> Just to refresh my memory on Linux since I'm just now getting into
> looking at it, just exactly what machines work well with it, and with
> what versions/vareities for each? I have tons of machines from IBM 5170
> AT's, PS/2's of all sorts, other 286 and 386 machines, etc and I'm
> looking at possibly selling off the useful ones that will use Linux as
> cheap as I can to get some room to walk around here.
> Any suggestions greatly appreciated.
AT386es will run Linux, also most PS/2 with 386sx and above.
MCA has to be taken carefuly, since the support is somewhat
low. Try it - or read the MCA HOWTO (cheating). If you take
an actual distribution (I recomend SuSE) a 486 with 8 MB and
100 MB HD the minimum - But its still possible to strip it
down to run on a 16 MHz 386DX with 4 MB RAM and 40 MB
of hard disk space and still have some room for an application.
12 MHz 386SX is posible to use for a dedicated service (I still
have a 16 MHz 386sx with 8 MB running as print server). But
as workstation its rather painfuly slow. Here you might be better
off if you try to get an older distribution (Linux also starts to add
some fat around the bones).
Also with an 386 I recomend only command line (A/N terminal)
operation - using X gives you the same feeling than using MS-Office
on a 486 - Point, click and go for a cup of coffee until the button
reacts.
You should select the distribution carefuly, since some are
only running on 486 or pentium by default or, even if the kernal
will boot, a lot of the binaries are compieled for 486 or above
CPUs - so you have to recompile some apps.
On the 286es you need a different OS - Linux is a 386+ OS.
Maybe look for old copies of SCO at swap meets. I don't
know any free 286 *nix. Even Minix is still copyrighted - you
may have to buy at leas one copy of Tannenbaums book on
Minix.
Gruss
Hans
--
Der Kopf ist auch nur ein Auswuchs wie der kleine Zeh.
H.Achternbusch
Received on Tue Dec 08 1998 - 07:00:49 GMT