I am trying to use my old laptops for self-hosting. One has a 6th gen Intel Core i3 (4GB ram), the other has an 11th gen Intel Core i5 (8GB ram). I have previously tried both ubuntu server and desktop but couldn’t get it to work well. For the former I found it difficult to remote ssh and the latter I had difficulty installing Docker containers. (I’m not very good with the command line)
I would like to find an OS that is easier to setup with less of a neccesity for the command line (I would still like to learn how to use it though, I don’t want to get rid of it entirely!). I’ve heard of CasaOS, is that a good option? It seems quite easy to use. What about other alternatives?
Unraid is great for beginners.
Not going anywhere near unraid so long as your (very expensive) license is tied to a USB stick.
Not true. You can link it to your Unraid.net account using Unraid Connect: https://docs.unraid.net/account/link-key/
Sure, it’s not perfect, but still the best option for beginners.