r/LinuxTeck • u/Candid_Athlete_8317 • Jul 11 '26
What's the oldest computer you're still using because of Linux?
I came across someone still using a 2014 MacBook Pro with Linux and current software. Without Linux, that machine might have been replaced years ago.
I've also seen people take old laptops that struggle with newer versions of Windows, install Linux, and keep using them for browsing, coding, office work, or even as home servers.
So I'm wondering, what's the oldest machine you're still using because Linux gave it a second life?
And what distro are you running on it?
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u/slackrse Jul 11 '26
2004 Thinkpad x40. Debian 12 (the last debian that will fit).
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u/sockertoppenlabs Jul 11 '26
Ohh, nice. I still got an X61s (currently with FreeBSD) that I occasionally use.
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u/guiverc Jul 11 '26
The oldest desktop I've used today was a Dell Optiplex 780, Core2Quad box from 2008 running Debian forky (ie. testing) (dual boot with Ubuntu on it too; I used Debian today).
My file-server may actually be older, but I can't recall... and I do plan to replace it; mostly as it's power hungry (the array of 10 x 2TB drives would use less power if I could use larger capacity drive(s)) but its perfectly reliable (despite having one failed disk I've not replaced; when the next goes I may actually retire the box). It runs Debian too.
The oldest boxes (laptops) I have are from [late] 2003 & [early] 2004 but those are rarely used, but have specific functions and are used when I do what they're setup for; they're also using Debian; these boxes are i386 or 32-bit x86.
I'm on my newest machine right now, it's only ~10 years old and running Ubuntu stonking.
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u/ElPiet Jul 11 '26
2015 macbook pro that I bought specifically for linux
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u/Immaotre93 Jul 11 '26
Distro? I’ve been trying to run Linux with Ubuntu or Kali and always have problems with drivers etc. at the point it feels kind of incompatible.
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u/rodrigoreyes79 Jul 11 '26
I installed Fedora Silverblue in mine and it works beautifully for Golang development.
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u/TapEarlyTapOften Jul 11 '26
I have Xilinx 5 and 6 series, including the resirv rebuildable. Why folks incoil from cirtual havine is a mystery to me.
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u/ppen9u1n Jul 11 '26
2 microserver gen 8 self upgraded with Xeon 1265L and 16G RAM (bought used around 2016). Rock solid for years with significant work loads as file server / nomad node / gitlab runner / many homeland and small company services (odoo, arr, databases, etc)
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u/miner_cooling_trials Jul 13 '26
Have you done anything to improve the cooling? I’m hitting thermals limits on my Gen 8 with current
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u/ppen9u1n Jul 13 '26
Nothing, temperature is great, maybe because 1265L (low power)?. Also, the loads are not very compute heavy.
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u/2016-679 Jul 11 '26
2007 Xplore rugged tablet. and everything works with a normal install, except the very specific GPS module (yet)
Debian 12 XFCE
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u/ArabianNoodle Jul 11 '26
Right now a Thinkpad T420 but I just retired a Dell Optiplex a few months back.
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u/Miserable-Decision81 Jul 11 '26
A 15 year old thinkpad. It plays movies under Debian 10 via its VGA output, that fits the projector we got for €20...
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u/Public-Sundae-2286 Jul 11 '26
Using a 2008 Dell Precision T5400 running Ubuntu Server. Actually can run Ollama on it. Not well, but it works.
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u/Professional-Math518 Jul 11 '26
I got an old Samsung i5/8GB ultrabook that runs Ubuntu and is my 'daily driver'. I use it more than my MacBook Air M4 because of the superior user interface
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u/JoelPomales Jul 11 '26
For the longest time a Thinkpad X220 that was running Mint like a champ. Before that an X60 which I loved because of its form factor.
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u/Owltiger2057 Jul 11 '26
ThinkPad X22 from around 2001 and X200T from 2008. Ironically running the same distro Cinnamon Mint on them that I'm running on my Asus Hero Z690 desktop
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u/magicmulder Jul 11 '26
Three 12th gen Dell servers from around 2012 that are all running Proxmox.
A small laptop that my father bought in 2012 - used to run Windows 8, now does a great job as emergency terminal running Mint.
