LinuxQuestions.org
Latest LQ Deal: Latest LQ Deals
Go Back   LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - Newbie
User Name
Password
Linux - Newbie This Linux forum is for members that are new to Linux.
Just starting out and have a question? If it is not in the man pages or the how-to's this is the place!

Notices


Reply
  Search this Thread
Old 08-18-2003, 05:27 PM   #1
Cycopath81090
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Long Island(that big island in Ny)
Distribution: INSTALLED: Mandrake 9.1 , Knoppix 3.2 ,lindows LAYING AROUND MY HOUSE:slackware 9, red hat 9
Posts: 26

Rep: Reputation: 15
need help desiding wut distro


i have an old pc. i think its a 97.heres the info
232mhz
40mb ram
4 mb video mem
6gb hd
cd & floppy
currently running knoppix 3.2 on swap partition

wut distro wood be best for this situation. i already tryed mandrake 9.1 but it freezes when loggin in. n e sugestions.by the way this is not my main pc.
 
Old 08-18-2003, 05:34 PM   #2
Mega Man X
LQ Guru
 
Registered: Apr 2003
Location: ~
Distribution: Ubuntu, FreeBSD, Solaris, DSL
Posts: 5,339

Rep: Reputation: 65
Slackware 9.0 Make sure to get a version which comes with a book if you can afford it. eg: http://www.linuxstore.se/html/artikel/7056.html

This is a swedish store link. Otherwise, this tutorial is pretty useful if you don't want to purchase the CD-Rom + Book Slackware

http://members.cox.net/laitcg/new/intro.html

It's relatively hard for a beginner, but it rocks if you love reading and editing and want get the most from your configuration and learn a true Linux/Unix system like .

Good luck
 
Old 08-18-2003, 05:36 PM   #3
Cycopath81090
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Long Island(that big island in Ny)
Distribution: INSTALLED: Mandrake 9.1 , Knoppix 3.2 ,lindows LAYING AROUND MY HOUSE:slackware 9, red hat 9
Posts: 26

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 15
will it run good on the pc i described?
 
Old 08-18-2003, 05:43 PM   #4
Mega Man X
LQ Guru
 
Registered: Apr 2003
Location: ~
Distribution: Ubuntu, FreeBSD, Solaris, DSL
Posts: 5,339

Rep: Reputation: 65
Definitely, Slackware 9.0 asks for a minimum of 386 processor and 16 of RAM. I'm running it in a 2GHZ with 512 of RAM and in a Pentium 166 with 32 of RAM. It's a very versatile distribution .

Check their faq here:

http://www.slackware.com/faq/

Most of the programs to Slack needs to be compiled, so that gives an extra boost for older Hardwares and incredible speed for newer ones
 
Old 08-18-2003, 05:44 PM   #5
Mega Man X
LQ Guru
 
Registered: Apr 2003
Location: ~
Distribution: Ubuntu, FreeBSD, Solaris, DSL
Posts: 5,339

Rep: Reputation: 65
Again, it's not so user friendly as mandrake or redhat. But following that tutorial I gave you above will be an incredible journey in a new OS
 
Old 08-18-2003, 09:41 PM   #6
darthtux
Senior Member
 
Registered: Dec 2001
Location: 35.7480° N, 95.3690° W
Distribution: Debian, Gentoo, Red Hat, Solaris
Posts: 2,070

Rep: Reputation: 47
With that computer, which is very similar to mine, you will have a hard time running the latest versions of KDE or GNOME. I'm running the ones that come with Red Hat 7.2 and they take a long time to come up. The best bet is to just run a window manager such as Window Maker, fluxbox, icewm, fvwm, etc.

As far as the best distro? I like Red Hat 7.2. If you or a friend is on high speed internet with a burner you can download what you want from http://www.linuxiso.org
 
Old 08-18-2003, 09:55 PM   #7
Skyline
Senior Member
 
Registered: Jun 2003
Distribution: Debian/other
Posts: 2,104

Rep: Reputation: 45
Basic Linux? Damm Small Linux?

You might find something suitable at Distrowatch - currently around 140 Linux distributions there:

Click here to go to Distrowatch
 
Old 08-19-2003, 12:23 AM   #8
Mega Man X
LQ Guru
 
Registered: Apr 2003
Location: ~
Distribution: Ubuntu, FreeBSD, Solaris, DSL
Posts: 5,339

Rep: Reputation: 65
darthtux is right. Using lighter programs will do great too

X = Blackbox, Fluxbox, Icewm, WindowMaker
Browser = Mozilla Firebird or Dillo
e-mail client = sylpheed

Yet, they are all nice and fast
 
Old 08-19-2003, 02:47 AM   #9
gargamel237
Member
 
Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Los Angeles
Distribution: gentoo
Posts: 52

Rep: Reputation: 15
Go with something hard. All those "easy configuration tools" are bogus. They never work as well as learning how to do stuff yourself. Also, distros like RH and MDK default to tons of unneccesary services that are gonna choke yer oldschool computer. For your situation, the benefits of a light/fast version of linux are going to make all the difference, usability wise.
 
Old 08-19-2003, 08:52 AM   #10
Cycopath81090
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Long Island(that big island in Ny)
Distribution: INSTALLED: Mandrake 9.1 , Knoppix 3.2 ,lindows LAYING AROUND MY HOUSE:slackware 9, red hat 9
Posts: 26

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 15
ok thanks guys...thatnk god the pc i described isnt my only 1..(i got a 2.4 ghz wit 512mb ram)
 
Old 08-20-2003, 08:16 PM   #11
Cycopath81090
LQ Newbie
 
Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Long Island(that big island in Ny)
Distribution: INSTALLED: Mandrake 9.1 , Knoppix 3.2 ,lindows LAYING AROUND MY HOUSE:slackware 9, red hat 9
Posts: 26

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 15
slackware didnt work....so i downloaded a lindows iso
 
  


Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off



Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
i got knoppix on cd and it rocks when booted! wut can i do to install knoppix on HD? kublador Linux - Distributions 4 12-12-2005 04:08 PM
Wut u think of my site? FearPasion710 Linux - General 4 02-23-2004 12:57 PM
wut distro!!!! viral Linux - Software 8 12-06-2003 04:28 PM
ALSA driver isnt running? Wut the.... mdlnx Linux - Newbie 0 10-03-2003 02:29 PM
wut linux distro should i get? ramiro Linux - Newbie 11 07-24-2003 09:03 PM

LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - Newbie

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:38 AM.

Main Menu
Advertisement
My LQ
Write for LQ
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute content, let us know.
Main Menu
Syndicate
RSS1  Latest Threads
RSS1  LQ News
Twitter: @linuxquestions
Open Source Consulting | Domain Registration