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Linux on T42

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ziloo
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Linux on T42

#1 Post by ziloo » Fri Dec 18, 2020 7:55 am

Hello Folks,

Which Linux is the most stable OS on T42?
How about driver availability....

ziloo :mrgreen:

ajkula66
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Re: Linux on T42

#2 Post by ajkula66 » Fri Dec 18, 2020 6:32 pm

What level of functionality do you require from that T42 ? What is it going to be used for ?

How familiar are you with *nix in general ?
...Knowledge is a deadly friend when no one sets the rules...(King Crimson)

Cheers,

George (your grouchy retired FlexView farmer)

One FlexView to rule them all: A31p

Abused daily: T520, X200s


PMs requesting personal tech support will be ignored.

ziloo
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Location: los angeles, California

Re: Linux on T42

#3 Post by ziloo » Sat Dec 19, 2020 5:01 am

I have a T42 lying around and I am a newbie to Linux;
So I thought I could turn it into a Linux box and use it
for basic work such as serial communication and file management.

ziloo :mrgreen:

RealBlackStuff
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Re: Linux on T42

#4 Post by RealBlackStuff » Sat Dec 19, 2020 6:38 am

LinuxLite would a good choice: https://www.linuxliteos.com/
If you want something Windows-like, then try Zorin OS 15.3 Lite: https://zorinos.com/download/#lite
Download it and burn it onto a DVD, using e.g. https://www.imgburn.com/
Lovely day for a Guinness! (The Real Black Stuff)
Lenovo: X240, X250, T440p, T480, M900 Tiny.

PS: the old Boardroom website is still available on the Wayback Machine
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skx
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Re: Linux on T42

#5 Post by skx » Wed Dec 23, 2020 9:39 am

I would say Debian, but as you are not linux experienced, go for Ubuntu, play for a while and move to Debian :mrgreen:
ThinkPad X220: i5-2520M CPU 2.5GHz - 8GB RAM 1333 MHz - SSD 860 EVO 250GB - Debian - ME_cleaned
ThinkPad X230: i5-3320M CPU 3.3GHz - 8GB RAM 1600 MHz - SSD 860 EVO 500GB - Debian - ME_cleaned

josh5k
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Re: Linux on T42

#6 Post by josh5k » Wed Jan 13, 2021 11:39 am

@ziloo What is the configuration of your T42? Were you able to install either of the distros that @RealBlackStuff mentioned?

Looking to buy a T40/41 this week to run a linux server for learning purpose.
On the Move - X230 - (2324-E41) i3 2370M, 12GB RAM, 1 TB HDD, 1366x768

Workstation - W541 - (20EG) i7 4810QM, 16GB RAM, 240GB SSD, 1980x1080

Daily Driver - Linux - T430 - (2349-7N7) i5 3320M, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 1600x900

Backup - T420s - (4170-RM4) i5 2520M, 12GB RAM, 128GB SSD, 1600x900

skx
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Re: Linux on T42

#7 Post by skx » Wed Jan 13, 2021 11:51 am

josh5k wrote:
Wed Jan 13, 2021 11:39 am
@ziloo What is the configuration of your T42? Were you able to install either of the distros that @RealBlackStuff mentioned?

Looking to buy a T40/41 this week to run a linux server for learning purpose.
no worries, such old machines run any distro flavor without any issues :wink: which distro you will run is only depending on personal choice, all hardware will be fully supported
ThinkPad X220: i5-2520M CPU 2.5GHz - 8GB RAM 1333 MHz - SSD 860 EVO 250GB - Debian - ME_cleaned
ThinkPad X230: i5-3320M CPU 3.3GHz - 8GB RAM 1600 MHz - SSD 860 EVO 500GB - Debian - ME_cleaned

josh5k
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Re: Linux on T42

#8 Post by josh5k » Fri Feb 05, 2021 12:42 am

skx wrote:
Wed Jan 13, 2021 11:51 am
josh5k wrote:
Wed Jan 13, 2021 11:39 am
@ziloo What is the configuration of your T42? Were you able to install either of the distros that @RealBlackStuff mentioned?

