If You Want to "make your 'Windows PC' lean, mean, and fast" You Will Install GNU/Linux or Some BSD
The Microsoft-sponsored IDG has this new piece:
What is a "Windows PC" anyway? Is Windows "glued" or "soldered" to the hard drive?
What an utterly strange advice to give, more so considering the hundreds of lightweight GNU/Linux distros, which can be compatible with machines as early as the 1990s (made even in the mid-90s). A reader spotted the above and said, "see Linux Mint, Manjaro, Garuda, Arch, Devuan, Debian, Fedora, Zorin OS, KDE Linux, Pop!OS, Rocky Linux, and EndeavourOS instead. [...] or even FreeBSD, OpenBSD or GhostBSD".
That kind of article says a lot about IDG; why not even mention the real alternatives, which aren't just more scalable but also more secure and user-respecting? As usual, as we so often say, follow the money.
The GNU Web site is very slow at the moment (probably still being hammered by LLM bots), but here is its list of "Free [as in freedom-respecting] GNU/Linux distributions":
| Distribution | Brief Description |
|---|---|
| Dragora GNU/Linux-Libre | Dragora GNU/Linux-Libre, an independent GNU/Linux distribution based on concepts of simplicity. |
| Dyne:bolic | Dyne:bolic, a GNU/Linux distribution with special emphasis on audio and video editing. This is a “static” distro, normally run from a live CD. Since it will not receive security updates, it should be used offline. |
| Guix System | Guix System, an advanced GNU/Linux distro built on top of GNU Guix (pronounced “geeks”), a purely functional package manager for the GNU system. |
| Hyperbola GNU/Linux-libre | Hyperbola GNU/Linux-libre, an independent long-term support simplicity-focused system-distribution. |
| Parabola GNU/Linux-libre | Parabola GNU/Linux-libre, a distribution based on Arch that prioritizes simple package and system management. |
| PureOS | PureOS, a GNU/Linux distribution based on Debian with a focus on privacy, security, and convenience. |
| Trisquel | Trisquel, a GNU/Linux distribution based on Ubuntu that's oriented toward small enterprises, domestic users and educational centers. |
| Ututo | Ututo S, a GNU/Linux 100% free distribution. It was the first fully free GNU/Linux system recognized by the GNU Project. |
Notice those are quite unique. █