[leglug-users] Running Linux on old PCs

[Abdallah Deeb]

Guys,

Thank you for your comments so far :)

I would like to stir this conversation in another direction if I may.
would any of you be willing to help these guys out on their quest by
doing one or more of the following:
1- Test the software (on specified hardware)?
2- Work with them on creating a list of software that's useful/working
for the target system/audience?
3- Make an installation CD (based on recommended distro [ubuntu?] that
they can use on that hardware (unassisted) ?
4- Help customize/optimize the system for: Arabic, Office Software,
Educational Software, etc...

If you have the time, it's a good project, and it's worth the elbow
grease + I'm sure Mr. Sleiman would be happy to organize the effort



On 8/3/07, Alaa Salman <alaasalman at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I can confirm that Ubuntu(at the very least) does run on such a system. I
> run it on an old PIII of 500Mhz and 128MB of ram. The version that runs
> there is edgy which one release before the current one so i haven't tested
> the latest release, but i assume that it will run ok. There are two issues
> to look at here, the actual installer and/or the live bootup environment and
> the actual running environment which you would get after installation.
>
> For the bootup environment, the live cd option might work, but for such
> systems, it is better to use the alternative CD(also from ubuntu) which is
> designed for installation on such systems.
>
> Regarding the other problem of the running environment, then i can also
> confirm that Gnome does run on such an environment, but you might find it
> slow for everyday use. As such, it is better to switch to a lighter desktop
> environment.(I can suggest xfce which i find lightweight, fast and friendly)
>
> Regarding the Arabic problem, it is really a matter of the desktop
> environment support for the translation and the corresponding applications.
> I know that Gnome does an excellent job at that, but i am not sure about the
> rest.
>
> Furthermore, if you have any specific problems, then feel free to post to
> this list so that we can help you in solving it if we can.
>
> Regards,
> Alaa Salman
>
>
> On 8/3/07, Abdallah Deeb <abdallah.deeb at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Hello Imad,
> >
> > Glad you found my email :)
> > I'm forwarding your email to the Lebanese Linux Users Group to get
> > their opinion on the matter. This way you'll have more hands working
> > on your solution.
> >
> > Best Regards,
> >
> > On 8/3/07, Imad Sleiman <sleimani at un.org> wrote:
> > >
> > > Dear Mr. Deeb,
> > >
> > > It was nice meeting you, and I hope I will have the chance to meet  with
> you
> > > soon. As I explained to you on the phone, ESCWA has some old PCs
> (PT-III,
> > > 128 MB RAM, 6GB to 20 GB HDD) it wants to distribute for the purpose of
> > > community development in rural areas of Lebanon. The PCs will have
> > > open-source software installed. However, most of the popular Linux OS
> > > require a minimum of 256 MB RAM such as UBUNTU and SUSE. I have found
> one OS
> > > that runs confortably on ESCWA's old systems and is called Puppy Linux.
> I
> > > have made some preliminary tests and appeared suitable for most general
> > > purpose applications. However, I was not able to run Arabic.
> > >
> > > Could you direct me to Linux versions that run on older systems and have
> > > Arabic interfaces or are Arabic enabled?
> > >
> > > I would appreciate hearing from you soon.
> > >
> > > Best regards
> > > Imad Sleiman
> >
> >
> > --
> > Abdallah Deeb
> > _______________________________________________
> > leglug-users mailing list
> > leglug-users at lists.leglug.org
> > http://lists.leglug.org/mailman/listinfo/leglug-users
> >
>
>
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>


-- 
Abdallah Deeb