Old Computer

[rasmus91]

(sorry if i posted this the wrong place)
Hi

My Mom and Dads firewall license will soon run out, and as they are tired of the performance of windows, and they do not want to use their money on a new firewall, they've agreed to let me install Linux on the computer.

Now, I know that I'll get them some sort of buntu, its just, should it be Ubuntu or Xubuntu. Here is the specs on the Desktop as i know them:

Processor: AMD Athlon (xp) 1800+ (1.5 Ghz)
Ram: 512 Mb (like 233Mhz or something)
Graphics: Nvidia geforce FX 5200 (128 Mb)
Harddrive: (something) ATA

as it is now, it runs XP, and its soooooo slow. They would like it faster, but security can't be comprimised.

[ibutho]

I have a machine with similar specs and the latest Ubuntu and Fedora work fine for me (although sluggish if using the live cd environment. If its an option, you could install an extra 512MB of ram and the performance will be even better.

[gn2]

More RAM = less swap activity = faster, as already suggested an extra 512 won't hurt, but may well be unnecessary depending on how the PC is used.

[rasmus91]

No, In not a very long time im getting the computer for experimenting use... Its just until my little brother get a computer, then my parents will get his old computer.

[mips]

That pc should be fine although more ram always helps and it is cheap.

What Linux you putting on there? I would use Mint.

[x33a]

if you want to extract best performance, then xubuntu will be the choice.

even though your pc can handle ubuntu easily, but still xubuntu is much better for older machines.

[rasmus91]

Yeah, but is Xubuntu as easy using as Ubuntu is?

[Eisenwinter]

Put Arch on it.

[jacobw.uk]

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/SystemRequirements#Desktop%20installation

That computer is certainly capable of running the latest Ubuntu. Thats not an old computer at all!

[MadsRH]

If you want Ubuntu and speed, there's an unofficial version called Ubuntu Lite you could check out: http://u-lite.org/

[jacobw.uk]

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/SystemRequirements#Desktop%20installation

That computer is certainly capable of running the latest Ubuntu. Thats not an old computer at all!

To the person who suggested Arch, thats not a great idea. If he isn't totally confident with finding out the hardware specifics, I certainly don't think that he would be confident with installing a GUI on top of Arch Linux after it drops him into a shell. Then configuring all the options by the command line. Then doing all the configuration you would do on a fresh Ubuntu install anyway. IMO, trying distributions that far outweigh ones technical skills is a major factor in what puts a lot a people off Linux.

[x33a]

Yeah, but is Xubuntu as easy using as Ubuntu is?

of course, the only difference is the desktop environment and everything else works the same.

[gn2]

No native network file browsing in Thunar, but that's not a problem for most people and can be configured easily enough if required.

[rasmus91]

Announcement!

I'm not installing anything but Ubuntu or Xubuntu.

I wont install something i don't know good enough my self to be able to help them as much as possible. i know Ubuntu and thats what im using. Can be that arch is good, can be that mint is good. how ever I haven't used any of them, im gonna use ubuntu or Xubuntu.

[OrangeCrate]

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/SystemRequirements#Desktop%20installation

That computer is certainly capable of running the latest Ubuntu. Thats not an old computer at all!

+1

There's an eight year old HP 512n, 1.4 GHZ Celeron (PIII family), with 512 meg of RAM, and Hardy loaded, sitting in our family room for normal everyday surfing, email, bill paying, and correspondence. (It gets used a lot.)

I clean the dust out of it every six months or so, and we fully expect it'll be with us for many years to come...

[rasmus91]

+1

There's an eight year old HP 512n, 1.4 GHZ Celeron (PIII family), with 512 meg of RAM, and Hardy loaded, sitting in our family room for normal everyday surfing, email, bill paying, and correspondence. (It gets used a lot.)

I clean the dust out of it every six months or so, and we fully expect it'll be with us for many years to come...

sweet... thanks

[kelean]

I have a similar machine with ubuntu installed and it runs great. More ram is always a plus.

[mips]

Announcement!

I'm not installing anything but Ubuntu or Xubuntu.

I wont install something i don't know good enough my self to be able to help them as much as possible. i know Ubuntu and thats what im using. Can be that arch is good, can be that mint is good. how ever I haven't used any of them, im gonna use ubuntu or Xubuntu.

Mint is essentially Ubuntu with small changes.

[tad1073]

My old comouter ran Ubuntu like a charm. See sig.

