need 4 GB, I’d say. And if you want to do 1080p video editing as well, then 8 GB. So, try Haiku.

Question: if I download the current alpha, does it only contain Cosmic, or also the normal Gnome DE?

Either the ArcMenu extension for Gnome, or the Deepin DE.

DaVinci Resolve does not support Intel cards under Linux. Not iGPU, and not even the DEDICATED Intel cards. No Intel at all.

It usually all works except the wifi in some models. The driver exists, and it’s an available download in the official repos (just not in live cds, due to licensing), as long as you have a usb-to-ethernet adapter to install it. However, with Mint 22 I noticed that the wifi driver was finally included in the kernel and livecd by default.

Things to try: a different brand cable, an hdmi-switcher.

I have the mid-2011 model, but that one has only 4 GB RAM. For 8 GB RAM you need to get to 2014 model or so. As long as it’s Macbook Air with 8 GB RAM and 11.6 screen, you’re in business.

Your best bet is an Intel Macbook Air with 11.6" screen from a few years ago. They’re even lighter and smaller than the current macbook airs. I have one myself running Linux Mint 22. Just make sure it has 8 GB of RAM (it works with 4 GB too, but you can’t have too many tabs open). They sell for $200 refurbished.

If the PC you’re building has the latest and greatest hardware in it, you might find that Linux might not support that stuff yet. You might get lucky, but you might not either. It usually takes a little while to get new hardware supported. So it might be a better idea to install Linux on your older computer, then there’s no reason to buy a new PC anyway. Linux uses about half the RAM that Windows uses, for example, so it’s like you did an upgrade anyway. As long as you have over 4 GB of RAM, you’re fine for desktop usage. Windows requires 8 to run as well that Linux does at 4. You’d only need to upgrade if you’re after extreme gaming support.

Depending which version of the MacPro you have exactly, that machine from 2010 is around the speed, or slightly faster, than a Raspberry Pi 5 with 8 GBs of RAM these days. The problem is the energy consumption, not really a green machine to run.

Naaah… you know enough by now. Just try to replace Windows from your friends’ PCs with Linux. And tell them to do the same soon too.

In that case, if it’s just CLI, you don’t need a new computer. Use your phone or tablet to ssh inside your main Linux computer.

I use Gnome, and I’m not a hater, but if you’re expecting some harsh criticism for it, here it is: Extensions breaking so easily should not happen. It’s an extreme pain in the butt every 6 months. They should establish an allowed API that’s frozen, while extensions that use private api calls, don’t get posted on the gnome website/extensions app, so they’re harder to find. Simple.

Try another usb, different brand. It might not be the burning app, it could be the usb itself. Also, try different ports of usb. Finally, have an ethernet usb adapter, if your laptop doesn’t have an ethernet port, because you will need that to install the wifi driver, which is not included by default on linux, because it’s not a Free driver.

Video calls are not supported under Linux afaik, since they don’t enable it for the web version.

You need something like DamnSmallLinux, not Debian. Debian users about 800 MB of RAM with XFce, on a clean boot. It requires a minimum of 2 GB with a modern browser (one tab, 4+ GB with more tabs). DamnSmallLinux uses about 128 MB RAM on a clean boot, and with the Netfront browser about half a gig. Definitely better for such a laptop than any modern distro.

Android is Linux-based, even if it’s not a Gnu/Linux distribution. Besides, eOS is different enough from Android, since it barely works with existing Android apps (you’ll need to use the microG lib to do so, which is optional). Its UI is iPhone-like too,so it’s not comparable to other Android looks either. In other words, I’d say e/OS sits in a place that it’s kinda its own. Not Gnu/Linux and not quite Android either.

And let’s face it, no gnu/linux distro is mature enough to be a daily driver on a phone. Not a single one. I’ve tried them all. The best options are still Android-based: LineageOS if you don’t care to be truly an Android, or e/OS if you want something that it’s kind of its own beast (still based on LineageOS underneath). And that’s why I suggested e/OS.

For me, the best is e/OS, which is based off of LineageOS, but with extra privacy features to de-google. Just get a compatible phone, and run that.

Debian. I’ve been using Linux since 1999, and I’ve tried everything under the sun. Back then, I was a Red Hat person, then an ubuntu person mostly, but Debian is where there’s stability that doesn’t mess with your mental health. It just works, and that has more value than being pretty or having the latest bells and whistles.

Definitely Debian. Or Mint if you also like the cinnamon desktop (which is similar to KDE’s in terms of default look).