Seeking a super-light Linux system ideal for simply browsing the web.
Seeking a super-light Linux system ideal for simply browsing the web.
Prefer Ubuntu or Debian-based systems, ideally running on VirtualBox. I’ll allocate 8 GB of RAM and plenty of CPU cores. I’ve also tested Mint, but it still feels "heavy."
I tested Lubuntu inside a VirtualBox VM on my 2018 Mac mini server. It spends most of its time downloading Linux ISO images. It requires just about 1GB of RAM even though I allocated 4GB, and it only uses 2 CPU cores. I think it could work fine on a single core.
I chose Mabox for this reason. It has virtualbox guest additions already installed. It isn't a Debian-style distribution; it's built on Manjaro. Window manager is OpenBoxes, which is lightweight. If you prefer something closer to Debian, consider installing Debian, adding X, then using OpenBoxes as the window manager.
Other Ubuntu-based versions are likely suitable, except for those who stuck with the Unity interface—it won't work. I tried Ubuntu Mate before, which converted many older laptops into thin clients and performed well. It should fit your needs.
chromium OS Flex is built upon this foundation. For finer control or greater customization with minimal overhead, consider Gentoo. If you need maintenance support, Google chose it as the base for Chrome OS. Building it yourself lets you compile everything specifically for that system—using powerful hardware can boost performance and stability. With Intel processors, you can remove AMD optimizations immediately. If you don’t need a desktop environment, you can eliminate KDE and GNOME integration code in the browser entirely.
I'm a bit delayed at the event, but if it's still in progress it would be a great match https://ubuntu-web.org/
The suggested configurations include various Linux distributions paired with specific desktop environments or applications. These options aim to optimize system performance, boot speed, and application responsiveness, particularly for tasks like web browsing and software testing. The list highlights combinations such as XFCE with various distros, LXQt setups, and others tailored for stability and efficiency in virtual environments.