Reusing old hardware is one of the most popular goals when installing a Linux distro. All those computers that Windows left behind (for one reason or another) can get a second life with the right Linux project, but we've noticed that the major names have significantly raised their requirements. Fortunately, Bodhi Linux offers a lightweight alternative, with a software base that doesn't overdo it, and a 32-bit image aimed at older machines.
Microsoft's recent decisions have done little but anger users. Windows 11 adoption seems stalled, and the availability-to-price ratio of components still hasn't returned to pre-pandemic levels (though it has improved a lot).
Given the need to extend hardware lifecycles (or why not, escape Redmond's madness), many users have decided to stay on Windows 10, and in other cases, explore Linux offerings. Proton's progress for gaming remains steady, but what interests us here is finding a distro built for humble computers, and all arrows point to Bodhi Linux.
Bodhi Linux: A Distro for Old and Modern PCs
Bodhi Linux is available in four flavors:
- "Standard" is based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, with a relatively recent kernel and 64-bit support. The bundled software pack is basic, and it's recommended to start here if your computer can handle it.
- "Legacy" (32-bit) takes the essence of Ubuntu LTS 18.04 (with official support until April 2023) and removes the PAE requirement, which is absent in older processors.
- "Hwe" or "Hardware Enablement" is very similar to "Standard", uses a more modern kernel, and can be updated along with the rest of the modules. This is a good option on recent hardware.
- Finally, "AppPack" is equivalent to "Standard" with a much wider selection of applications (like GIMP, VLC, FileZilla, or LibreOffice) and themes. Note that this image doubles the download size compared to "Standard", reaching 1.6 GB.
Chromium is the main browser of Bodhi Linux, and Synaptic comes preinstalled to manage packages. The Bodhi app center is just a link to its main page, and its selection is quite limited, so I recommend getting everything via Synaptic, or firing up apt-get in the console whenever necessary.
The "Standard" configuration is definitely Spartan compared to other distros, but that's what makes Bodhi Linux so interesting: Some users don't want more than a clean desk to customize the operating system, and the good news is that the Moksha Desktop doesn't become an obstacle – quite the opposite.
Needless to say, Bodhi Linux is not perfect. Its entire advanced section can seem a bit confusing at first, and at the time of writing, its installation requires more than 300 megabytes of additional updates, but that's not enough to diminish our interest in this distro. If you have a machine with a few years on its shoulders or prefer to experiment with a virtual machine, Bodhi Linux deserves your time.
Official site and downloads: Click here
