The memory and hard disk space on your 486 are both a bit skimpy for Linux.
You'll be able to install the basics, but you don't have the capacity fo the
GUI (x Window) or for an extremely application-rich installation generally.
Consider upgrading both memoty (at least 16 megs, preferably 32) and hard
disk (add a half-gig at least to what you have, more if practical).
As to where to get Linux, here is a boilerplate answer to that question that
I wrote a couple of months ago (it's also in the Linux Newbie FAQ). A couple
of Web-based distributors are listed toward the end of it.
Where to get Linux (for Intel and Intel-compatible hosts only)
--------------------------------------------------------------
All the major Linux distributions have "free" versions that can be
downloaded via the Internet. When I refer to a "distribution" below, I am
referring to this portion only, not to the complete, commercial version of
the distribution (except for Debian, which has no commercial component). The
commercial versions are available only on CD-ROM, to the best of my knowledge.
The Slackware, Debian, and Red Hat distributions can all be found for
downloading at MetaLab (formerly sunsite), URL
ftp://metalab.unc.edu/pub/Linux/distributions/ . This directory also
contains some of the lesser-known &/or more specialized distributions,
including such things as:
-- "Small Linux", which fits on 2 floppies and is said to run on old
machines with under 4 megs of RAM.
-- "linux-router", another small distribution, this one optimized for
router functions.
-- "cLIeNUX", a small distribution that unpacks to a DOS dirdctory and
loads from DOS via umsdos.
-- "NFSroot", a small package designed to put a Linux console on a diskless
host.
-- "Monkey Linux", an older, 5-disk set that claims to run well on older
machines with limited RAM and disk space.
-- "Trinux", a 2- or 3-disk system that focuses on network troubleshooting
and monitoring capabilities.
-- "tomsrtbt" isn't actually a distribution. It's a recovery disk, but one
that includes so much that it can be used as a way to get a quick look at
Linux without doing a lot of downloading. This one is located in
ftp://metalab.unc.edu/pub/Linux/system/recovery/ and comes in both Linux and
DOS versions.
Download Slackware (Walnut Creek CD-ROM) from www. slackware.com or
www.cdrom.com .
Download Debian from www.debian.org .
Download S.u.S.E. 5.3 from ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/SuSE-Linux/5.3/
Download Red Hat from someplace on their site that is not readily findable
from their Web site (http://:www.redhat.com).
Download Caldera OpenLinux from
http://www.calderasystems.com/products/openlinux/tryout.html .
Download TurboLinux (Pacific Hi-Tech) from ftp://ftp.pht.com:/pub/turbolinux/ .
Download Mandrake from http://www.linux-mandrake.com/ (follow the "download"
links).
Download Stampede from ftp://ftp.stampede.org/ .
While they aren't free, several on-line stores, such as Linux Mall
(http://www.linuxmall.com/), CheapBytes (http://www.cheapbytes.com) and
Linux Central (http://linuxcentral.com/) sell inexpensive CD-ROMs with the
free portions of Slackware, Debian, Red Hat, Caldera OpenLinux, and S.u.S.E.
They also sell the more expensive commercial versions of the 4 that have
commercial versions.
Linux Journal (www.linuxjournal.com) is offering a free Linux CD with new
subscriptions.
Want to know more? Read the Distribution HowTo at
http://metalab.unc.edu/LDP/HOWTO/Distribution-HOWTO.html .
Hope this helps. Happy hunting.
At 10:22 AM 5/7/99 -0700, John Trivedi wrote:
>I don't know what this mailing list stuff is. If someone can read this
>message please answer my question. I have an old computer--but it gets
>my job done. I am planning on buying a new DELL in the fall and want
>to run Linux on the old one. Can anybody please tell me where I can
>find a basic version of Linux. I have read so many books on Linux,
>Linux installation, Linux networkin etc. Now I want to use the OS.
>The computer I want to run linux on is a 486MHz, with 4Mb
>RAM(not-upgraded. I can add more memory), 170 MegaByte Hard Disk,
>CD-ROM included so I can install from that drive. If anyone can give
>me the web-address or a distributor it would be of great help. I hate
>networking with windows 3.11 and want to use linux instead. Help!!
------------------------------------"Never tell me the odds!"---
Ray Olszewski -- Han Solo
762 Garland Drive
Palo Alto, CA 94303-3603
650.328.4219 voice [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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