Revive your old PC with Linux in 2026. I tested lightweight distros, zram tuning, SSD upgrades, and browser optimization on a 2014 ThinkPad to show you exactly what works.
I’d rather use Haiku on such horrible hardware if it’s hardware compatible and I had no other hardware choice. Newer computers can do things far more efficiently, and smart phones costing ~$100 are safer for banking and often more capable otherwise.
People try to make Linux the solution to everything when it’s horrible for most things. -It’s cultish behavior.
The biggest problem with Haiku is that it has practically no security. It runs everything as root, it doesn’t have user accounts, and the only password it supports is for a screensaver screen locker. I think it has potential, but its security model is completely unacceptable for an online OS in 2026.
Yep, and there are leaner, better Linux distros as well. Void Linux outperforms all of the author’s picks on older hardware, and there are also the BSDs to consider. Hell, even MX Linux (based on antiX) would be better than anything Ubuntu based.
I’d rather use Haiku on such horrible hardware if it’s hardware compatible and I had no other hardware choice. Newer computers can do things far more efficiently, and smart phones costing ~$100 are safer for banking and often more capable otherwise. People try to make Linux the solution to everything when it’s horrible for most things. -It’s cultish behavior.
The biggest problem with Haiku is that it has practically no security. It runs everything as root, it doesn’t have user accounts, and the only password it supports is for a screensaver screen locker. I think it has potential, but its security model is completely unacceptable for an online OS in 2026.
Terry Davis has a funny video criticism about Linux and the layers of security for a home or personal OS.
Had me in the first half, lost me in the second.
Yep, and there are leaner, better Linux distros as well. Void Linux outperforms all of the author’s picks on older hardware, and there are also the BSDs to consider. Hell, even MX Linux (based on antiX) would be better than anything Ubuntu based.