Which distro can anyone recommend for low end hardware ?
Ok folks- This one is not the usual "could have googled for it " question . A day care center worker wants to buy cheap used hardware and have me or someone else make it work . This center is a not-for-profit so Surplus Exchange is a viable hardware source . Here's where KCLUG can come in . Showing that Open Source is truly viable for this person's need . What is needed ? Single user single desktop maybe not even networked or if so only at the printer share level Compatibility with Msword and Excel in both directions , Printing flyers . Archiving all flyers etc . Likely this system may never be internet connected ! So from that outline- What distro is suggested, And more importantly why ? Presently owned system is a P2/200 with 64 meg ram and 840 meg HD . Suggestions for what to use on this would be appreciated from anyone having had experience with the suggested distro.
Oren, I have some old PI (both 133 and 166 respectively) systems that have 1.2 and 2.0 Gig HD's in them that could be taken out and used in their current box. I'd be happy to donate them to the center (and my wife would be happy to get rid of another one of the 10 or so boxes in the garage!). As for the OS, I have installed Red Hat 8.0 on one of the 166 boxes and it ran rather sluggishly, but these boxes only have 16 Meg of RAM, if memory servers me correctly. I have since switched to using Debian or Knoppix as an OS for most all my boxes. I find that these have been the most stable and secure of the flavors I have tried. Knoppix really was designed for older boxes and is really a very sweet install especially for GUI interfaced boxes. The debian auto configuration does tend to take a few extra seconds to boot the system, but becomes a breeze when the older hardware fails and different hardware is installed as no manual reconfiguration is necessary. With the 64 Meg of RAM they currently have, they should not run into the same trouble with the X-windows. Since the knoppix runs with an on-the-fly compression system, a 2 Gig HD would be more than enough, especially if one of the 1.2 Gig drives was added for data storage. Knoppix also comes with Open Office pre installed to satisfy the need for MS Office compatible Office Suite. Either way you go, let me know about the drive(s), I'd be happy to help out! Oren Beck wrote:
Ok folks- This one is not the usual "could have googled for it " question .
A day care center worker wants to buy cheap used hardware and have me or someone else make it work . This center is a not-for-profit so Surplus Exchange is a viable hardware source . Here's where KCLUG can come in . Showing that Open Source is truly viable for this person's need . What is needed ? Single user single desktop maybe not even networked or if so only at the printer share level Compatibility with Msword and Excel in both directions , Printing flyers . Archiving all flyers etc . Likely this system may never be internet connected !
So from that outline- What distro is suggested, And more importantly why ?
Presently owned system is a P2/200 with 64 meg ram and 840 meg HD . Suggestions for what to use on this would be appreciated from anyone having had experience with the suggested distro.
-- Steve Vaitl, D.C. Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician Laser Pain Relief Center laser@vaitl.net Cell:(816)695-4897 Office: (816)524-7000 Adjunct Professor, Biology and Human Anatomy Kansas City Kansas Community College 7250 State Avenue Kansas City, Kansas 66112
docv wrote:
Oren,
I have some old PI (both 133 and 166 respectively) systems that have 1.2 and 2.0 Gig HD's in them that could be taken out and used in their current box. I'd be happy to donate them to the center (and my wife would be happy to get rid of another one of the 10 or so boxes in the garage!).
As for the OS, I have installed Red Hat 8.0 on one of the 166 boxes and it ran rather sluggishly, but these boxes only have 16 Meg of RAM, if memory servers me correctly. I have since switched to using Debian or Knoppix as an OS for most all my boxes. I find that these have been the most stable and secure of the flavors I have tried.
Knoppix really was designed for older boxes and is really a very sweet install especially for GUI interfaced boxes. The debian auto configuration does tend to take a few extra seconds to boot the system, but becomes a breeze when the older hardware fails and different hardware is installed as no manual reconfiguration is necessary.
With the 64 Meg of RAM they currently have, they should not run into the same trouble with the X-windows. Since the knoppix runs with an on-the-fly compression system, a 2 Gig HD would be more than enough, especially if one of the 1.2 Gig drives was added for data storage. Knoppix also comes with Open Office pre installed to satisfy the need for MS Office compatible Office Suite.
Either way you go, let me know about the drive(s), I'd be happy to help out!
Oren Beck wrote:
Ok folks- This one is not the usual "could have googled for it " question .
A day care center worker wants to buy cheap used hardware and have me or someone else make it work . This center is a not-for-profit so Surplus Exchange is a viable hardware source . Here's where KCLUG can come in . Showing that Open Source is truly viable for this person's need . What is needed ? Single user single desktop maybe not even networked or if so only at the printer share level Compatibility with Msword and Excel in both directions , Printing flyers . Archiving all flyers etc . Likely this system may never be internet connected !
So from that outline- What distro is suggested, And more importantly why ?
Presently owned system is a P2/200 with 64 meg ram and 840 meg HD . Suggestions for what to use on this would be appreciated from anyone having had experience with the suggested distro.
Sorry for delay in replying - the donation offer has been forwarded and I may have an answer by Tuesday the 5th . If this can be made to work we may be trying it at the wed the 6th LUG meeting . Oren www.campdownunder.com " If Microsoft can buy the X-Prize why can't they do anything else right "
On Sun, 2004-09-26 at 17:28 -0500, Oren Beck wrote:
Ok folks- This one is not the usual "could have googled for it " question .
A day care center worker wants to buy cheap used hardware and have me or someone else make it work .
They need to use http://www.ltsp.org/
On Monday 27 September 2004 08:45 am, Jason Clinton wrote:
A day care center worker wants to buy cheap used hardware and have me or someone else make it work .
They need to use http://www.ltsp.org/
DISCLAIMER: Jason works for a company that sells LTSP solutions to schools. He also aparently missed the fact that this is a "Single user single desktop maybe not even networked". LTSP involves building a fairly sturdy server and saving your money on multiple served workstations, noth the case here. I've often wondered, given the cost of the server required, at what point you actually start saving money with LTSP by reconditioning existing PC's instead of buying new, low-end (sub $300) workstations and using a peer-to-peer network.
Jonathan Hutchins wrote:
DISCLAIMER: Jason works for a company that sells LTSP solutions to schools.
He also aparently missed the fact that this is a "Single user single desktop maybe not even networked". LTSP involves building a fairly sturdy server and saving your money on multiple served workstations, noth the case here.
I've often wondered, given the cost of the server required, at what point you actually start saving money with LTSP by reconditioning existing PC's instead of buying new, low-end (sub $300) workstations and using a peer-to-peer network.
Linking to an opensource project is hardly worth a DISCLAIMER. Since your wondering, often, when the money savings start, lets do some brainstorming, Performance: $300 desktop, is going to run like a $300 desktop. I'll start with 5 workstations, but even 2 would work. 5 * $300 = $1500, now you could have 5 computers that run like $300 computers. Or buy a $1500 ltsp server, and re-use your old computers, = 5 computers running near $1500 speeds. Maint: 5 computers to keep running, updated, etc... Or 1 ltsp server, workstations will netboot, without need for hd, floppy, cdrom Karma: UN reports it takes 1.8 tons of materials to make a modern pc. "that extending a machine's operational life through re-use holds a much greater potential for energy saving than recycling." http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/03/07/hnunstudy_1.html -Bill
participants (5)
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Bill Cavalieri -
docv -
Jason Clinton -
Jonathan Hutchins -
Oren Beck