Overview

This project took a few weekends instead of just one — and honestly, I still don’t think it’s fully “done.”

Finding Linux as an alternative to Windows was one of the best (and maybe worst) things to happen to me as a tech. Once I saw how much control I had over my OS, I started asking: Where else can I find open-source or privacy-focused alternatives?

There are tons of alternatives to big tech. This is simply my selection — tools that fit me and my hardware. I’m not claiming these are “the best” out there, but they are the best for my workflow and my $80 low-end budget laptop.

System Specs

• Device: Lenovo 300e Gen 2 – Education Model ($80)

• Form Factor: 2-in-1 Touchscreen

• RAM: 8GB

• Storage: 128GB SSD

Operating System

I went with Zorin OS Lite (XFCE session) for one reason: it’s lightweight and minimal.

• Cold boot usage: ~680–740 MB RAM, ~2% CPU

• Perfect for a low-end daily driver

• XFCE keeps things clean without wasting resources

Web Browser & AI Tools

Before: Chrome, Edge, MS CoPilot, ChatGPT
Now:

• Brave Browser – privacy-focused daily driver

• Firefox – reliable, customizable second option

• Epiphany Browser – lightweight local-use browser (great for static sites)

• duck.ai – AI by DuckDuckGo

• lumo.proton.me – AI by Proton

Productivity & Collaboration

Before: Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Adobe Acrobat
Now:

• LibreOffice – documents, spreadsheets, presentations, databases

• Element (Matrix) – group chat & collaboration

• Jitsi Meet – video conferencing

• Mailfence / Proton – email & calendar

• Syncthing – peer-to-peer encrypted file sync

• Proton Drive / pCloud – cloud storage

• Okular + PDF Arranger + Libre Draw/Writer – PDF annotation, merge, and rearrange

Biggest difference? I miss live-fillable PDF forms, but I can work around it with static HTML forms — and that gives me more creative control anyway.

Recording & Editing

Before: VS Code, MS Clipchamp, Adobe Premiere, Adobe Audition, Photoshop, Designer
Now:

• Geany – lightweight code & markup editor (HTML, CSS, JS, Markdown)

• Scribus + GIMP – image editing and creation (thumbnails, project graphics)

• SimpleScreenRecorder + Sound Recorder – screen and audio capture

• OpenShot – video editing

• Audacity – audio editing

I’m not a “pro” coder, scripter, or editor — but these tools let me do everything I need to do, and they do it well.

Key Wins

• Max RAM usage: under 5GB even while recording & editing video

• Created a post-install walkthrough video using only my alternative tool stack

• Built a full static site + Syncthing + storage media for a local “cloud”

• No subscription fees, no cloud lock-in — full control over my setup

Conclusion

This project turned an $80 budget laptop into a fully capable daily driver.

I’ve tested every tool in real projects:

• Recorded and edited videos

• Created custom thumbnails

• Built and served static websites locally

• Synced files peer-to-peer without touching Google or Microsoft servers

And the best part? This little machine handled it all without breaking a sweat.