A dissenting opinion here ... For an older machine, particularly if you have already experimented with and been unsatisfied with the performance of something like Ubuntu Studio, I would recommend Arch. Basic (and yes, very manual) install, and then add *only* *what* *you* *need*. Your system will perform as well as its physical limitations permit.

To me, this has always been the beauty of Arch. Plus - you'll learn a lot more about Linux than you would with more "packaged" distros.

Cheers :-)

1 members found this post helpful.

I would love to work with Arch. It just seems daunting to me. I need to have a box and time to beat around with it. I agree that it would make the most sense. I could put a light desktop manager and only install what I need.

.... exactly my approach on all of my Arch boxes / laptops. I use LXDE as a desktop environment - very lightweight and functional. I do, however, fully understand how it (Arch) appears daunting. It did require a significant investment in time on my part to get to where I am now after having discovered it in 2010, during a search for a better performing distro for old hardware. Another distro I discovered during that search, much easier to set up and a surprisingly functional alternative for old hardware, is Puppy Linux. It's still around in its multiple incarnations - worth a look, even if its just for fun.

Cheers :-)

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Thanks Rick, I'll have to make the jump one way or the other. I also have to work. I'll strike a balance in it all.

lol ... I hear you ... Don't we all ! Let us know how it goes and don't hesitate should you have any questions.

Cheers !

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Holy cow is ArtiX fast!!!

It took me by surprise when I slipped the CD in my old Dell and by the time I got the monitor plugged in, Artix was running Live. The install was even faster. Now comes the good part, installing, and uninstalling.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Another happy camper. If you think that is fast. I travel at light speed on this

Edit: a good resource for when you get to the point of scratching your head and think wtf is going on?

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFW...KlXW5uE9opXukQ

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I'll watch the video later. I'm thinking about putting it on my main laptop as soon as I figure out how to get comfy with Arch.

It reminds me of why I left the Windows world 20 years ago and weening myself away from Apple. They are just too bloated with little personalization possible.

Thank you all for this amazing community!

There's 2 ways to get comfy with Arch. The first is just to create a VM on your current OS, and install it a few times. You'll have the ability to bring up the webpage, here, the wiki, and google if you get confused/stuck, and you'll still have a working computer in the meantime (doesn't require much resources just to test installing it).

The other, less Arch way, is just to install Antergos. It's a pretty installer for Arch that once installed is true Arch with a couple packages for decorations. While you won't learn the install process of true Arch, it's a good way to get it installed and start using Arch.

1 members found this post helpful.

33Nicholas,

Antergos review:
http://www.everydaylinuxuser.com/201...review-of.html

Install Arch from scratch using this tutorial:
http://www.bhartiya.io/always-update...2#page-content

Scroll down the page to the arrows for pages 3 to 16.

Debian IMO. But avconv, unless you upgrade to testing or sid. Arch has perks, but the simple and quick install of debian solves a lot of woes you shouldn't be wasting hours, or days on. And you can change your primary WM/DE to optimize your performance and workflow. Ubuntu sucks for switching the WM/DE. Arch can be notice-ably snappier, but it can be equally annoying.

KDENlives, openshot, and other NLE's out there for video. Although on older hardware you might want to convert your footage to 360p to get used to playing with it in the resources available to you on older hardware. Or just get better hardware so you spend less time waiting.

1 members found this post helpful.

You're right. I'm going to virtualize Debian and Arch here first. I'm comfortable with the basic terminal command, upgrade, install and remove, but have no idea what to do when it comes to Arch.

I can't switch to 360p, since the videos are for clients I get paid for. They are shot in HD. I know, I'm facing the reality of buying a desktop. That's a whole new topic. I don't want to build another computer. ThinkPenguin has a decent computer, but even that is still $1K. That's a lot of money. Craigslist is another option, as Amazon, but they are hit and miss.

I'm going to ask around to see if someone is throwing out an older computer. Load Debian on the old desktop and give it away if that happens.

You're right. I'm going to virtualize Debian and Arch here first. I'm comfortable with the basic terminal command, upgrade, install and remove, but have no idea what to do when it comes to Arch.

I can't switch to 360p, since the videos are for clients I get paid for. They are shot in HD. I know, I'm facing the reality of buying a desktop. That's a whole new topic. I don't want to build another computer. ThinkPenguin has a decent computer, but even that is still $1K. That's a lot of money. Craigslist is another option, as Amazon, but they are hit and miss.

I'm going to ask around to see if someone is throwing out an older computer. Load Debian on the old desktop and give it away if that happens.

Is there an AntiX forum you guys recommend, or should I just stay here? Thanks

It should be in your bookmarks in Iceweasel/Firefox Browser.

Here ys go I guess.

http://antix.freeforums.org/index.php

https://forum.mxlinux.org/

1 members found this post helpful.

Great, will check out the Firefox bookmark.

For some reason, the freeforum has a hard time logging me in under my current Ubuntu MATE Firefox laptop. Same with mxlinux.

Will try again.

Thanks