

The distribution based on Ubuntu and Debian has a modern, simple elegance. When it comes to Linux distributions, Mint is one of the most popular options. The Lubuntu website recommends 1GB of RAM for heavy web apps like YouTube, Facebook, and Google Docs. Lubuntu offers a good netbook Linux desktop for people who don't want to tinker with their computer as much.

Newer versions use the LXQt desktop environment, although the latest version continues to provide LXDE for long-term support. Puppy Linux versions are based on Ubuntu versions for long term support, so you can leave this desktop installed for a long time. This makes Puppy Linux one of the best Linux distributions for old PCs and netbooks. This gives a fast experience to any device and overcomes the slow read / write speed of the hard drive. You can even run the entire operating system from RAM. It's roughly 300MB in size and can live on flash drives and DVDs. Puppy Linux has a tiny footprint (or paw print). Photo credit: Mick Amadio / Wikimedia Commons

Here are the best lightweight Linux distributions for netbooks with Intel Atom processors. Linux operating systems generally use fewer system resources than their Windows counterparts, and there is no shortage of options. That doesn't mean you should let your Atom device collect dust in a closet! You can bring it back to life with a Linux distribution. However, the energy efficient atom quickly showed its limits to keep up with the current software. They provide power to many ultraportable devices such as netbooks, net-tops and tablets. Intel's Atom processor is a line of low-voltage microprocessors that first launched in 2008.