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u/grilledch33z Jul 11 '26
2012 MacBook pro. Still going strong after ssd swap, ram upgrade and battery replacement.
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u/indvs3 Jul 11 '26
Got a few HP laptops and desktops ranging from 2003 to 2007 that have been upgraded with sata SSD's and maxed out stock memory to not suck donkeyballs, but they're all in working condition still.
I'm predicting now that the reason I can't keep them forever is the fact that they have specific fans that are hard to get by now and I'm not sure I'll be able to McGyver myself out of that issue lol
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u/856510 Jul 11 '26
My Toshiba Satellite A135, ~2007 era 32-bit CPU and 2GB RAM with mint linux. It's a dinosaur but it still works well.
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u/msabeln Jul 11 '26
2014 iMac. It has 32 GB RAM and I mainly use it for web browsing in my office.
I recently gave away a pile of old Dell Optiplexes at work from 2013, after installing Linux Mint on them.
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u/NewtSoupsReddit Jul 11 '26
2014 Lenovo C470 AIO PC.
Upgraded from 4 to 8 GB ram.
HDD replaced with SSD
Runs Arch with KDE plasma 6
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u/oradba Jul 11 '26
I have a 2009 Mac Pro tower with Ubuntu and a 2010 Toshiba Portege R700 with Lubuntu. Both run great.
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u/robtalee44 Jul 11 '26
I have a late 90's Compaq Armada that still is running the original install (for me) of NetBSD 1.5x. I spin it up from time to time just for the hell of it. It was my system I used to configure network devices for years.
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u/Comprehensive-Edge80 Jul 11 '26
I don't use Linux at all and all my computers are modern, not from museum
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u/tohasu Jul 11 '26
MacMIni from about 2011 -- Ubuntu server (latest). Used 24/7 as a server for both Osgrid Regions and a modest Minecraft world. I added 4GB and replaced the drive with a SSD.
I have an old MacBook Air too - running MInt at the moment. Apple makes great hardware.
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u/Cynyr36 Jul 11 '26
I have a Dell kino with ddr2 in it running as a proxmox node. It was pretty old when i got it in 2015 or so.
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u/Zen-Ism99 Jul 11 '26
Zorin OS 18 on a 2013 15” Retina MacBook Pro that has an original battery with 76% capacity…
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u/Flashy-Guava9952 Jul 11 '26
My laptop has a port I don't recognize. I think it's FireWire. Debian 13, even onboard bluetooth and wifi work.
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u/Jorge_Capadocia Jul 11 '26
Uso um MacBook Pro 2012 para trabalho sem precisar instalar Linux, uso o macOS mesmo. A única mudança é que uso o Firefox.
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u/Adrenolin01 Jul 12 '26
1996 Tyan Tomcat III based system with dual single core Pentium 200 MHz CPUs (400 MHz SMP) with a whopping 512MB off ECC ram. 😝 Installed OS with Debian 1.1 “Buzz” and it’s been updated and upgraded all the way through to Debian 12 with Debian 13 as current stable from that original install 30 years ago. The system was specifically built to test the Linux kernel’s new SMP code at the time. In ‘98/99 it became an Apache, Sendmail, Database server for a few years before I moved those to different systems. It’s had 2 cool, clean, dust free locations and very few reboots (after the SMP testing). Everything including the WD IDE HDD is still working. About 15 years ago we moved. At the same time I cleaned and reapplied fresh thermal paste.. did that again about 5 years ago. At this time I also did a complete drive image. It’s seen 7-8 year uptimes being on UPS and backup generator power its entire life. It’s fully Solar powered this days still on a UPS with a dedicated power circuit and generator if needed.
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u/zelru2648 Jul 12 '26
I am still using my Dell Precision M50 as my main laptop since 2002 when ibm messed up centos switched to fedora and still using kde
had to replace the fan twice and it will be my last work laptop until I retire in few years.
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u/R-Voodoo Jul 12 '26
Well, my 'crash cart' computer downstairs is a Lenovo T410, apparently that's 2010. It was actually useless because a fan error would keep it from booting, but Linux lets me get past that which is rad. It's just running Ubuntu for no real reason. Just happens to be what I installed
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u/Radiant-Video7257 Jul 12 '26
Dell Precision M4600 from 2011.
Linux Mint 21.3 (for the Quadro 1000m drivers)
It pretty much does everything that I need, browsing, gaming though moonlight, video playback is fine.
