Those used to using Windows, for convenience, habit or real appreciation, may feel in trouble if they use an older computer or an inexpensive notebook.The fact is that Windows does not have a light version while there are leaner and less heavy versions of Linux that can resurrect old PCs and give power to computers that suffer from the heaviness of Windows, especially the latest Windows Vista and Windows 7.
At the same time it was also released Lubuntu (LXDE), one of the best Linux systems of the lightweight type, based on Ubuntu.
Lubuntu is a complete operating system with a desktop that uses very few computer resources (CPU and memory), maintaining the same ease of use even for those who have never seen Linux.
Looking at Wikipedia it turns out that Lubuntu uses half the RAM occupied by Xubuntu and offers all the basic functionality expected of a computer.
I had already talked briefly about Lubuntu when I wrote a list of best light and fast Linux operating systems and it is worthwhile to deepen the discussion.
Lubuntu is Ubuntu (updated to the latest version of Ubuntu) with LXDE desktop as the main interface.
If this abbreviation LXDE does not say anything the best way is to look at the images of the LXDE site to see what the desktop looks like.
The panel is also similar to Windows XP, with a menu button, a few shortcuts and the clock and dock to the right.
The more Linux-savvy will notice a similarity to the old Gnome-style interface.
The desktop includes icons and the main explorer interface is pretty classic, not far from Windows and Ubuntu.
The graphical aspect of Lubuntu, however, can be changed from the desktop settings.
What is more important is the lightness of Lubuntu, an operating system developed specifically to revalue older PCs, those with 500 MB of RAM or those Netbooks that suffer from the heaviness of Windows or that are limited with versions such as Windows Starter.
Some advanced features may be missing but there is everything you need, with many applications for the basic functions of a computer.
As soon as Lubuntu is installed then they will find themselves programs already included Which:
AbiWord for writing documents, Audacious for listening to music and MPlayer for viewing videos, Chrome and Firefox as a browser, Evince as a PDF reader and Gnumeric is the spreadsheet (like Excel).
Then there are other open source programs: Mtpaint, Pidgin, Synaptic, Transimission, XChat and others.
You can free download (freely) Lubuntu from the official site lubuntu.net, in the form of an ISO image to be burned to CD.
The installation is painless and has a very straightforward wizard in which you can also choose the language of the country.
I believe that Lubuntu, at the moment, is the best complete operating system (not for emergencies and not to use the computer only on the internet) that can be used on an old PC or on a weak netbook.
Alternatively however you can install another Linux distro, among the Best light and fast portable operating systems
