Light Weight GNU/Linux for Old Laptops -> Suggestions?

[raymac46]

Most of the time when I've installed Linux on an old machine for someone else, I ended up locked in with a free IT support "contract" afterwards.

Folks don't expect that level of support for Windows of course, even though they paid for it. They never learned anything about Windows beyond point and click so why would I expect them to take the time to learn about Linux?

So if ChromeOS Flex changes that sense of entitlement I am all for it.

[Hedon James]

13 hours ago, V.T. Eric Layton said:

Personally, I have no use for Google or Chrome OS. I do partake of YouTube (shame on me) and my Android phone is a Google OS, but it's been cleaned and stripped of most Google crud. Besides, I only use it for a phone, the occasional drunken text fest, and a look a the local radar during storms when my computer is powered down.

 

For non-mechanical "drivers" of computer systems, though, Chromebooks are handy-dandy ways to knock that family/friend IT burden to nearly ZERO. Works for me. I'm ambition challenged (read as "lazy").

hahaha!

 

I'm time challenged (read as "too busy").  I don't have enough time to get my own "stuff" done; and I sure don't have enough time for the "fun stuff" that i WANT to do.  Guess where other people's stuff ranks on that short list?  I told 'em "I'll get to it as soon as I can", and pestering the crap out of me to get it done on your preferred time frame just adds more time to that timeframe, cuz dealing with your pestering is sucking up time for MY stuff that MUST be done.

 

I don't mind doing favors, especially when I'm able to do it guilt-free.  But when you start to EXPECT the favor, and dictate the terms of that favor....peace, I'm out....

[Hedon James]

13 hours ago, raymac46 said:

Most of the time when I've installed Linux on an old machine for someone else, I ended up locked in with a free IT support "contract" afterwards.

Folks don't expect that level of support for Windows of course, even though they paid for it. They never learned anything about Windows beyond point and click so why would I expect them to take the time to learn about Linux?

So if ChromeOS Flex changes that sense of entitlement I am all for it.

 

I think folks DO expect that level of support for Windows.  The problem is when they realize that YOU can provide that support, which saves them MUCH time on the telephone, often deciphering a difficult accent or dialect.  I don't know that it's a sense of entitlement, as much as a very strong desire to bypass that unpleasant experience of tech support.  Folks know they can call or e-mail Microsoft for tech support, and I'm willing to bet an overwhelming majority or even most users have dealt with that experience at least once.  Many of those users said "never again", and discovered things like Geek Squad and similar services.  But you still "wait your turn" and the repair fees can sometimes approach the cost of a new machine, which is now less expensive than the one they want you to fix.  Then, they discover that a trusted friend can do it faster and/or cheaper.

 

So the preferred hierarchy looks like this:  trusted friend > private repair service > MS tech support

 

I don't know that it's a sense of entitlement, so much as a sense of desperation..."PLEASE fix my computer so I don't have to spend so much on a repair that I coulda bought a new one."  But even if it IS entitlement, I haven't had any requests to fix Chromebooks yet (knock on wood!), and that roster includes my nightmare mother, my wife, my personal Chromebook, and the 3 ChromeOS Flex conversions for about 2 months before I "powerwashed" them (data wipe!) and donated to charity.  The lack of IT support requests might be my favorite feature of ChomeOS!  LOL!

Edited June 12, 2023 by Hedon James

[raymac46]

You know you are probably right - over the years I have spent a TON of time supporting Windows - not so much fixing broken OS problems, but networking, security installs, getting printers to work, maybe enlarging the boot partition so a new version of Windows will install. If I put Linux on an old machine they already knew I would provide support.

I am not so busy I can't do it but the recent pandemic kept me from housecalls so I had to provide phone support in some cases. I know we slag phone support but it's not that easy even if you are a local agent, not in India.

And the idea of promoting Chrome OS isn't so much to keep out of supporting them as it is for them to avoid the pain of another PC issue. And keep an old computer on the rails.

Some of my neighbors just buy a new machine. If they give me their old one I install Linux. For me.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

16 hours ago, raymac46 said:

Most of the time when I've installed Linux on an old machine for someone else, I ended up locked in with a free IT support "contract" afterwards.

 

Sure, that happened with all of my converts. However, the IT load is substantially less than it was when they were running Windows. I converted my brother to Ubuntu quite a few years ago. He's happily still using it. Most of his IT questions have been caused by hardware issues. That system I built for him is going on 13 or so years old.

 

I set up that ol' Dell for my aunt with Ubuntu around 2016 or so. It's been chuggin' along OK until now. It's running Ubuntu 18 and they've dropped support for that version, evidently. The problem with her little Dell, is that I'm not sure it will run any newer version of Ubuntu. Anyway, as stated somewhere else around here, they're happy to get online, read their emails, and pay their bills through their banking site, so they don't want to screw around with it at the moment. Fine by me.

 

Also, a couple of my converts to GNU/Linux actually became mini-gurus all on their own. I rarely have them calling me these days to assist with Linux issues.