Looking to buy a T40/41 this week to run a linux server for learning purpose.
no worries, such old machines run any distro flavor without any issues :wink: which distro you will run is only depending on personal choice, all hardware will be fully supported
RealBlackStuff wrote:
Sat Dec 19, 2020 6:38 am
LinuxLite would a good choice: https://www.linuxliteos.com/
If you want something Windows-like, then try Zorin OS 15.3 Lite: https://zorinos.com/download/#lite
Download it and burn it onto a DVD, using e.g. https://www.imgburn.com/
Thanks much. For the record I ended up installing Elementary OS on my T430 (along with XFCE and Fluxbox for geekier days). Other than a SD Card reader issue, everything else has worked smoothly - almost too well :-)
On the Move - X230 - (2324-E41) i3 2370M, 12GB RAM, 1 TB HDD, 1366x768

Workstation - W541 - (20EG) i7 4810QM, 16GB RAM, 240GB SSD, 1980x1080

Daily Driver - Linux - T430 - (2349-7N7) i5 3320M, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 1600x900

Backup - T420s - (4170-RM4) i5 2520M, 12GB RAM, 128GB SSD, 1600x900

TRS-80
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Re: Linux on T42

#9 Post by TRS-80 » Fri Feb 05, 2021 10:15 pm

XFCE is a very good Desktop Environment - lightweight, yet not lacking anything at the same time.

As someone pointed out, most distros really are the same under the hood. Main difference is in philosophy, in particular how strictly they adhere to Free Software ideals.
All good things are Wild and Free.

What is free software and why is it so important for society?

(2022) Actively on the lookout for for 15" T60 FlexView / Hydis LED displays and parts, for my own usage. Kindly PM me your demands if you are willing to part with anything. :D

RealBlackStuff
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Re: Linux on T42

#10 Post by RealBlackStuff » Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:29 am

I thought OP was talking about a T42, not a T430.

josh5k
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Location: Bangalore, India

Re: Linux on T42

#11 Post by josh5k » Wed Feb 17, 2021 6:49 am

RealBlackStuff wrote:
Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:29 am
I thought OP was talking about a T42, not a T430.
That was my bad - I hijacked the thread for my T430 query.
On the Move - X230 - (2324-E41) i3 2370M, 12GB RAM, 1 TB HDD, 1366x768

Workstation - W541 - (20EG) i7 4810QM, 16GB RAM, 240GB SSD, 1980x1080

Daily Driver - Linux - T430 - (2349-7N7) i5 3320M, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 1600x900

Backup - T420s - (4170-RM4) i5 2520M, 12GB RAM, 128GB SSD, 1600x900

atagunov
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Re: Linux on T42

#12 Post by atagunov » Wed Feb 17, 2021 8:43 am

skx wrote:
Wed Dec 23, 2020 9:39 am
... as you are not linux experienced, go for Ubuntu
My advice as well. Even if I consider myself relatively experienced I prefer Ubuntu :) My reason: Ubuntu is quite close to no hassle experience. Things generally just work. Only problem for me now is that Ubuntu 20.04 seems to have gotten into a habit of installing updates whenever it pleases without asking me, and once it does this my whole GUI environment gets reloaded - I'm getting a black screen for 10-30 seconds and then all apps are closed. Next time I install Ubuntu I'll be very careful not to click any checkboxes that allow this behaviour. This is on T520 btw. On the plus side I just love how quickly T520 boots with Ubuntu 20.04 compared to earlier versions of Ubuntu.

I'm not sure if Ubuntu's preference to use "snap"-s is of a benefit for an older memory-constrained machine like T42 though.. A "snap" means - in my understanding - that we're no longer having the memory saving due to shared libraries (.so) being "shared" - e.g. loaded once and shared by a number of running apps.
X220, 2 *T520

ziloo
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Joined: Sun Dec 14, 2014 6:00 pm
Location: los angeles, California

Re: Linux on T42

#13 Post by ziloo » Mon Aug 08, 2022 4:25 am

I decided to update this thread for posterity..

Would Linux Mint work on a T42? I am more interested in
using the Linux for youtube watching :eek: .

ziloo :mrgreen:

Dekks
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Location: Birmingham, UK

Re: Linux on T42

#14 Post by Dekks » Fri Aug 26, 2022 5:21 am

Any machine that old will get screwed by the demands of youtube, the single core Pentium M will also struggle with a modern browser on modern sites like reddit which use lotsa JS.

Get a Core 2 Duo machine at a minium for video 480p & browsing.
Home - Win 10 MSi GF63 Gaming Laptop /Arch GNOME 3/X230 Tablet /X61 [Korean] - Debian 10/T60p - Ubuntu 20.10 Helix 2
Work - Win10/Thinkpad X1 Tablet Gen 2

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