My Wife and I have decided to change our household computers to Ubuntu starting with one in the kitchen. I have a few questions to ask before I move further in the hopes of reducing the amount of head scratching that I normally do.
The computer in question is a Compaq Proliant DL320 Pentium III 1GHz with 1Gb of RAM. This is normally used in an enterprise environment as a server and is in a "blade server" chassis. Our hopes are to install it inside a kitchen cabinet underneath the kitchen counter top. Below the slide out drawer is a cabinet space that will accept the computer if I fabricate some straps for support. The electrical source issues can be easily resolved but I was hoping to find a wireless keyboard/mouse setup that will function within Ubuntu release 6.10, "Edgy Eft" in an effort to reduce the normal web of cables.
Question #1: Can anyone recommend a wireless keyboard/mouse combination for use in this Ubuntu environment? We would really like to use the really snazzy Logitech diNovo Cordless Desktop but I have strong feelings that this may not currently be an option. Please tell me I'm wrong.
Normally these types of computers have no need for a sound card but I would like to install one so we can listen to our MP3 collection through it. There is a riser with one PCI slot that I plan to use for the sound card.
Question #2: Can anyone recommend a PCI sound card for use?
Speaking of MP3's, we have our entire Audio CD collection ripped onto an external Western Digital 250 Gb USB 2.0/Firewire (WD2500JB) hard drive. The drive is in FAT32 format. All of our MP3's are ripped at 320KBs using DBpoweramp CD ripper. This may be "too much information," so apologies all the way around if so.
Question #3: We have no intention of affixing this drive to the new machine but I would like to know if our Ubuntu machine will co-exist on a small home network with a windows machine and will I be able to access these files?
Do note that eventually - if our efforts are successful - we plan to convert all of our home computers to Linux and build a Linux server - probably out of the same type computer as above - with mass data storage (such as a couple of Compaq Proliant U2's) to house this data for all computers in the house to access. Think of it as an audio only media server. Of course another server will be put in place to house so called "important data" but for now...
I'll stop here with these questions as that will get me going. I've been reading through the posts here and have to say that this community seems much more inclined to assist others that most MS environment communities do and I feel that I will be owing many people here words of thanks and praise in the near future as I learn more about how to remove our home from yet another corporate leash.
Thank you in advance and best wishes,
Gary