Linux on a Core 2 Duo Mini?

[Giuanniello]

Hello everybody,

never used a Linux OS even though always tempted since the long time gone Windows XP times (...), I now have this MacMini to whom I upgraded the CPU with a Core 2 Duo 2.33Ghz and since I am also planning to upgrade the HD (at this moment running a mere 128GB) with either one of the 500GB floating around home or with an SSD I was thinking to give Linux a try and wondering which distribution would work better and being the friendliest and also if there is a way to install into two different partitions and pick which system to use at the boot.

Grazie

 

[Altis]

Hello,

I'd recommend installing something based on Debian (Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, Lubuntu, Xubuntu, Linux Lite, etc etc). It will have good hardware and software support.

For ease of use, I really like ChaletOS and Mint. Mint is far more popular though so you would have an easier time finding resources on it (reviews, help).

Ease of use is primarily determined by desktop environment (DE), of which there are several flavors. This determines how the OS looks and feels, simply put. The same distro can often be had in several different DEs, each of which offering a different interface.

If your computer runs poorly on a distro like Mint, you can try using a more lightweight distro or desktop environment.

Yes you can dual-boot systems. The method of doing so depends on what operating system you already have installed.

TL;DR: Mint, ChaletOS, Lubuntu, Ubuntu, Debian

Good luck!

 

[pastrychef]

also if there is a way to install into two different partitions and pick which system to use at the boot.

Yes, you would need to install a boot loader. rEFInd is quite widely used for this purpose.

 

[elf69]

Mint is great if your from windows.

I installed it on a 2.16GHz macbook pro A1211.
was fast with 160GB HDD and 3GB ram.

 

[kschendel]

If you want to be serious about playing with linux, I'm going to suggest partitioning your new drive into 4 partitions. One for OS X, one for linux, a smallish one (16 Gb, say) for swap, and a very small one (a few hundred Mb is plenty) for a /boot/efi partition which some linux distributions like to have. Depending on your distro and hardware, you might not need the /boot/efi or swap partitions, but it's a lot easier to make them and not need them (and waste a few Gb) than to find that you want them.

+1 for rEFInd, I use it on my dual boot mac pro.