The Great Linux Compromise

[AtmaWeapon]

OK, I'm feeling kind today, and I'm willing to make a deal with the Linux users. I'm going to give Linux another chance to satisfy me. The only problem I'm having is there's about a million Linux distributions, and I don't know which one would be best. The computer I will be installing it on is not internet connected, so no need to worry about modem drivers. I'd like to be able to use one of the GUI environments, but my limited system resources could put the brakes on that. Here's some system specs (I know it's a sucky computer, it's actually better than the first computer I tried Linux on, though.):

Room computer:
Pentium II processor @ 233 Mhz
32MB RAM
Mpact Mediaware on-board graphics
Ensoniq AudioPCI on-board sound
Disk space: 10GB if I dual-boot with Win98, 2GB if I make a dedicated HD out of an older HD I have, with another 2GB HD as a secondary.

The on-board sound and graphics are what worries me. It's a Gateway, so the stuff may be common enough to have Linux drivers, but I'm not sure. It's hard as heck to configure Windows to use them properly, I don't even want to fool with Linux if it's going to be tough. It is imperative to me that the sound and graphics work, because I hate low resolutions and I plan to maybe do some music work on it. I can put a Matrox Millenium 2MB card in it and an Ensoniq Vivo90 card, but I'm not sure how to disable the on-board hardware to make it all work.

So, Linux users, if you can suggest to me a good distribution/GUI combination to use, and either point me to a web site or tell me in detail how to properly optimize the OS, and a good tutorial on how to use the shell and such, I'll install it and give Linux a second chance. Don't bother worrying about modem drivers and such for it, it never connects to the internet and I don't even have the drivers for Windows installed. I just want to be able to play with The Gimp and maybe a free audio editor (if one exists). I understand it will run somewhat slow, but I can put up with that. Help me out, and you'll have converted one more soul to Linux! :)

[DukenukemX]

I tried Red Hat linux and it's almost just like Novell. I guess they both came from Unix.

I tried it for a week and reinstalled Windows. I liked it but I could never get any software I download from the net to work.

I tried to run a simple NES emulator but it needed to be compiled to run. In fact all the emulators I downloaded needed to be compiled. I never got one of them to work.

It pissed me off. Do I need to compile software everytime I download it? I never figured it out and just erased it off my HD.

I want to use Linux but that was the one thing that turned me off. For now I loaded Linux on a CD and run it on my Dreamcast for shits and giggles.

[AtmaWeapon]

Well... to my best knowledge, Linux is derived from Unix. And many programs on Linux need to be compiled before they are run, for good reasons. Linux runs more easily on many different kinds of computers than Windows. Computers with different types of processors (not the difference between Intel and AMD, I'm talking more like the difference between Intel and Motorola and so forth) need to have programs compiled differently. Now, imagine you are a programmer who just spent months coding an NES emulator and you aren't making any money for doing it. Do you think you'd take the time to compile the program for every single processor set, when you know your users should be perfectly capable of doing it themselves? I don't know about you, but I'm lazy. The only person I'd compile the program for for free is me.

Plus, the open source movement makes it more likely you'll just get code and no executables. It makes for a smaller filesize.

[The Savior]

I'd use mandrake, with icewm for the window manager. I have no clue about setting up hardware, mandrake did it all automatically for me.

[Menokh]

Go with Mandrake, like you did before.
Use IceWM as the Windows manager, or if you can get it use QVWM(it's like Windows 95). Both are easy to use and work well on limited hardware. Also contrary to popular belief binaries are comman when downloading Open Source software, and the source tends to be optional(although sometimes software needs to be compiled from source); binaries for Mandrake(and other Red Hat based distros) are usually ,rpm files, but sometimes .tar.gz files can contain binary installers as well. Source code tends to come compressed in a .tar.gz or .tgz file, sometimes a different extension will be used. When installing Mandrake install KDE even if you don't plan on using it(also install other graphical window managers, I think the option is called that), you'll need the KDE files at one point or another.

I'm worried about the on board sound card myself. It may not work, but the vid cad almost certainly will.

DO NOT use KDE or Gnome as the graphical interface, they are memory hogs and won't like your configuration. As I said use IceWM or QVWM. If you absolutely need desktop icons then QVWM would be better, since Ice doesn't have desktop icons.

Mandrake should detect and setup all that hardware automatically, but as I said I am a little worried about the built in sound card.

As for software; the GIMP is a great image program and should be included. ZSNES is available for Linux, and other emulators are too, some need to be compiled. Open Office is an excellent office program that can read 75% of MS Office files, although it tends be be a tad slow starting up, and no promises with your computer. XMMS is an awesome MP3 and WAV player, it should be included. I'll let you find out what software you like, but with only 32 megs of ram, no modern OS is going to work perfectly, but Linux without using KDE or Gnome should work fairly well.

