Unix Experimentations

[Andrew Cz]

Hey I got hold of a V. old pc for free :) and it has really tempted me to experiment on a unix based OS, Something I really wanted to do for a while.

Can you tell me whether Unix / Linux will run on these specs and what Version (?) to go for? And maybe a URL for a dload?

Redhat seems good but I have never used linux B4. I've some programing (c++ & vb) knowledge so i dont expect any difficulties...

Whos knows! if it goes well I will install it on my main PC.

Thanks a lot!

Specs:

486DX-60mhz
16mb RAM
4gb HD (urgh will have to borrow this HD from my CD copier PC)
Old Diamond Stealth G Card
A floppy drive :D wow!

[Xayd]

Unix and Linux never get full support from hardware manufacturers when things are released, so an older machine is actually bettter for your first go round, since most of that hardware should be supported "out of the box" by now. Personally I'd try a Linux distro first, and if you're still interested later a true Unix such as one of the BSD's. Red Hat is well documented and easy to install, and I personally like the native RPM support (rpm's being a sort of "program registry" that lets you easily remove/install/upgrade apps that come in RPM packages).

If you happen to have a high bandwidth internet connection, just head over to the ftp site of the distribution you choose to go with, and download the thing. You can download an ISO image of the install disk into Windows, then unpack it with a Windows ISO proggy and install from DOS mode.

I'd avoid Red Hat 7 if you choose to go their route, 6.2 (zoot) should do you nicely.

Xayd

[Statica]

Umm for your h/w I wouldnt even think of going anything higher than kernel 2.0.36 - RedHat 5.2! Newer <b>STABLE</b> kernels are less to do with fixes than it is enhancements, be it on the processing side or on the hardware support/utilization side. Typically what I'd suggest is something along the lines of a MiniDistribution. Although e-smith mightn't be a bad choice becos even though it does have a newer RedHat type foundation, it doesnt ship with any bloat. Check out your nearest tucows mirror for distributions.
Cheers

PS <b>Personally I think the RPM way of thinking is a jib, and are nothing but headaches for critical usage.</b>

[Andrew Cz]

V5.2? Cool mates got that on cd! I'll check tucows too, Thanks a lot!

Andrew

[Andrew Cz]

I really get anoyed when someone comes to me with a problem, and i tell them to dload a file at downloads dot com or elsewhere and a get a message back saying i cant find it! I usually end up giving them a url lol...

Well I dont want to be a pain but cant get hold of cd till monday. I cant find a 5.2 ISO file NE where! Can anybody post a ftp server that may have it?

Greatly Appreciate and sorry to be a pain!

Andrew.

[CragStar]

Just to inform you andrew that I installed SUSE 7.0 today, with everything going fine. It looks pretty good, and isn't that slow (apart from the installing of packages). A cd drive would be nice for you as well (heck it would be a lot easier to install!) I expect you can do that. I will bring in the CD monday if you want.

Welcome to the Linux world of thinking. I've only just started but it looks like I will have already be spending endless nights working out problems!

[Andrew Cz]

hey Craig, CD ROM is no problem, for some reason I haven't figured out why I have 5 cd rom drives! Ranging from 8x to 48x and CD Rewriters :) So i can take one out, of a PC.

Will SUSE 7 work on these specs?

Thanks.

Andrew.