Ubuntu on an older PC

[Mike Drabik]

> The upcoming xubuntu project (Ubuntu with xfce - a
lighter desktop)
> would fit perfectly on that machine.

>>That sounds great. Is there an estimated release
date?

Yes that does sound great!

I have two latptops: 

No 1. Is generic and has a 350 MHZ CPU and 255 MHZ RAM


No 2. Is a Compaq Presio 1200 which I restored (had a
busted harddrive). Specs: 500 MHZ CPU and 192 MHZ RAM

On No. 1 I HAD Ubuntu Warty; Xandros, RedHat and
finally Puppy Linux installed directly to harddrive.

The latter flavor Linux ran the best as Puppy used the
least amount of resources. 

A Hardwired broadband internet connection worked
immediately with all 3 flavors.

And now, at the risk of stirring up a hornet's nest,
let me explain the "HAD" emphasis above.

You see it is important to me to have the old'uns
connected wirelessly. Here I found something that no
flavor of Linux has been able to beat Windows with
yet.

Puppy was my last use of Linux on the old laptops. In
April of 2005- I struggled and worked very, very hard
to get the wireless aspect to work on Linux. Finally
after a 14 day herculean effort I got the laptop to
connect - for 5 minutes. Then I accidentally shut the
laptop off and when I got it back up I tried to get
the wireless connection back - it was nada - I gave'er
more try for about 5 days and then gave up and
installed Winodws Mistake Edition (ME) and connected
wirelessly within minutes.

Now believe me I've used the standard Linux program
(you all who are very deep Linux know the name of it -
but I've forgotten the name and am not going to bother
trying to 'google' up the name) to get wireless to
work - and it's just not up to snuff yet.  I get many
newsletters on Linux and the terms I see used in
connection with Linux wireless are 'still needs much
development' or 'a long way off' or 'too hard for your
ordinary desktop user'.

Now I'm no Linux basher - in fact I have had Warty
installed on my state-of-the-art desktop PC since
January of this year - and it has just been excellent
- never a crash (until something like a power loss
happens) and the hardwired broadband internet
connection is fast and easy to use.  I love using an
O/S that is still low on the radar for the virus
creators and one in which I have control and not some
big corporate bully. And I can't speak enough praises
about the quality of the Gnome desktop manager - far
superior to Windows in my opinion.

But wireless - well - gee - I need something that's
freely available (like Ubuntu is) and easy to set up
and use. I just cannot recommend it - especially to a
novice Linux user.

So, for my part - I'll just clunk and crash along with
Windows ME on my old clunker laptop until I see some
real evidence that wireless has gotten as easy to set
up and use - in ANY flavor of Linux - as it is to  set
up and use as the hardwired Linux internet connection.
I am absolutely certain it will happen one day.

But if wireless isn't important to you - then most
certainly Xubuntu will be a most important addition to
the whole Ubuntu family - especially for those who
have these legacy laptops. I certainly would recommend
it be downloaded and installed and used as soon as it
becomes available.

Cheers,
Mike in Toledo, Ohio, USA


		
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