If you are looking for an easy to use and lightweight distro for older PCs, Bodhi Linux can be a good choice.
Due to its very low system requirements, it can even run on PCs that are a couple of decades old:
- 4 GB Disk space [ 10 GB recommended]
- 256 MB RAM [ 512 MB recommended]
- 500 MHz processor [ 1 GHz recommended]
Bodhi Linux is based on Ubuntu LTS, so if you are familiar with using Ubuntu, it won’t be a steep learning curve to install and use.
Download and install it from here.
It does have its own Moksha desktop which is basically uncluttered and simple to navigate.
As Bodhi Linux is focused on being lightweight, the default installation comes with minimal apps. This can be great as you can selectively install only those apps that are needed rather than having those already installed which aren’t used much or at all.
The default apps included are Midori web browser, ePad – a basic text editor and EPhoto – an image editor. One very useful feature about Bodhi Linux is its screenshot tool integration. Simply capture a desktop or any window by right clicking and choosing Take Shot.
Other apps can be installed using BodhiAppCenter which is basically a web interface to search and install them.
Alternatively, the packages can also be directly installed from Terminology (Terminal).
Apps can also be moved between virtual desktops, be added as favorites and have custom keyboard shortcuts assigned. Right click and use these if needed.
Also, the default File Manager is fairly basic and simple to use.
Various system settings can be changed from Settings menu.
BodhiBuilder is a system tool which can create backups, make ISOs and clean temporary files and customize boot settings.
Overall, this is a useful distro as it comes without the bloatware and has the familiar Ubuntu environment when using it.
Do try it out.