On Fri, 14 Dec 2007, Roy Schestowitz wondrously revealed:
}____/ Handover Phist on Wednesday 12 December 2007 21:31 : \____
}
}> Dr H :
}>>
}>> Thanks to everyone who responded.
}>>
}>> Looks like a majority vote for Debian, with some strong plugs for
}>> XUbuntu and PClinuxos.
}>>
}>> I guess the question now is, how much of a pain is it to migrate
}>> from one flavor of linux to another?
}>
}> If you make a separate partition for your /home directory, migration can
}> be relatively painless. You can replace the system with another flavour
}> and all program settings and files created by you are safely stashed
}> away im /home/$USER.
}>
}> You might actually be a bit impressed at how well this works.
}
}I agree. You can move from one distribution to another without feeling as
}though you have. You just graft your home directory from one distro to another
}(or leave it as-is). The program 'know' where to file your data files,
}preferences, etc. If you use programs like Firefox and Thunderbird, then
}everything is transparent (distribution or O/S is irrelevant). If you move
}between Xfce, GNOME, KDE and other desktop environments (don't worry too much
}about it), there might be bits of work to do, but not much. Mozilla
}applications are a safe bet if you move from one O/S to another.
}
}>> Because a good course of action would seem to be for me to start out
}>> with one of the "easier" versions like XUbuntu, play around with that
}>> for a while to familiarize myself with the OS, and then eventually
}>> move on to Debian.
}>
}> Since the machine you want to run on is 1.3Mhz, you might want to bump
}> the ram up to 256 and just go for Debian.
}
}I'm not entirely sure about Debian for a Linux beginner, based on what I've
}read in quite a few places. To simplify things, Xubuntu is essentially Debian
}with some tweaks (Canonical's patches) and Xfce already installed at the top.
}It's like 'no assembly required'.
}
}> Is your vidoe proc onboard or on a card? If you have a card then life
}> should be really good. Onboard and it'll just be sorta good ;). Dont let
}> the command line scare you, especially if you opt for the Network
}> install.
}>
}> The way it works is you can download and burn the network install iso,
}> then hook the machine up tou your high speed
}> modem/router/switch/whatever, and follow the bouncing ball. Only the
}> needed packages will be downloaded and installed.
So... I've downloaded XUbuntu (why does that sound like the name of
an aboriginal sub-Saharan tribe to me?) in versions 6.06 and 7.10.
I've also obtained "Puppy Linux". Also downloaded some possibly
essential apps for Linux like Open Office, FireFox, Opera, and a
program for unzipping .gz and .tar files.
I went to get Debian, but it was not immediately clear how many of
the files I needed to download for a basic installation (are there
really something like 26 CDs required?? Even on a fast cable
connection that might could take a while to DL...).
I'll probably install XUbuntu when I get the target system cleaned up
of all Windows traces -- which may or may not happen before Chrsitmas,
at this point.
Meanwhile, Puppy Linux looks like a fairly painless way to play around
on an existing Windows box and get a bit of a feel for things.
Thanks again to everyone who contributed suggestions.
In the immortal works of one of our most populous state's governors,
"I'll be back".
Dr H
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