[Josiah]

Hey, I want to put a distro of Linux on an old windows ME machine. It has a Pentium III and 128mb. of ram and not much grafics. I am and mac and windows guy so I don't want to do any to a little code (one or two items of code is okay at most if I can copy and paste. I want the Distro to run firefox, thunderbird, audacity, gimp, openoffice, skype, somekind of RSS and Podcast Reciever, and the Basics of life on an OS. I would like apps to be as easy to install as posible because I am used to install wizards and drag an drop. Now, the main reason I want Linux is to put it on my dad's computer so He doesn't have to use Windows ME so it must be easy stable and not suck up resourses. Now, I appreciated your recremendations and I have looked at the top 10 list on distro watch but they are so similar I just want someone to say Use this version.

thankyou so much for your recremendations!

I have tried a live CD and don't like it.

Edited by Josiah, 10 April 2006 - 07:55 AM.

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I personally like Mandrake (Mandriva) as it works and is easy to install, although I am running an older version. Others I respect seem to like Ubuntu. I got the install and Live CD and it would not boot on one of my machines.

I am sure you will get many other recommendations, all of which will conflict :-).

[Kemasa]

I personally like Mandrake (Mandriva) as it works and is easy to install, although I am running an older version. Others I respect seem to like Ubuntu. I got the install and Live CD and it would not boot on one of my machines.

I am sure you will get many other recommendations, all of which will conflict :-).

[Josiah]

I am lucky i am a "little" technical but it would be easyer for the average joe if their was less than 10 distros just like windows.

[Kemasa]

Well, Linux is a lot like manufacturers of vehicles, there are many choices and while all are very similar, there are differences that some people like and some do not. Personally I like choice instead of one size fits none.

I suspect that if you pick one of the ten you will be able to do what you want.

[Josiah]

one thing I'ld like is a OS instal and application instals that you don't have to use the cammand line or something like that for

thanks for that help

[Kemasa]

I can understand that. Most of the installs are not command line. Applications often are, in part because the choices possible. You can install a program in a subdirectory of your home directory or a more shared location. Some want to be installed in system areas.

In some cases there is a program to deal with RPMs, which many Linux systems use for the packages and it is not a command line, but it can be more work than learning the command line. It would be very nice if there was a way to find all the needed packages and install them all, but that is something for someone to work on.

Unfortunately installing is not as easy as it could be, but then again in Windoze often you have no choice or control of where or how it installs and if the registry gets messed up you have a serious problem.

[warriorscot]

Ubuntu is one of the more popular ones, ive never got around to running a full install of a distro as my main OS just to impractical for me, but ive used the live CDs for a few, and Ubuntu was one of the ones i was more impressed with.

I like Slax, i also like DSL linux as at the time i was testing to see if i could get one to run from my USB pen(which i never actually got to work, but that was more out of me being impatient and busy at the time) but slax had a nice feel to it all round, in fact i found it quite similar to ubuntu for what i used of it but that wasnt all to much as i said.

If i were you i would probably start with ubuntu, if i remember correctly my live CD had open office FF and TB allready on it, you can use TB for RSS feeds(which after my brief excitement i realise are a curse as i cant stop reading the things).

Edited by warriorscot, 10 April 2006 - 05:25 PM.

[Josiah]

thanks

[Josiah]

If I try the Ubuntu Live CD is it like the knoppix cd in which I jjust stick it in and it works r do I have to do something with the hard drive.

[warriorscot]

Put the disk in and boot to CD its all you need to do. If you want to install it you would need to put a partition on your hard drive for it.

[Thebinaryman]

if you use redhat/fedora core, you can easily install most software by typing: (as root)

yum -y install <program name here>

it will automatically download and install that pice of software if it is avalible through yum (yellowdog update manager?).

[Dragon]

in Ubuntu it's easy to install a program that is in the repositories on the net.

there are three ways to do it.

#1- click on applications>install application (I think thats what it is, I'm on my Windows drive right now so not positive on it)

#2- click on system>administration>synaptic

#3- similar to fedora/red hat

sudo apt-get install file_name

[vinnywright]

hay im a newbe to how ever I wus able to install and run fedora core 4 distro relativley esaley. as a second OS for lerning! on an old hp pavillyon 700Mz 256RAM box with 2 drives a 10 gig for windows OS and a 40 gig for linux & storege. I did pre partition the drive with partiton magick(it suports ex2 partitions some others dont) giving it ampel room for a full install. seting mane partition as root and create swap partition for swap file. then boot CD1 it will detect the ex2 partition and you can tell it to install thare. It went reley smooth for me and it has evrey thing you listed ( keep in mind i did the evrything install 7+ gig worth witch gives you exta games, desktops,and apps youl never use but thin agin maby you will )

[Max-T]

im sorry my net browser is not working well atm, i seem to have doubble posed can an admin please delet this post?

that or tell me how do if i can through edit?

Edited by Max-T, 15 May 2006 - 01:48 PM.

[Max-T]

Being "Subjective" i would say go for Redhat, it is relatively Easy to install and isnt to much code to worry about.

More info on Redhat:http://www.redhat.com/
Compatablity chart for linux distro's: http://en.tldp.org/H...OWTO/index.html