98lite and 98embeded?

[nightsky]

Anyone hav experience with 98Lite, 98embeded? What r the differences between Lite and Embeded? I wld think they r alot more stable os ver of MS Windows. http://www.litepc.com/preview.html Can I get the Pros and Cons Thnx

[GaryRouth]

I mentioned using Win98lite in your other thread, but I'll put a little here, too - for anyone interested in just this topic.

It was a few years ago when I tried it, and if I recall - it seems like it created some compatibility problems with some programs.

Seems like the short-term compatibility was OK, but long-term got a little dicey. A concern I had back then (right about the time I decided to discontinue using it) - was how well future Security Patches from the Windows Update site would work on such an altered version. Probably with a little extra work, it could be good to go = I just didn't stick around with it long enough to test those angles.

If the computer in question is Pentium original 233mmx or better, I think the benefits of staying with a plain-vanilla Win98se installation are just a bit better, but that's mostly a hunch. Security is that main puzzle: I'm just not sure if the patches would work as well.

Perhaps someone who stayed with the program & gave it a better trial than I did will provide us with their feedback.
. . . Gary

[mb26]

i'm using 98lite on a pc now (running off a 128mb CF card)..
i'd definately recommend it for anyone with 98.. the patches do work 100% with 98lite (mentioned on their site somewhere), and IMO it makes it more secure as it removes IE. (optional i think?)
i've never had any compatability problems i dont think..

running with the 95 shell, its very fast and responsive, even on the oldest hardware.
soo.. the advantages are basically that it is less bloated. that means it uses less ram, less cpu power and less hard drive space, and stays responsive much better. i think they say it boots faster too.
if u have really good hardware thou its obviously less noticeable, as w98 is probably fairly responsive etc already.

" I wld think they r alot more stable os ver of MS Windows."
98lite is not an OS in its own right, but rather its a program which adapts windows98 and strips out all the waste. perhaps it makes it slightly more stable than 'vanilla' windows 98, but i'd doubt as good as 2K or XP.

if u are feeling really hardcore: winimize.com ..w98 <10mb.. althou theres a hell of a lot u can't do.. u can run a few programs like ad-aware, notepad, paint, cpu-z, etc etc. very good alternative to a linux boot CD or a DOS boot floppy for recovery etc.

[nightsky]

Really interested in stability and security issues as they hav been the bigest headache. Space and ram I have plently of. Can I run graphic design, web design programs on it? I am interesed in learning programing and do have linux on that second drive w/slack8 that I would like to learn well enough to use it more regularly eventul full migration it. Also interested in aquiring an Imac curiousity. Love all this communication technology. Its fun, exciting, not bad on health except for corpral syndrom, deteriorating eyesight. lol Thnx "What say you?"

[bob_man_uk]

a note you should know about 98lite though, if you use the 95 shell you get 95 features, you will find it very hard to install fonts and USB wont work either... personally i dont see any advantage for 98lite, sure you get a performance boost but at the cost of loosing functionality... personally id go for a more powerful PC and have done with... your choice.

MattyG

[GaryRouth]

Hi again

I imagine for learning programming, your current machine would do fine: it would even offer two platforms to test your work on. Heavy-duty developers who test their own work on several platforms sometimes use a recent machine with horsepower and memory to run lots of emulators/simulators of various operating systems. But it's not necessary if writing for just a few platforms, a modest machine will do OK.

If you're on a tight budget, you could also cut your teeth on Linux graphics tools (such as Gimp) and Linux web-authoring tools (though I can't remember the program names at the moment). And Linux programs usually have extensive documentation, which helps when starting at square one.

Graphic design pros, depending on their specialties, historically have used Macs paired with powerhouse programs costing near-fortunes from Adobe, Quark, (and in the old days, Aldus - now part of Adobe). But many of those programs are now available in Windows versions, with mostly the same functionality (saves a little on the hardware side). Web design is one of the less-expensive areas to learn - since the hardware requirements aren't much, and the software is relatively inexpensive.

Whatever hardware you have now sounds like it can run Win98se and slackware fine = and should offer a lot of flexibility in what programs you can try. And it's paid for already (I'd imagine). If you limit your online activity strictly to slackware & FireFox, that would help with the security angle quite a bit. Win98se is probably the most stable of the Win9x line - but it has the Achilles heel of Win9x resource use. Because of it's poor handling of resources (or the poor programming of many vendors), it doesn't multitask as well at the NT-kernel Windows. This extracts a penalty when a firewall, antivirus, and antispyware all have to be running all the time. One alternative to your current setup would be to try and round up a version of Win2000 at a decent price. It can run on lighter hardware than XP, can multitask better than Win98, and is a mature, stable platform. You'll want to install all the Service Packs to get things up-to-date if you go that route.

Don't spend too much to fix up an older machine if it's not necessary: $400 (USD) brings home an amazing amount of computer nowadays.

Have fun with your projects
. . . Gary

[nightsky]

I jst got 256mb of 100PC ec crucial ram, Hav Intel III 600, if i get another box it will be Imac. I'll use this one as a server - if i can learn how to upgrade to Network Frame work configure and administer it? Lost options on the virtual desktop. Thing about that is that I had changed mouse clicks to one and I cant chnge it back to 2 clicks. Maybe I should post this in another forum? Thnx for all your help. I hav so much reviewing to getup to spd. If u dont use it, u lose it (