[abn91c]

i Also have a similar specs system a DellGX240, Kubuntu runs very well. To find RAM for older systems go here http://www.geeks.com/products_sc.asp?cat=719
To get the full specs of their windows Xp go here and run the free full tests scan http://www.pcpitstop.com

[tad1073]

i Also have a similar specs system a DellGX240, Kubuntu runs very well. To find RAM for older systems go here http://www.geeks.com/products_sc.asp?cat=719
To get the full specs of their windows Xp go here and run the free full tests scan http://www.pcpitstop.com

I got my ram off of ebay. From HP the ram was about $300 each, from ebay I paid $64 for 4 512mb stick and that included s&h

[abn91c]

I got my ram off of ebay. From HP the ram was about $300 each, from ebay I paid $64 for 4 512mb stick and that included s&h

3 weeks ago I paid $22 for 512MB PC133 RAM and $8 shipping at Geeks. Here's the direct link, its $2 cheaper now http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=64X64PC100-HYN-N&cat=RAM

[tjwoosta]

512mb ram is more then enough if you stick to a lightweight environment with lightweight apps

for a while i ran ubuntu 8.04 with fluxbox and xcompmgr, and use moderatly lightweight apps (thunar, epiphany, etc..)

i rarely used more then 256mb ram


i now use archlinux with an identical setup and use even less ram (usually around 150mb ram)

[init1]

(sorry if i posted this the wrong place)
Hi

My Mom and Dads firewall license will soon run out, and as they are tired of the performance of windows, and they do not want to use their money on a new firewall, they've agreed to let me install Linux on the computer.

Now, I know that I'll get them some sort of buntu, its just, should it be Ubuntu or Xubuntu. Here is the specs on the Desktop as i know them:

Processor: AMD Athlon (xp) 1800+ (1.5 Ghz)
Ram: 512 Mb (like 233Mhz or something)
Graphics: Nvidia geforce FX 5200 (128 Mb)
Harddrive: (something) ATA

as it is now, it runs XP, and its soooooo slow. They would like it faster, but security can't be comprimised.
I've got similar specs, and I'd recommend either upgrading the RAM and using Ubuntu, or using a lighter distro. Running Ubuntu on my laptop with 512MB was painfully slow.

[Twitch6000]

I would suggest either xubuntu or Linux Mint 6 XFCE community edition.

[rasmus91]

Hey, about Xubuntu is Firefox standard webbrowser?

[wmcbrine]

There's an eight year old HP 512n, 1.4 GHZ Celeron (PIII family), with 512 meg of RAM, and Hardy loaded, sitting in our family room for normal everyday surfing, email, bill paying, and correspondence. (It gets used a lot.)

I clean the dust out of it every six months or so, and we fully expect it'll be with us for many years to come...Eh, I'd be surprised if that machine wasn't on its last legs. I'd actually hold out more hope for something older... I have machines from the 80's (even one from the 70's) that still work, but the newer machines are more fragile. The chips run too hot without cooling, and the cooling tends to break down, among other issues.

[Faolan84]

I agree with wmcbrine: after about 10 years most modern computers are trash. The parts are worn out due to heat and dust accumulation. Epecially if you've never vaccumed out your computer with is a good idea to do at least once a year -- just be careful when you do it though. Also you should blow the dust out of the heat sinks (remove them first!) otherwise they are useless.

As far as Linux distros, I'd put Arch on it. just make sure you print out their installation and beginner's guide off their wiki otherwise you'll be lost. But once you get things up and running it's quite fast on even older computers if the settings are right and you don't install everything under the sun. Plus the system design is a different in Arch and it's much more easier to manually configure things -- since it's pretty much a requirement.

[doorknob60]

Either. With 512 MB of RAM they would both go about the same speed. I'd give Xubuntu a shot though, IMHO Xfce is better than Gnome even on modern systems. I have Xubuntu 8.04 loaded on my paren'ts ~1 year old laptop with 1.6 Ghz Turion 64 X2 and 1 GB of RAM. Runs beautifully.

[lisati]

Yeah, but is Xubuntu as easy using as Ubuntu is?

I had Xubuntu 8.10 on the machine I'm using at the moment for a short while, kinda worked OK but I missed the Ubuntu desktop. I've currently got Ubuntu 8.10 on it. It's a bit sluggish at times (mainly due to 222Mb available RAM) but it works well enough for casual use.

