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I am new to Ubuntu. I have an old Samsung netbook with a 1.6GHtz processor and only 0.99GB RAM. Can I run last desktop version on this machine?

NigelC
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    @karel Read the question again. "Can I run <> desktop version on this machine?" The link you provided also says that installing unsupported or older versions of Ubuntu makes no sense in the first place... – Vasilisa Apr 08 '21 at 14:23
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    The provided link also supports the latest versions of Ubuntu, not just older versions. The provided link is inclusive and it supports all possible use cases rather than being restricted to only one possible use case. – karel Apr 08 '21 at 14:41
  • While your computer won't be able to smoothly run latest version of Ubuntu or its variants, you can use other distributions which are designed for old computers. Check out antiX (claims to run with 256 MB) https://antixlinux.com/ and LXLE https://lxle.net/ – Archisman Panigrahi Apr 08 '21 at 14:58
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    You've provided insufficient details about your hardware to really answer the question. I used an asus eepc 1000HE (intel atom n270, 1gb, intel mobile 945gse integrated), wireless RT2790 to test releases of Lubuntu/Xubuntu up to 19.04; but as the n270 processor I had was x86 (32-bit) only it wouldn't install eoan or 19.10 and later. It was last used to test Lubuntu 18.04.5 (released August-2020 but reaches EOL later this month), so it'll only run the latest LXDE as it's depreciated & no longer improving on 18.04. It can't run the latest GNOME, XFCE etc... but you gave no cpu specs. – guiverc Apr 08 '21 at 23:12
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    FYI: I still use x86 laptops with 1GB of RAM (though rarely the asus eepc mentioned in last comment; good battery but a lousy keyboard & mousepad)... the lack of RAM is a big problem, and it'll require you to be very careful with how you use the machine and what applications you choose, esp. if they'll be in memory at the same time (ie. you must plan ahead). For many tasks I'll grab a better machine (as I have them available), but old laptops are good & sturdy machines that fill some roles perfectly; I wouldn't use Ubuntu/GNOME though but flavors or lighter desktops. – guiverc Apr 08 '21 at 23:22

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Short answer: Not really, no.

Recommended minimum specs:

Ubuntu Desktop Edition
2 GHz dual core processor.
4 GiB RAM (system memory)
25 GB of hard-drive space (or USB stick, memory card or external drive but see LiveCD for an alternative approach)
VGA capable of 1024x768 screen resolution.
Either a CD/DVD drive or a USB port for the installer media.
Internet access is helpful.

If you have less than 2GB RAM, you will see a LOT of freezing and stuttering, and pairing that with a 1.6 GHz processor will make things even worse. In my experience, having 2GB RAM and having a 1.5-2GHz processor was borderline unusable. Even just loading a terminal or Firefox made the entire system freeze and lock up.

Vasilisa
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Lubuntu 18.04 may be an option. I run it with acceptable performance on a system with 2.6 GHz processor and 1 GB ram. Fair chance that you may need a 32 bit OS. Although lubuntu 18.04 is already end of life, as far as I know it is the last release with a 32 bit version.
Advice to speed up ubuntu flavours on old hardware can be found here https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.com/p/speed-ubuntu.html

oscar1919
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    FYI: Lubuntu 18.04 LTS isn't EOL, as it along with all flavors of Lubuntu came with 3 years of support which hasn't been reached yet (though it's very close; occurs later this month; release date was 26-April-2018 so it's 3 years from then). Lubuntu wasn't alone with 18.10 x86 releases (Xubuntu did too) & provided alpha ISOs into the disco cycle (ie. 19.04) with updated packages built the entire life of 19.04 if one of the alpha ISOs was used to install Lubuntu/Xubuntu 19.04 (or someone forced upgrade) https://fridge.ubuntu.com/2018/04/27/ubuntu-18-04-lts-bionic-beaver-released/ – guiverc Apr 08 '21 at 23:15
  • Thanks everyone. Loaded Lubuntu 18.04. Processor only 32 bit. Will give me an extra year or two of life. – NigelC Apr 09 '21 at 20:04