Five lightweight Linux desktops

There are many different desktop environments for Linux, but not all of them work with older or less powerful hardware. Fortunately, there are also plenty of lightweight desktop environments for Linux. The Register has a helpful roundup of the top five lightweight desktop distributions.

Scott Gilbertson reports for The Register:

…if you’ve got older hardware or are running a server, or don’t need all the “features” in today’s desktop environments, projects like Unity or GNOME Shell are overkill. Worse, all those features could render your older hardware nearly unusable.

Luckily, there’s a whole other world of Linux. There are dozens of smaller distros that specialize in lightweight desktops that do the basics – manage windows, and offer file browsers, launchers and sometimes a menu bar of some sort – but otherwise stay out of the way. The point, after all, is the applications. Why waste RAM running a fancy desktop when all you want to do in interact with the apps you’re running? If you have the RAM to spare, well, sure, why not? But not all of us do.

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