What other Linux distros should I try? | Linux Mint Community🍵 | Page 1

solid lion Jan 18, 2026, 11:41 AM

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I'm on a crappy Lenovo ideapad with 4 gigs of ram and a dual core i3.
I decided to give Mint xfce a go. I tried it and really liked how smooth it felt in comparison to Windows 11.

However, I didn't exactly like the reliance on passwords, and the design didn't really feel right for me. I also tried installing TF2 only to see on protonDB that mint users had issues with it.

So, should I try other distros? I thought of Debian but I ain't sure, and if I should stay with Mint, there's another question I'd like to ask, but I'd like to save that for later.
For other info:
I want something with
the speed of mint xfce (or better)
Decent enough support for coding
And support for Steam

chrome sapphire Jan 18, 2026, 12:52 PM

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solid lion I'm on a crappy Lenovo ideapad with 4 gigs of ram and a dual core i3. I decided ...

chachyOS is a very lightweight OS, lighter than xfce so give that a try

fierce flower Jan 18, 2026, 12:54 PM

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try bodhi linux

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it is really lightweight, doesnt have as much of a feature-rich desktop but will get the job done

solid lion Jan 18, 2026, 1:52 PM

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chrome sapphire chachyOS is a very lightweight OS, lighter than xfce so give that a try

i've heard of it, & since i just bricked that laptop by uninstalling both OSes on it by accident, guess it's good enough for a clean slate

solid lion Jan 18, 2026, 1:53 PM

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fierce flower try bodhi linux

haven't heard of it. I'll try it out

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later tho

solid lion Jan 18, 2026, 3:53 PM

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chrome sapphire chachyOS is a very lightweight OS, lighter than xfce so give that a try

Is it using my WiFi to install????

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I plugged in the live session and started the process, but when I disconnected WiFi, it suddenly stopped

foggy haven Jan 18, 2026, 5:14 PM

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cachy OS - which is based on Arch linux - let's the user choose some programs as well as the final desktop environment during the install process. So it NEEDS internet to do so.

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light desktop environments are: (in order from light to extremely light) mate, xfce, lxqt, lxde,

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lighter/faster still are window managers (these just draw windows, but they sometimes come pre-configured to look like full desktop environments) : hyprland, fluxbox, ice wm, openbox.

foggy haven Jan 18, 2026, 7:52 PM

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also all Linux OS, literally all - require admin password - whenever doing anything that changes core system stuff. this includes changes to the main login manager screen.

rotund edge Jan 18, 2026, 8:55 PM

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chrome sapphire chachyOS is a very lightweight OS, lighter than xfce so give that a try

??? only if you choose a lightweight desktop environment. Otherwise it's just as heavy as any other distro.

foggy haven Jan 18, 2026, 11:48 PM

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any news on this, @solid lion ?

solid lion Jan 19, 2026, 12:42 AM

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foggy haven cachy OS - which is based on Arch linux - let's the user choose some programs as...

And will it need it only for a fraction of the install?

foggy haven Jan 19, 2026, 1:06 AM

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solid lion And will it need it only for a fraction of the install?

yes the latter half likely. (for the desktop environment to be gotten and installed, plus any elective programs you tell it .

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if you want a ready to go lightweight ISO , get Debian LXDE from its "Live ISO's" section on its homepage right under the standard big Download button

rotund edge Jan 19, 2026, 9:07 AM

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solid lion And will it need it only for a fraction of the install?

why are you so worried?

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Do you have a limited data plan?

solid lion Jan 19, 2026, 9:30 AM

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rotund edge Do you have a limited data plan?

yea?

solid lion Jan 19, 2026, 9:36 AM

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