[Anti-Bubba182]

DONATE TODAY!!!. SUPPORT FREE REPUBLIC

Donate Here By Secure Server

Or mail checks to
FreeRepublic , LLC
PO BOX 9771
FRESNO, CA 93794

or you can use

PayPal at Jimrob@psnw.com
STOP BY AND BUMP THE FUNDRAISER THREAD

[1stFreedom]

One mistake the various distributors are making is having a massive download. Some versions take up 3 cds. Not everybody has broadband (only about 25%).

I tried downloading one version and after four days of downloading I gave up. But I'm resisting paying $39.00 for something that is supposed to be free.

Granted I could download older versions, but like everybody else I want the latest version.

These distributors need to break apart the core OS and GUI from the other freebee programs. A two part installation would be nice. This way you could get the system (GUI included) up and running and then choose to download the rest of the package.

[martin_fierro]

I have just such an older computer from which I've completely removed Windows and would like to install Linux.

Can Linux reformat the hard drive from a floppy or CD?

[Fiddlstix]

Good Post

[Prodigal Son]

This is clearly impossible. As anybody knows, Microsoft is a monopoly. There is only one operating system that anybody can get. Microsoft eliminated 100% of all competition long ago and nobody else is allowed to create a new OS. Linux is a clever fiction perpetrated by pranksters.

[Joe Bonforte]

"It is early to call this a threat to Microsoft and Windows, as the percentages (of users) are still low. But the numbers are growing, and at some point users will be able to buy computers with preloaded Linux, printers and other devices that come with Linux drivers, and desktop applications that come in both Windows and Linux versions," said Red Hat's de Visser, "Once that happens, the threat to Microsoft Windows will become very real."

This is the meat of the article, and the only part that is not unabashed Linux cheerleading. The stuff about how expensive Windows and Office are ignore the fact that when they are pre-loaded they don't cost much, and when you have to get Linux from somebody charging $60-100, there is little or no difference in price.

Pre-loaded stuff is different. It could actually make a difference on the PC's price of around $100, and would bypass the installation problems non-techical folks can get into. For people who just want to browse the Internet and do documents, this might be attractive.

But I think Microsoft is always going to be ahead in some fashion. They can invest money trying new things. If speech recognition ever gets real, for example, you can bet it will do it on Windows. And .NET will cause more rich client apps to appear, and those will not run on Linux anytime soon. If a killer app comes along in .NET, Linux on the client will suffer a real setback.

[PatrioticAmerican]

Man, this is about the 100th time I have seen this headline in the past three years.

[Sally II]

What? No mention of Lindows?

[amigatec]

I have Linux running on 2 ½ boxes.

First is a P150 running IPCop Firewall (http://www.ipcop.org/cgi-bin/twiki/view/IPCop/WebHome) Uses very minimal hareware. This box is almost 100% maintenance free. It is almost hands off.


Second is a Pentium Pro 200 running as a mandrake server. I use it mostly as an Internet DNS server, my ISP’s DNS server is slow.

Third is a Dualboot W2k and Mandrake 9 box.

I use Openoffice on all my computers and have very good luck with it. In fact I downloaded some Powerpoint files last summer and viewed them with Openoffice on Linux.

I use a JetDirect 300 as a Print server and it is easier to set up with Linux then with Windows!!!

I would suggest anybody with an older Pentium box to give Mandrake a try. If you can install Windows you can install mandrake.