(Output from DMIDECODE attached for those who might be interested)

[HotCupOfJava]

I'd go with Xubuntu. From a strictly user-interface standpoint, it isn't that different from Ubuntu. There is a little less eye-candy, but that shouldn't bother you. Firefox is still the native browser. You'll find abiword and gnumetric instead of OpenOffice. GIMP is still there. Some of the Ubuntu apps and features are missing, but you can still find and install most of the ones you'd want from the repos. I'm running Xubuntu on an ancient 500Mhz Celeron with 256M RAM and it works well. I imagine it would be pretty nimble on the machine you're talking about.

[rasmus91]

I'd go with Xubuntu. From a strictly user-interface standpoint, it isn't that different from Ubuntu. There is a little less eye-candy, but that shouldn't bother you. Firefox is still the native browser. You'll find abiword and gnumetric instead of OpenOffice. GIMP is still there. Some of the Ubuntu apps and features are missing, but you can still find and install most of the ones you'd want from the repos. I'm running Xubuntu on an ancient 500Mhz Celeron with 256M RAM and it works well. I imagine it would be pretty nimble on the machine you're talking about.

This sounds good... How ever i know my mom hates getting used to new programs, So i'd like to know if i can install openoffice on it easily?

Also, is the folders and the locations the same as in Ubuntu?
or is it a different work around?

[adamlau]

Xubuntu is noticeably slower and less responsive than Ubuntu Minimal + Xfce. Go for it.

[rasmus91]

Xubuntu is noticeably slower and less responsive than Ubuntu Minimal + Xfce. Go for it.

Is Xubuntu Slower than ubuntu? :S

i don't think i get this, shouldn't it be faster

[snowpine]

Is Xubuntu Slower than ubuntu? :S

i don't think i get this, shouldn't it be faster

Xubuntu is a little bit faster than Ubuntu.

If you "roll your own" system starting with a minimal (command line only) install of Ubuntu, then add Xfce, you'll end up with a system that is even faster than Xubuntu. However, it would definitely not be a beginner project for your parents' computer!

Xubuntu will be fine, give it a test drive. :)

ps Yes, you can install Openoffice in Xubuntu too... Open a terminal (Accessories->Terminal) and type:


sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install openoffice.org

[lukjad]

Ubuntu works fine for me one a computer with similar specs. That being said, I suggest Xubuntu, just because it uses less resources.

[rasmus91]

Just tried the (Xubuntu) Live CD on their computer. this is hilarious, but its even faster than windows xp.

I think I'm gonna go with Xubuntu. It seems fast. I would like to know though, will it be possible to change the theme in it?

Thanks for all the tips guys. I think my parents are gonna like this :D

[snowpine]

Just tried the (Xubuntu) Live CD on their computer. this is hilarious, but its even faster than windows xp.

I think I'm gonna go with Xubuntu. It seems fast. I would like to know though, will it be possible to change the theme in it?

Thanks for all the tips guys. I think my parents are gonna like this :D

Lots of "eye candy" available for Xubuntu: http://xfce-look.org/

[Stan_1936]

...with Xubuntu...will it be possible to change the theme in it?..

It's not as easy as drag and dropping things in Gnome. If you do figure it out, please post your solution here as it would help those of us who are having trouble doing it.

[mrreality13]

That pc should be fine although more ram always helps and it is cheap.

What Linux you putting on there? I would use Mint.
ditto;)

[rasmus91]

Hey guys.

As i said yester day, booting from the was faster than XP is on the computer. i can only imagine how fast Xubuntu will be when its installed.

Im properly gonna install Xubuntu on the computer today, I just have one last question. But here in Denmark, a lot of people use internet banking, including my parents. It says it'll need some Java virtualbox. does that exist for Ubuntu?

[rasmus91]

Does anyone think the computer will be capable of Kubuntu?

[rasmus91]

Thanks for all the Nice responses.

The system which got to replace xp is Xubuntu.

I set it all up yester day. (After installing i put flash player, and Java on it.)

I think my parents are kinda exited about it. So am i, I'm looking forward to see their reaktions

[mikjp]

Any distro will run fine at least if you turn compiz etc off.

[abn91c]

Does anyone think the computer will be capable of Kubuntu?
I have kubuntu 8.10 installed in a Dell gx240, 1.6ghz, 728mb ram, 20 gig HDD, factory installed ati rage 128 video and Belkin 54g USB wireless adapter, no compiz but its fast, Updated to KDE 4.2 and OOo 3.0 :P

[rasmus91]

Xubuntu installed and running well

[lukjad]

Nice to hear!