Linux Distro System Specs...

[DarkViper]

Ive been to mandrake and redhat, the only ones im interested in right now but i cannot find the system specifications needed. Sad to say but i found the system specs for win2k easyer on Microsoftfs $$$$ty website.

I have:
Pentium MMX 200MHz Clock Speed
32MB RAM
Fujitsu 3.1GB HDD (Master C:\) w/ Windows 98 (not SE)
Western Digital Caviar 3.1GB HDD (Slave D:\) (...mainly storage right now)

Would i be able to run Windows off of my Master and either Mandrake or RedHat on a partitioned WD HDD with these system specs?

I know ill need a booter at the beginning..

[golfinguy4]

It'd be tough. You have very little RAM.

[XSquared]

You wouldn't be able to run anything like KDE or Gnome, maybe something like BlackBox though.

[TravisS]

Even blackbox will strugle a little... well, not blackbox itself but the applications running under blackbox.

I use blackbox on my PC at work. It's a 566 MHz Celeron with 128 MB of RAM. I normally have Firefox, Thunderbird, gedit, GAIM, xmms, gnome-terminal, cpumon, memmon, maiload, and bbkeys all running at the same time. This puts me to within 5% full RAM usage, occasionally pushing me into swap.

To say the least the PC I'm working on right now (AMD 1700+ @ 2400+, 512 MB RAM, etc...) kicks the living snot out of that PC, even using Gnome.

[DarkViper]

kind of thought it wouldn't work out just needed to clarify.

Though windows is a major memory hog as well.

[bludstayne]

Have you ever tried FluxBox? I used to use OpenBox, but I just started using FluxBox last night and I love it to death. I used to use GNOME and KDE before that, and they were resource hungry monsters that ate up my processor time and RAM. I have 512 MB's of RAM, and I've actually had to hit swap a couple of times on GNOME. KDE is even worse.

From now on I'm just using Fluxbox.

[TravisS]

Originally posted by DarkViper
kind of thought it wouldn't work out just needed to clarify.

Though windows is a major memory hog as well.

That's not to say you can't still use Linux on it, just don't expect it to be fast.... at all. Actually, and I kinda hate to say it, Windows probably is the better OS for that system.

If you use a slim window manager such as blackbox or fluxbox (there isn't a huge amount of difference between the two) then most of the RAM and CPU usage will go to your applications. You could probably browse the web, or chat online with it, but not much else. Even listening to music with XMMS would be pushing it (anybody know why XMMS is such a memory hog?).

Another kinda downside is your hard drive space. 3.1 GB won't get you very far these days . A minimal bare-bones command line only install of RedHat 9 is around 300-400 MB. Expect more like 600-800 MB for functional X support. A FULL install is something like 4 GB.

[bludstayne]

nother kinda downside is your hard drive space. 3.1 GB won't get you very far these days . A minimal bare-bones command line only install of RedHat 9 is around 300-400 MB. Expect more like 600-800 MB for functional X support. A FULL install is something like 4 GB.

RH is extremely space hungry to start with. That's what you get when you use a distro like RH or Mandrake.

If I were you I would use a minimalist distro like Arch Linux. http://www.archlinux.org

Be warned, Arch Linux will require some Linux knowledge; it doesn't hold your hand like RH and Mandrake. If you read some online docs you should be able to figure it out.

[DarkViper]

actually to tell the truth...Linux doesn't want to interest me in what i want to do :'( Why must DirectX be so much better than OpenGL

I feel if i install a distro of Linux, i would use it twice and stop using it, and it would just take up space...

The only real OS upgrade i need to make is a trip back to Win98SE...i had it before, but obtained a friends Win98, and it wasn't SE...now i cant use MediaPlayer9 or use DirectX9 properly..or even use my WebCam -_-'

Thank for all your help though guys, but i need a better system...