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New Linux distro recommendation
I just got my new machine (currently Windows XP preloaded). I want to install Linux on my old PII 233 to play with and use as a firewall. At some point I would like to dual boot my new machine with Linux as well and only boot up Windows when I really need to (games, IE, etc.).

Given the above what is a good Linux distro for these purposes.

One caveat, my old machine has no floppy drive (it broke) and only a USB external CD drive (the IDE CD drive broke as well).
New Ubuntu or other Debian-based.


Peter
[link|http://www.debian.org|Shill For Hire]
[link|http://www.kuro5hin.org|There is no K5 Cabal]
[link|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org|Home]
New Why?
New Easy install, plus it's Debian.


Peter
[link|http://www.debian.org|Shill For Hire]
[link|http://www.kuro5hin.org|There is no K5 Cabal]
[link|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org|Home]
New Mepis (debian based)
I'm a recent convert.

I have expererience with multiple RH/Redora and Suse.

In each case they would install easily but be painful
to maintain and install new stuff. I got to the point of
conflicting libraries when I wanted to install something
new that I'd rather install a new box from scratch once
a year and migrate all my stuff to it, than upgrade.

I tried raw Debian in the past and the install and setup
was too painful. And the various "stable" apps were too
old.

Now it seems to have all come together. Mepis has a great
installer and apt-get will pull in anything I need. Synaptic
allows me to visually figure out what is there, what I don't
need, and apply the changes. The baseline environment (KDE,
Open Office, various media players) is recent enough that
I don't feel the need to go bleeding edge.

It's a keeper.
New Did you change your mind on Ubuntu?
I seem to remember a kind of non-plussed attitude towards it earlier here.
"Here at Ortillery Command we have at our disposal hundred megawatt laser beams, mach 20 titanium rods and guided thermonuclear bombs. Some people say we think that we're God. We're not God. We just borrowed his 'SMITE' button for our fire control system."
New I haven't revisited it.
The liveCD looked very nice but didn't come equipped to drive my 802.11g card.

I keep meaning to have a prod at it, but haven't yet.


Peter
[link|http://www.debian.org|Shill For Hire]
[link|http://www.kuro5hin.org|There is no K5 Cabal]
[link|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org|Home]
New I am truly impressed.
Peter can tell you about some recent things I've done with Ubuntu's Warty.
--
[link|mailto:greg@gregfolkert.net|greg],
[link|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry|REMEMBER ED CURRY!] @ iwethey
No matter how much Microsoft supporters whine about how Linux and other operating systems have just as many bugs as their operating systems do, the bottom line is that the serious, gut-wrenching problems happen on Windows, not on Linux, not on Mac OS. -- [link|http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1622086,00.asp|source]
Here is an example: [link|http://www.greymagic.com/security/advisories/gm001-ie/|Executing arbitrary commands without Active Scripting or ActiveX when using Windows]
New I shall post it thusly.
\r\nFrom: Greg Folkert <greg@gregfolkert.net>\r\nTo: Elitists List <linux-elitists@zgp.org>\r\nDate: Wed, 08 Dec 2004 09:31:34 -0500\r\n\r\nWell, I got some more CDs in the mail, unexpectedly... Only x86 and PPC\r\nthough.\r\n\r\nI gave one of the x86 CDs to a person the has a moderate, livable and\r\nquite able to take care of himself, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Lets\r\ncall him Phil.\r\n\r\nPhil was whining about that even FireFox v1 and other nice tools I gave\r\nhim... Windows is still, STILL making his Browse only 3.2GHz machine a\r\nPITA. 7 minutes to boot into the desktop, 300+ pop-ups without even\r\nstarting the browser (errmmm I tried to explain that the browser is\r\nalways on... but comprehension, ehhh.). And that for him to complete his\r\ntask list of browsing X number of sites and reading the news and his\r\npoints of interest on schedule was just not happening.\r\n\r\nThis is terribly distressing to him.\r\n\r\nI was so confident about the Install-ability of Ubuntu, that I gave him\r\na jacket with the Live-CD and Install-CD. Oh boy. He was under serious\r\nstress level that I told him to install it. I gave Phil explicit\r\ninstruction on howto boot from the Install-CD. He felt better. But then\r\nhe asked me are there any questions? I replied that they are very easy\r\nquick and simple questions. I even gave him my home phone number (I\r\nnever should have done that...).\r\n\r\nThis was last Tuesday, November 30th, 2004. Phil said he would install\r\nafter work Saturday. On Saturday December 4th, 2004, I happen to be\r\nunexpectedly making a trip to the Parents house to fix a few things up,\r\ndue to a water pipe bursting (old and rusted through). I had my cell,\r\nbut left in my car.\r\n\r\nHe called me at home, my wife gave him my CELL!!! AHHHH! But luckily I\r\nnever answered as I was ankle deep in water most of the day.\r\n\r\nBut, when I actually called home to find out what was going on for the\r\nday... the wife said that Phil had called my home twice. (He called my\r\ncell 5 times) First question was a question on what to do with the CD\r\nafter the machine rebooted, as it would not eject. The second question\r\nwasn't a question, but a thanks for giving this to him.\r\n\r\nI found out these questions/comments, during his recount of the whole\r\nexperience, which he had to tell me, on Monday December 6th, 2004. He\r\nalso asked if he needed to install Norton Anti-Virus, I explained that\r\nyes but ONLY if you re-install Windows.\r\n\r\nI'll tell you he is absolutely blissful. He is so taken back as to how\r\nintuitive, easy, simple to use and beautiful the default setup is. Phil\r\ncommented to me, that he should have listened to me when he bought his\r\nmachine. I of course agreed with him, but silently noted: that if he\r\nhad, he would have not had an easy time doing the install with my\r\nfavorite Debian and would not have been so happy, probably reverting to\r\nWindows forever.\r\n\r\nI believe The Ubuntu Dev Team (and contributors and supporters and Linus\r\nand Alan and ...ad-infinitum) deserve many kudos for a well done,\r\nwinning setup with the Ubuntu's Warty.\r\n\r\nJeff Waugh, I'd be happy to send this to whom ever you want. Or just\r\nforward it yourself.\r\n-- \r\ngreg, greg@gregfolkert.net\r\nREMEMBER ED CURRY! [link|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry]\r\n\r\nYour cleverness ferments meat without the need of oxygen.\r\n


Peter
[link|http://www.debian.org|Shill For Hire]
[link|http://www.kuro5hin.org|There is no K5 Cabal]
[link|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org|Home]
New Mepis is good, as broom says.
But I don't know if you'll be able to install it from a a USB CD-ROM. The first thing I'd do is get a working IDE CD-ROM. Even over yonder they shouldn't be too expensive. ;-)

Maybe it won't be an issue. You could [link|http://www.mepis.org/book/view/1462|download] the SimplyMEPIS CD and see if it'll boot. Like Knoppix, it'll run from the CD. The latest public version is [link|http://www.mepis.org/node/view/3927|2004.4].

HTH.

Cheers,
Scott.
     Linux distro recommendation - (bluke) - (9)
         Ubuntu or other Debian-based. -NT - (pwhysall) - (7)
             Why? -NT - (bluke) - (1)
                 Easy install, plus it's Debian. -NT - (pwhysall)
             Mepis (debian based) - (broomberg)
             Did you change your mind on Ubuntu? - (inthane-chan) - (3)
                 I haven't revisited it. - (pwhysall)
                 I am truly impressed. - (folkert) - (1)
                     I shall post it thusly. - (pwhysall)
         Mepis is good, as broom says. - (Another Scott)

This is a test of the Emergency LRPD System. This is only a test.
49 ms