Hello, i read somewhere that Linux runs well then Windows on more old machines ,but i cant choice which Linux distro i should install on my old brother's pc from 2007 or 2008 which he gift me some days ago because i do not understand nothing from Linux at all because i always used Windows .
I am looking for fast and stable Linux distro with no 3d gui who will run well with 512 mb ram, with 2 core processor and 64 mb integrated grapichs.
What is the best choice for me?
Thanks in advance

(The screenshot is of Beta 2, but the final version was released in October. Google 'Xubuntu 12.10' to find a ISO download.)


If the above desktop has no '3d GUI' then I will definitely suggest Xubuntu 12.10. Easy to install and easy to test because it boots up straight into the Desktop with a handy-dandy installer on the screen. I have been playing with it since 6.06 LTS in 2011, and all the versions were great!

Ubuntu 10.04, or Xubuntu 12.10

Lubuntu 12.10 might be a good one, or try the XFCE version of PCLinuxOS. You can find a complete list of Linux distributions at http://www.distrowatch.com

It's not as popular these days, but I've liked CentOS quite a bit. I think it should run OK with those specs.

+1 for Lubuntu. I was never bothered about the eye candy that came with Ubuntu/Kubuntu so I used to use Xubuntu, but that does seem to have put on a lot of weight recently. Tried Lubuntu instead, works great for me. Its out-of-the-box appearance feels more like Windows too, IMO.

You could do what I do and get a debian cl-only installation with internet access, install x.org and find a plain window manager. Have fun.

Personally id recommand Debian or Xubuntu. If you already want set-up desktop with essential applications go for Xubuntu (small memory footprint and very usable). If you want more control and specific configuration, install Debian and necessary components afterwards.
There are many different Linux versions that might suit your need, but it comed down to personal needs and competence tinkering with system.

Out of the box, Debian is (generally speaking) very stable, very fast, very secure, and extremely customizable. Ubuntu/Xubuntu/Mint are all based off Debian.

I would agree with some of the other posters and recommend Debian for you, if you just run the default install you will get a nice simple GNOME 2 desktop and not much extra bloat. On a computer like you describe it will just blaze (I've run it on a Pentium 1 laptop). It might not be as up to date as Ubuntu but it will be much more stable because of that, the software is tested to be stable. Since it sounds like you're coming from a Windows background, Debian's GNOME 2 desktop will be much more intuitive than regular Ubuntu's Unity desktop. With a stock install of Debian you'll probably want to open up Synaptic (System->Administration->Synaptic I believe) and install something like LibreOffice or AbiWord for word processing. And then grab the latest version of Firefox or Chrome from their respective websites and follow their instructions on how to install it. A computer from 5 years or so should have no trouble running most any application you can throw at it.

As an alternative I'd suggest Linux Mint with the MATE desktop would also be a good choice, it's much the same as Debian but with a bit more eye-candy and uses the Ubuntu repositories so you can get slightly more up to date software (and it includes all the video codecs and such that you may want for playing videos). Meaning that you'd have to do less setup and have a more ready out of the box linux experiance.

Hope this helps you make your decision if you haven't made it already.