Linux

Discussion in 'Computer Science & Culture' started by Redrover, Jul 3, 2003.

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  1. Redrover Registered Senior Member

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    I've got an old Pentium 200 with maybe 32 megs of ram and a 4gb hard drive and I want to put Linux on it just to fool around with it a bit. Any suggestions on what fistribution to get?
     
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  3. AntonK Technomage Registered Senior Member

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    Does it have a CD-rom? If so, can you boot from the cdrom?

    If so, that makes it a lot easier...

    The linux kernel itself is pretty much the same through distros, so it will run on almost anything. It just depends on how easy it is to install.

    -AntonK
     
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  5. Redrover Registered Senior Member

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    Yeah, but I'm not sure if I can boot from it. I'm currently downloading Debian 3.0. It's not the easiest to install but I've found a rather good guide. I tried a version of Mandrake with KDE but it ran too slowly to be of any interest and I've already used Debian once before.
     
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  7. AntonK Technomage Registered Senior Member

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    here's what i do sometimes..
    Find out what year your computer was made...then findout what version of Mandrake/Redhat/etc was out that year...find it
    should install just fine. Makes sense right?

    -AntonK
     
  8. DCLXVI Bloody Bastard Registered Senior Member

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    Don't use the X window system on such a slow machine, just set up an ssh or telnet daemon so you can access it from another computer.
     
  9. drwebpat Registered Member

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    You should check out Gentoo Linux . Their install docs are amazing (step by step) and if you need any help whatsoever just jump on irc #gentoo or check out their forums. I've been running gentoo for over a year now and I love it.


    Pat
     
  10. Bachus Registered Senior Member

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    Got a decent inet connection? If so do a ftp install

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

     
  11. Repo Man Valued Senior Member

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  12. Redrover Registered Senior Member

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    All I really want is a version of Linux that's on the same technological level as Windows 95.
     
  13. AntonK Technomage Registered Senior Member

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    Define technological level...

    Without a good definition of that, I can't really point you to what you want. Do you mean ease of use? Because if so, thats not technological level. My 4 function calculator is easy to use. Doesn't do much though. Do you mean security? If so, any linux is better than Win 95. What exactly do you mean?

    -AntonK
     
  14. drwebpat Registered Member

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    Wow...tech level of win95? You are in desparate need of installing linux.
     
  15. Bachus Registered Senior Member

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    Go to a few sites of linux distro's and read the packages they offer (all packages are free to download). The ndecide what is best for your needs
     
  16. drwebpat Registered Member

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  17. blankc Your superior Registered Senior Member

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    You won't be able to use KDE3+ or Gnome2+ very well on that machine, and current xfree versions are probably tuned for better computers. But You can use kde2 or gnome1.4, or if you don't mind completely alien(non windows-like) interfaces then fluxbox is great, and maybe try out xfree 4.0 or earlier. Kernel wise, 2.4 should be good, but if you really want lower overhead 2.2 may give you that. What distribution can let you use these components? Debian and slack are your best bet I'd say. I am an ardent gentoo user myself, but you would need superhuman patience to compile all software on a p200. Also, make sure that all your other commonly used apps you select are low overhead type software.
     
  18. Redrover Registered Senior Member

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    Yeah, but where can I find older versions of kde, xfree and the kernel?
     
  19. blankc Your superior Registered Senior Member

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    Debian and slackware should let you choose older versions. Or track down an old set of redhat or mandrake CD's. Old redhat versions can sometimes be found in clearance bins.
     
  20. DCLXVI Bloody Bastard Registered Senior Member

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    If you are really determined to run xfree on the system I suggest using windowmaker instead of Gnome or KDE, it's simple and it isn't bloated with useless features.

    And since the computer isn't exacly blazingly fast you might want to consider using "simpler" distributins like Gentoo, even though it might seem like a lot of work for a beginner. [propaganda]You might even choose FreeBSD[/propaganda]
     
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