Very Old Computer

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You could use ...Debian. I'd do a minimal install, not selecting the "Graphical User Environment" software package (which installs Gnome). When it boots for the first time, install a light desktop like WindowMaker, IceWM, Fluxbox, or Blackbox. With a minimal desktop environment like that, it should run fine. I'd also recommend installing the Epiphany web browser, since it's extremely light yet fairly full-featured. Dillo is even lighter/faster, though more limited. Otherwise, Opera would be a better choice than Firefox on hardware that old, since it is much more responsive on older hardware (though not nearly as much so as Dillo or Epiphany would be).

If you're not confident enough technically to do that, you might consider DSL. It's a preconfigured distro based on a very old version of Debian, and runs on extremely low-end hardware. The downside is that it's very limited, and the software included is pretty old.

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dougb

OK, after I get to the log on screen in debian with no GUI enviroment what's the command for installing desktops?

Isn't it apt-get install or something like that?

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First you need to update your apt database, which keeps track of your available software: If you don't know exactly what you're looking for, try: ...where something = the name of the program you're looking for, or a keyword that describes it. Once you know what you want to install, it's For instance, will install fluxbox and all its dependencies. To upgrade all the software on the system to the latest available version, You can also call aptitude semi-graphically if you prefer some semblance of a GUI:

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