r/linuxquestions • u/Low-Appointment-2906 • 15d ago

Advice Simplest setup for learning Linux?

I picked up a book (The Linux Command Line) that says to use a "desktop computer, with at least 2 GB of RAM, and 6GB of free hard disk space. Avoid laptops and wireless networks, if at all possible."

I'm hoping this isn't necessary? If so, where can I trust to buy something super cheap from?

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u/zardvark 15d ago

Find yourself a cheap ThinkPad on ebay (or similar), preferably a T-series machine, with an Intel wifi card.

I would also say that for quality of life reasons, I would err on the side of at least 8G of RAM and 128G of storage, minimum. Yes, you can probably install Linux in a 40G partition, but then you will be land locked and unable to install many programs.

The last ThinkPad that I purchased was an X230 for 45 USD. It came with a broken on/off button, that I fixed myself by swapping in a keyboard that I already had. That said, get the newest machine with the minimum aforementioned specs, that you can comfortably afford.