[theplustwo]

I hear good things about mandrake.

I had tried it before, with versions 7.0 and 7.1, but I royally fucked my partitions up, and I did eventually get it running, but it didn't support my p.s.'s onboard video. I hear that 8(. whatever) is really looking good now, though, I'd say go for it. I would have it already, but it's hella huge to download and I lack the $30 to pick up a boxed distro :(

[Menokh]

Yeah, if you don't have $30, you'll have to download 3 ISO's. 700 megs each, it took me 4 hours with Cable.

But Mandrake 8.2 has the biggest library of supported hardware of any Linux distro. So there is a really high chance that everything will work(printers and scanners are a different beast, and so are Software modems). Most printers work, but some are GDI printers and rely on a Windows .dll to work. Scanners are iffier, most won't work due to the reason some printers won't. As for dail-up modems; most software modems(WinModems) don't work becuase they don't have a controller chip, it is emulated by winsock.dll, some do work whoever; hardware modems are true modems and work regardless of OS but tend to cost more because they have a controller chip.

EDIT: as for partitions. Mandrake an safely resize Fat and Fat32 partitions without a problem. NTFS partitions are problematic though.

[theplustwo]

back when I did it it was still the shitty character-based partition thing. The new one that's built into the installer is quilte smoothe :thumbsup:

[AlexMax]

To sum up everything important Menokh had to say...

* Mandrake is good
* Don't use KDE or Gnome, they suck. Use another window manager
* See if anything called 'binaries' are included with shit you download. Binaries = Real programs

I also have something to add. If you can, try out DemoLinux. It requires no repartitioning, and it runs off a friggin CD. Just get a blank CD, burn the ISO, and boot the CD. No muss, no fuss. It's slower than running off a harddrive, but at least you can get used to the interface.

[vegeta1215]

Well, it's not that KDE and GNOME suck, but it's not worth trying to use either on a low end machine.

I'd go with what Menohk suggested, Mandrake with IceWM. I really like IceWM. Even though I have enough power to run KDE and GNOME, I use Ice just cause it's so damn fast and sleak. If you need help adjusting stuff for Ice, let me know.

I'm glad you want to give it another try, but without internet, Linux can be really boring. (at least I think so) But that goes for any computer if you ask me.

Oh, about emulators. I've heard of a few NES emulators for Linux, but I haven't tried them yet. There's TuxNES, and FCE Ultra (name?). FCE Ultra has many different ports, and looks more updated than TuxNES. For SNES emulators, ZSNES is the best. It's Linux port is nearly identical to the Windows/DOS one. You can dl the source and compile it, but I think there's a binary in the Mandrake cooker, under the contrib section, check it out. (when you get a more powerful system that is)

[AtmaWeapon]

OK, I have decided the following facts:

I will install Mandrake Linux from the ISOs I made a while ago.
I will use iceWM as the GUI.

However, I have one question. How do I get iceWM as the GUI for Mandrake? I didn't dig deeply, but I think it only comes with KDE and Gnome. Where do I download iceWM and how do I install it?

[AlexMax]

Get it off the net.

Use Lynx (the shell based web browser) if you must. Jsut get it.

[vegeta1215]

It comes with Mandrake. There's an option in the install to "Install other windows managers", so make sure you check that out. (btw, you can probably uncheck KDE and GNOME. It will give you more hd space)

Oh yeah, here is a page with some good links for new Linkux users: http://home.earthlink.net/~penguinrox/walink.html

(i think those links are great, cause I don't know a whole lot myself. I've only been using Linux for a few months. But I'm still learning, and I love it!)

[Maverick_Zero]

My brother tried installing Mandrake Linux it worked messes up my computer pretty bad should have tried something like SuZie Or red hat. My brother thinks he knows alot but he doesn't oh well. Now not too much works on my newer computer works anymore.

[theplustwo]

obviously mandrake did not mess up your computer, the user did

[Menokh]

It is nearly impossible to screw up your computer while installing most distros of Linux. You'd have to not have any idea what you're doing. Mandrake does not mess anything up unless you tell it to.

Anyhow, once you have installed Mandrake, with the other window managers selected, you'll be ready to use IceWM(I still recomend you install KDE, some useful programs require it to be installed, even if you never use KDE).
On boot up Mandrake will present you with a graphical log-in screen, KDE is the default window manager. Once you type in your user name and password you can select a different manager(in this case IceWM), then you click 'go'.