Linux newbie still drowning

[Omega Man]

Basic Windows user, I was originally looking to preserve Windows 7 till the end of time, but am now looking at Linux to avoid Windows 10.

I keep seeing reference to different distros and flavours of Linux and am wondering some things. If I buy older hardware form Ebay, eg like an IBM Thinkpad, how do I know which Linux might fit ? Is there somewhere an online tool or website where I can match historical hardware to Linux over the ages, or am I asking the wrong question ?

I keep seeing reference to compatible "architecture" but I am not sure if this is a hardware or software definition. I am also keen to explore old Windows software with Wine but I do not know if Wine discards older Windows software in favour of new, or if I can mix and match 32 bit and 64 bit software in Linux.

Any direction would be much appreciated.

 

[captain-sensible]

"architecture" to me is that its either either 64 bit or 32 bit and is a reference to the capabilities of the motherboard CPU. Either it can handle 64 bit or it can't. Software is also released with architecture in mind. So for instance on slackbuilds.org there is a choice of 'source" for 32 bit or 64. You can run 32 bit software on a 64 bit computer but not 64 bit on a cpu that can only handle 32.

A lot of software now is aimed at 64 bit eg Virtualbox. So try and get a 64 bit oldish computer. i've previously installed anti-x linux on ex-military aluminium cased tough books that had only 512 byte ; i managed to get hold of another 512 and it worked. I only have experience in either a PC tower or laptop.

Wine from my experience is fairly limited


There are sites out there that show kernel release against function ability in supporting various chip sets . eg https://wireless.wiki.kernel.org/en/users/drivers/iwlwifi

 

[arochester]

1) What is the make and model of your present hardware? Or, can you give some basic specs?
2) There is no one place to visit which will tell you about hardware. You might look at
https://certification.ubuntu.com/desktop
https://www.linlap.com/doku.php
You could search: Linux (Make)(Model)
3) Older Thinkpads generally work well with Linux. I have a Thinkpad X200.
You need to pay attention to the amount of RAM. Some Thinkpads have an "official" RAM and an "unofficial" RAM. My Thinkpad has an "official" Max of 4Gb and an "Unofficial" Max of 8Gb. This can be found by searching.
4) Get at least a 64bit machine. Many distros are drop[ping support for 32bit. You can rum 32bit on a 64 machine, but not visa versa.

 

[Omega Man]

Thank you for the kind replies.

Basic specs are Intel I7 3930 chip, motherboard is Gigabyte GA-X79-UD5, Crucial SSD, Ram is currently 1 stick of 4gb, but I can go to 32gb.
I do have some old laptops though - IBM Thinkpads T42, T400, X60s and a Dell Precision M4600.

 

[Deleted member 58530]

All of my Linux computers are curb finds and other users discarded computers from 2010 and a few of them are older.

Most older hardware will run Linux without problems however the perspective Linux user needs to match the Linux distro with the hardware.

The user interface of some Linux distros are very resource demanding and require a powerful graphics card or integrated graphics adapter to run them properly so as not to load down the processor.

Perhaps these will help.

Is my hardware Linux-compatible? Find out here - Linux.com

By Bruce Byfield True, hardware support for GNU/Linux has improved greatly in the last decade. Today you can pick out any computer system and stand a strong chance of having it work out of the box with your distribution of choice. Yet enough gaps in support remain that doing research before...

www.linux.com

Ubuntu Desktop certified hardware | Ubuntu

Hardware that have been certified for use with Ubuntu.

certification.ubuntu.com

Is there a database of Linux compatible hardware?

I want to know if there is a centralised community site where all Hardware is listed in terms of compatability with Linux. Something like AppDB for Wine.

askubuntu.com

Linux Mint - Community

Linux Mint - Community

community.linuxmint.com

HardwareSupport - Ubuntu Wiki