I’ve always been a fan of extremely small Linux installs. Back when I first started using computers, I didn’t have access to great hardware. In the early 2000s I was using Pentium133 and eventually a Pentium III based system and I remember running floppy Linux (live boot off a floppy disk) and DSL (damn small Linux) in attempts to maximize the performance of the hardware I had.
Running Linux on a tiny ESP32 board just blows my mind!
As other OS’s continue to bloat up on hardware requirements, Linux takes new levels of the “low ground” with hardware footprint that runs on an amazing assortment of devices.
I remember being similarly blown away by the Pi in terms of its form factor and simplicity, then again with the Steam Deck in how it is really bringing Linux gaming forward from tiny niche titles all the way up to new AAA releases.
I remember trying DSL or Puppy, but even decade-old hardware can still run nicely with XFCE or KDE environments these days. It’s awesome