Linux - General This Linux forum is for general Linux questions and discussion.
If it is Linux Related and doesn't seem to fit in any other forum then this is the place. |
Notices |
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
Are you new to LinuxQuestions.org? Visit the following links:
Site Howto |
Site FAQ |
Sitemap |
Register Now
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
|
 |
11-26-2004, 11:14 PM
|
#1
|
LQ Newbie
Registered: Nov 2004
Location: Winnipeg, Canada
Posts: 2
Rep:
|
Linux for Old PC's
I run SuSe and Mandrake on two different computers. I want to get rid of Windows 98 on an older PC that has only about 48Meg of ram and a PII 200Mhz processor.
This PC will only be used for running amateur radio software, to log contacts etc, and control radios. It currently runs windows 98 fine. So there must be a distro with xwindows that should run on this PC as well. I just haven't found one yet.
Any advice?
Thanks.
|
|
|
11-27-2004, 01:01 AM
|
#2
|
Member
Registered: Aug 2004
Posts: 130
Rep:
|
RHEL 3 update 3
I think you may only run in console mode, since your 48MB memory can't afford the X.
|
|
|
11-27-2004, 03:11 AM
|
#3
|
Member
Registered: Mar 2004
Location: Pocatello, Idaho, USA
Distribution: Ubuntu
Posts: 256
Rep:
|
VectorLinux will run perfectly. I run it on the laptop below. The only thing you might want to do is dupe Mozilla Suite for Firefox.
|
|
|
11-27-2004, 05:33 AM
|
#4
|
LQ Guru
Registered: Apr 2003
Location: ~
Distribution: Ubuntu, FreeBSD, Solaris, DSL
Posts: 5,337
Rep:
|
Debian or Slackware should get the job done nicely  . Though, I agree with the post above, if you are using it as server only, no need fo X.
|
|
|
11-27-2004, 10:28 PM
|
#5
|
LQ Newbie
Registered: Nov 2004
Location: Winnipeg, Canada
Posts: 2
Original Poster
Rep:
|
Your answers
Thanks for the replies. I will try Vector, never heard of it til now. I do have a copy of Debian around here somewhere as well.
Unfortunately I expect I will need a windows environment as I wish to use if for the web as well. Online call sign lookup databases etc, are accessible via the web. And although its been a long time since I used a unix web browser, I don't think it will work very well with some of the sites I have to use. Therefore I will need a graphical front end.
I'm sure one of your suggestions will work. I just can't see windows98 being able to run on a PC with 48Meg, and not linux.
|
|
|
11-28-2004, 01:21 AM
|
#6
|
Member
Registered: Jun 2004
Location: Northern CA
Distribution: Debian
Posts: 835
Rep:
|
I don't know how much ram the X window system takes up, but my understanding is that it is the window manager that really eats up memory. You could look into a trimmer window manager. There are many options available. I have a friend that recommends xfce (this would be a step lighter, but still fairly friendly). There are others that are more common, less friendly, and lighter in weight.
|
|
|
11-28-2004, 03:25 AM
|
#7
|
Member
Registered: Mar 2004
Location: Pocatello, Idaho, USA
Distribution: Ubuntu
Posts: 256
Rep:
|
Re: Your answers
Quote:
Originally posted by ve4tjr
Thanks for the replies. I will try Vector, never heard of it til now. I do have a copy of Debian around here somewhere as well.
Unfortunately I expect I will need a windows environment as I wish to use if for the web as well. Online call sign lookup databases etc, are accessible via the web. And although its been a long time since I used a unix web browser, I don't think it will work very well with some of the sites I have to use. Therefore I will need a graphical front end.
I'm sure one of your suggestions will work. I just can't see windows98 being able to run on a PC with 48Meg, and not linux.
|
VectorLinux is based on slackware and comes with 3 Window Managers. They are FluxBox, IceWM (my personal favorite), and XFCE. Also one quick note before you boot up and panic: By default Vector doesn't boot straight into X (your windows system) so after you log in you have to type
That will bring up a menu that let's you select your window manager.
You can run the program VASM which has the settings and make it so that X will start on boot-up, but I haven't tried it since I do a lot of work from the console and find that when compiling programs it goes a lot faster when you don't have X using resources.
|
|
|
11-28-2004, 04:40 AM
|
#8
|
Member
Registered: Nov 2004
Distribution: delilinux
Posts: 34
Rep:
|
I use DeLi Linux on my old 133mhz P1.
It's light as a feather and actually runs fast on it!
It's based on Slackware 7.1 and has XFree86 3.3.6 so it supports old cards.
I am an absolute noob to Linux (this is my 1st attempt at even installing it and I have no idea what Im doing yet).
I got it installed and online (through my LAN no less) in a few hours.
Chk it out!
http://delilinux.berlios.de/

|
|
|
02-09-2006, 09:11 PM
|
#9
|
Member
Registered: Apr 2005
Location: Minneap USA
Distribution: Debian, Mepis, Sidux
Posts: 470
Rep:
|
old computers beg for damn small linux 2.2, for sure. this thread has an easy install write-up:
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...43#post2095943
|
|
|
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:45 PM.
|
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.
|
Latest Threads
LQ News
|
|