Thread: A new laptop! 486/33... Floppy Linux?

Originally Posted by kiltjim

I've tried Knoppix before. And I have been impressed. But I have been at school and risking a major switch would be a bad idea.

The point is that I want to use this little laptop and thought Linux would be a good thing to try on it.

It still can - but its going to have it limits, I remember a text only GUI
for linux with mouse support - cant remember the name - but it might
work - or Icewin or something like that

but you do need to learn the command line - use Knoppix to learn the gui,
use the laptop to play with the command line stuff, learn to work with disks

Look. Just don't waste your time playing with that 486/33. If you want to learn Linux, there are plenty of P-II or K6 systems free for the taking that will make your learning *much* more enjoyable. You could probably even find a low-end P-III or K7 for less than you'd spend out drinking at the corner bar.

I don't want to give the impression that your 486/33 laptop is worthless, because there are many useful things that you can do with it. You'll just want to learn how to do them on a faster mahchine.

-p.

Gnomad speaks truth.

Look, I have the laptop, and I just wanted the experienced linux users advice. I know I am not going to get much out of it, but I have it now, and I am going to use it.

Thanks for thread crapping though. It's really appreciated.

It will run fine, don't listen to them. Use something like slack or DSL and have fun. My first linux install was on a 486-33 with 4M ram in 1995 and I got x windows working on the old video card and managed to get it on the internet. Used another old 486 for a terminal server for my router lab when I did the CCNA somewhere around 2000.

If anyone has any 486 laptops they don't want send them to me, I can use them.

Exactly. It's not like computer didn't work before we hit the 1 MHz mark. Before that, they had to run something on them, right? Its just finding those OSes (and I was hoping someone would point me to one that they suggested) that I was having trouble with.

Thats why I made the suggestion of slackware, I ran it on a 486 before and the whole install hasn't really changed since then. You could run a very simple window manager and have it run.
Freebsd is another that I have toyed with on old hardware.

Originally Posted by kiltjim

Thanks for thread crapping though. It's really appreciated.

Where did the supposed "thread crapping" occur?

The suggestion above was to get something with a little more power so that you can concentrate on learning as opposed to watching things compile forever. It was fairly diplomatic too so I'm not sure why you are .

I was compiling kernels while running XFree on a 16MB 386SX in the PRE 1.0 Linux days. Every compiled line of code required a swap to disk for all intents and purposes. Anyone else remember 0.99beta13 Linux?

Maybe, just maybe, I might have a bit of a perspective on whether a 486/33 is a good starting place for learning Linux. Compared to "modern" hardware (i.e. anything designed/sold this CENTURY) you might as well be comparing a Apple IIe to a 4way Xeon for all intents and purposes.

Run it if you want, just be prepared for a slow learning curve if you want to get beyond the "Captain OK" stage. Anybody can insert an install CD and press Ok. That isn't learning Linux. Want a real trial by fire? Install Gentoo on PIII-500-ish hardware. Cheap (coupla $20s?) and enough power to actually be useful for learning or using for that matter. If successful you can say you can RTFM and know Linux at the novice level.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

I'm sorry. That wasn't targeted at you. You just happened to be the last to comment.


But I have been downloaded some different versions, but so far no luck. I tried a few different slackware distros, and somehwere before I need to use the second disk it goes bad. The first disk is supposed to be automated, so no linux knowledge needed. But it doesn't get to the second.

And the last edition I found last night required 3 disks. That's fine, but I have only been able to find 2. Great. And that one worked, until it asked for disk 3.

I'll figure it out. I just need to find some distros that will work. And, to all of you who said that I wouldn't be able to get a GUI, the last edition I found has X available. Yay!