Removed cinnamon from mint.
Removed cinnamon from mint.
She got that Dell laptop last year for Christmas and used it for nearly nine months before moving to a proper desktop. After she stopped using it, I brought it back and installed Mint 18.3. For a couple of months it worked well as a small browser on the couch, even with just 2 GB of RAM. I installed Chrome and learned some terminal commands without hesitation, thinking it was safe since no one else was using it. But after a regular update, Cinnamon suddenly needed over 100 MB of RAM. For the first time since Mint, I accessed the swap file for extra memory. I tried removing Cinnamon completely, but now the system loads to the login screen. When I enter my password, it shows "Cinnamon not available" and crashes with a black screen and no keypad input. It seems I might need to reinstall. Should I consider a lighter distribution like MATE or Lubuntu? I only need a browser and terminal right now. Thanks for your advice, and please keep it simple.
MATE and Lubuntu are solid choices. I usually lean toward MATE because of fond memories of the earlier Ubuntu versions before Unity. Since you're mainly using it for browsing and commands, you can easily switch to any desktop environment that supports a graphical interface.
Xubuntu relies on XFCE, Lubuntu uses LXDE, both being fairly minimal operating systems. You might consider either option. Mate has developed significantly over time and remains lighter than the ones mentioned, though slightly more substantial than those two.
Ubuntu MATE has been tested on a VM briefly, giving a decent feel—plus it works on older PPC Apple models and some ARM single-board devices. Xubuntu, Lubuntu, and Mint XFCE are also worth mentioning; the latter offers a fresh spin on legacy APTs, while the others provide different vibes for retro PCs.
Mint xfce is running smoothly with minimal RAM consumption. Currently using around 30% of available memory (2GB). Three Chrome tabs are active, accounting for roughly half of the usage. Everything appears to be functioning well. Appreciate the recommendation!
Mint MATE performs nicely on my older setup despite the failing hard drive. I’d consider giving it a shot. Impressive, actually—just noticed it was shared last week. Probably still worth a try.
I’m about to remove the desktop? That could damage your computer! Laugh all you want, but it’s a big mistake. I usually switch desktops for testing different environments on the same distribution. Right now, I prefer Cinnamon—it uses more resources than the default Unity desktop but is still lighter than the Unity version on Ubuntu. Some users have multiple desktops and pick one at login. Once you’re done, just restart your system. You can find commands by searching online, then open a terminal with Ctrl+Alt+F1. Reboot when finished.