Re: debian solution's for donated computer
On Thu, Aug 02, 2001 at 09:30:29AM -0500, destruss@iowatelecom.net wrote:
> My question is what should be included on a computer that is
> being donated to give a new user experience and use of an old 386
> or more? Dean
>
Short answer: Debian GNU/Linux.
I'm involved in a similar project (http://www.cat.org.au/pcan), in the
same country, so this story has been of great interest to me. More
coverage here:
http://it.mycareer.com.au/news/2001/07/24/FFXJF9FPFPC.html?NWeeklyH
The silver lining of course is that if we want to avoid prosecution
we're going to have to install something other than windows on the PCs
we re-use. My heart is broken about this, as you would expect.
There are a number of interesting possibilities:
- 386's would make good text-mode net-stations, using the
stunningly excellent links for web browsing. Email is a problem, since
mutt is not newbie-friendly, and pine is not free software.
- There has been a lot going on with re-using 486's as X Servers.
There's some instructions on how to do this at
http://www.linuxgazette.com/issue68/swieskowski.html, and there's the
GNU/Linux Terminal Server for Schools Project
(http://termserv.berlios.de/), which is still at an early stage, but
already has .debs available.
- Pentiums are fine desktop machines, I've got one at home that I try to
faze, and have no problem with it. You do need a lot of RAM; 32 meg at
minimum, 48 really makes a difference. Mine (actually a Cyrix
6x86) doesn't have a problem with Mozilla, GNOME, or anything else I've
thrown at it. You want a light window manager - Enlightentment with
all the bells and whistles is asking a bit much, Sawfish or WMaker are
fine.
Really what's needed is a stripped-down Debian-based distro for hardware
reuse projects, with virtual packages like 'task-textnet' or
'task-xterminalserver'. If anybody out there wants to co-operate on
assembling this, I'm in.
Matthew.
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