Don't Toss That Old Computer!

Is your computer old and slow? Does it have more Windows updates than actual programs? Before you replace it, you may want to consider installing one of the myriad of Linux distributions (distros) that are out there.

Linux is a free, easy to use operating system (OS) that comes in a variety of flavors and can be used on almost any machine. For example:

• My son's laptop is running the latest Ubuntu with the educational desktop. It is less than 2 years old and was already maxed out with pre-installed Vista. 

• Puppy Linux runs in RAM and was installed on a laptop with a damaged hard drive. This system is also less than 2 years old. My plan was to run Puppy on a USB thumbdrive until I replaced the hard drive but the little distro won me over and it will be staying permanently. 

• An older version of Ubuntu is running on a computer so old it could not install the latest release. I'm talking about an original Windows 2000 server here!

That last one? It's actually my primary system and runs better than my year-old Vista loaded Toshiba laptop!

Ubuntu is so easy to use that you can actually install new features and software using a couple of mouse clicks.




Yes, I do still have a couple of computers running XP and Vista respectively but those are deliberately left in case I ever need them for any projects now that I'm a freelancer. I'm not ashamed to say that Linux has become my primary OS.

You can't beat free and Linux has a lot of free add-ons and support out there.

Wishing you much peace, happiness and success,