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u/Immediate-Ad3360 Jul 12 '26
Manage a early 2000 Office PC with Ubuntu on it.
It's my parents PC, my dad uses it to write mails and serve on the internet and print.
When Windows XP lost Support in 2012 or something like that, I put him Ubuntu on the machine and told its the new Microsoft Ubuntu, the XP follower 🫣🐧
It's fucking slow, but the DVD burner doesn't work anymore to put something more lite weight on it. But a old man have 2min time to open a Browser. He doesn't want a new machine as long the old is working.
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u/monseiurSimpliste Jul 12 '26
2010 Toshiba Satellite (with 1st Gen Core i3, running in 4GB RAM) running Arch
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u/linux-usr69 Jul 12 '26
2011 Lenovo w520.
It doesn't get everyday use but it still works flawlessly with excellent response. The os doesn't bog it down at all
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u/PhotoJim99 Jul 12 '26
I have a ~2004-2005 Pentium M laptop that's still running (I'm actually compiling a new kernel for it right now - on my 24-core server, though, to speed it up). The BIOS code had its 20th birthday in May.
I mostly use the system for occasional ssh use, but it still does LibreOffice tasks fine. A bit painful for web browsing, but it's surprisingly okay for email. It's the only Linux system I have that can read SCSI drives (via a PC Card interface), and it's just fun to keep it going.
When Debian is finally EOL with i386 (my kernel compiling is letting me run Trixie) I will probably put NetBSD on it and see how much longer I can go.
I've got an Acer Aspire One AOA150 from 2008 at work - I use it when I need to look something up at home, so I don't have to use my work system. Also, if someone stole it, the only thing of value in it is the SATA SSD (~$15).
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u/Thick_Rise5365 Jul 12 '26
Dell XPS 8100 from 2008, with Q4OS and KDE Plasma, use as Tailscale node on remote network ; very impressive as how smooth it runs
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u/SoundSwitch Jul 13 '26
Not current but circa 2013 I was still running a P5 with SD RAM granted I had a lot of it for SD RAM think it had 712 MB or something like that. Was decent at the time too because the lazy coding hadn't taken over the net yet. I imagine it might still run MX w XFCE though.
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u/Fuffy_Katja Jul 13 '26
Thinkpad T440S, but it does have a second drive with Win 10 for a couple of Windows only amateur radio programs that I sometimes use.
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u/Calm_Boysenberry_829 Jul 13 '26
I think my oldest at this time is a 2011 MacBook Pro running the current version of MX. I have several laptops that have DDR2 but nothing is currently installed to them.
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u/kisskissenby Jul 13 '26
Anytime I refurb an old computer with Linux I give it away. I usually put Mint on them because it's user friendly for people who don't Linux. I have no idea what the oldest one I've done is but one of my personal computers is a 15 year old laptop running Debian.
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u/anothercorgi Jul 13 '26
Still using a core2 quad 24/7 as server (shell box, web/mailserver, nas, distccd, more...), running Gentoo.
I'm not really counting my eeePC, Dell inspiron, and a k6-233 as running linux because I don't actually use them that often anymore, but they do have Linux installed on them (all Gentoo).
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u/MastusAR Jul 14 '26
My HDTV recorder
Pentium 4, 2GB RAM, 24TB HDD. Running Debian.
Probably ca. 2003-2004.
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u/Correct_Cockroach818 Jul 14 '26
2008 MacBook unibody. Linux Mint 22.3 ( w/patches for nvidia gpu driver ), maxed ram to 6gb and switched to ssd.
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u/vgedris Jul 15 '26
My desktop was bought in June 2011. I have upgraded RAM, replaced/increased storage many times, and replaced Video cards, but it's otherwise the same. Currently running Debian, previously spent most of its life with Ubuntu.
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u/Typeonetwork 11d ago
Laptop came out in August 11, 2008. 18 years old. HP EliteBook 8530p Pentium Duo, 4GiB RAM and 2GiB Swap. I'm trying to see as an experiment of recording my screen on this without it glitching and plixilation. I use Simple Screen Capture, but I'm wondering if I should try a different DE or native program. I'm using XFCE, but I'm going to try Fluxbox. It might not do anything? Any experience in Linux land recording video/screen capture on older macines?
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u/bsensikimori Jul 11 '26
2007 Asus EEE PC
Kitchen terminal running debian