Multiple distros on one box
 

Can multiple distributions run off of the same swap partition?

Yes--in fact, different Linux distros can share any type of partition---eg a common data area.

follow up
 

last time i had a linux 0$ on my rig I didnt plan it out very well. this time i'm trying to create proper space for them. i allocated too much last time. how much is enough for ANY distro with about 50%% of it's packages?

Also This time I've partitioned with ext3 instead of ext2. can always go back and recreate them 1-2-3 but what are the differences?

- ps