What is the best version for an old laptop?
 

Hi everyone.

I have just joined this forum so please forgive me if I am a bit slow on the up take.

I have an old laptop that my son uses for surfing the internet. It has XP on it, and it’s very slow. I was thinking of putting Linux on and I am downloading red hat ISOs as I write this. Red hat is the only version of Linux I have any experience of and that was some time ago.

Is this a good choice or is there a better way to go? We only need this laptop for the internet.

Fast and easy, internet oriented, don't even need to install!!
Puppy Linux
RP

wow thanks racepres

where do i get my hands on this little puppy... LOL

hadrian

Welcome to LQ

Take a look at
http://www.desktoplinux.com/articles/AT6185716632.html

just found puppylinux dot org

thanks

thanks repo i will do so now

BTW I happen to prefer the 4.2 Retro version for older equipment for what looks to me like a more "windows like" desktop. A version called White Fang gives a sort of "vista look" while being slackware friendly. While my personal boxes get one of the MacPup Derivatives [MacPup412, for the elderly ones].
HTH

apart from anything else it is very interesting to be looking at Linux again after all these years.

that article was was very good lots of info to digest

running puppy 4.30 now on laptop........

excellent and very fast too.

So far so good

how is it for security etc

It's Linux so... I have never had a hint of a bug
Some will cry about running as root... but I am willing to take responsibility for my actions... and my computer.
In a "community" environment I would use something else.
RP

yes i would go with that. it is all down to personal choices informed or not.

have laptop running on the internet now. all i had to do was plug it in.


is there a virus and malwere softwere i can get?

hadrian

I have never run any spyware/malware/virus protection, on any linux dist. And I have never had a [known] problem. Simply, I do not think about it anymore than I do on my [non-intel] Mac's.
Just hasn't been a problem for me. I suspect that a search for something like "virus protection for linux" may give results... I believe this has come up in the [murga] puppy forum.
Sorry!
RP

thanks fore all the help

I remember installing Linux on a NT4 box and it took weeks to get running right. i cant believe how quick all this was.

hadrian

Yea...I Love it!! Now if someone would port Puppy for the PowerPC The world would be "Right"!!
[A Wishfull Thinking] RP

we were one of the first graphic studios to us macs in dublin now that take me back!

i have had all kinds of macs over the years including their first BW laptop. in fact i still have it somewhere. It cost me £5000 when that was lot of money.

H