For some use cases, yes those would be better choices. Since your original post talks about “breathing new life” I’m assuming we’re talking about computers that are too old to recieve Windows updates or are too slow to be used with bloated Windows. In those cases, instead of throwing the device out, installing Linux is a good choice since it has lower RAM requirements, allowing you to open more browser tabs.
For some use cases, yes those would be better choices. Since your original post talks about “breathing new life” I’m assuming we’re talking about computers that are too old to recieve Windows updates or are too slow to be used with bloated Windows. In those cases, instead of throwing the device out, installing Linux is a good choice since it has lower RAM requirements, allowing you to open more browser tabs.