[SLUG] Distro info

[DAVID KNIGHT]

Sorry, haven't been reading my E-mails all week so just catching up...

If it's not too late can I suggest you include a business-card sized distro as well. I am currently using DSL on my oldest computer (400MHz 128Mb I think.). It runs like a charm entirely in ram or from CD and is very easy to use. I also like puppylinux for this purpose. On a side note, I wanted a silent PC so I unplugged the fans and HD and it's now virtually silent and the CPU still runs cool with just the heatsink! 

just my tuppence


----- Original Message ----
From: bob <bgarrood at tiscali.co.uk>
To: scarborough at mailman.lug.org.uk
Sent: Thursday, 6 September, 2007 11:32:22 AM
Subject: [SLUG] Distro info


Hi
wiu
On Wednesday 05 September 2007 12:15, Ross wrote:
> I think sticking to the main free distros is a good idea:
>
>     * OpenSuse
>     * Ubuntu
>     * Fedora

At our meeting we discussed whether we should stick to one distribution, or 
offer information and advice on a small number.  To my mind, world domination 
by Ubuntu would be as bad as control by M********.  We fixed on the idea of 
3-4 distros .  As I have used Slackware for 2 years, and I think one older 
type distro should be included, and I can offer some advice, so I drafted the 
following.
"SLACKWARE

General Description.
This is the oldest and most idiosyncratic distribution.  Slackware don't like 
GNOME so they supply KDE plus about 6 other window managers.  They are 
conservative, (still using the old 2.4 version of the kernel), but highly 
stable.

Documentation.
This is one of the best for documentation.  You can download full installation 
instructions and a printable manual.  There are a large number of online 
sites from which you can get help.

Is it suitable for beginners?
This is disputable.  Many distributions, especially those given away free in 
magazines say, put the CD in the drive, answer some questions, and you have 
Linux.  This has not always been my experience.  Things can go wrong.  With 
slackware, you can often do something about it, other installations can send 
you bald.  I think it better to put up with a short learning curve.

Can you put it on a laptop.  
Yes

Other major advantages.
Slackware works well with older, less powerful equipment.  Practically you can 
manage with a system that has a Pentium II chip, 64 Megabytes of RAM, and 
about 4 Gigabytes of hard disc space.

Where to find out more.
www.slackware.com";

We need 2- 3 more pieces of this length, in agreed form, written by people 
with experience, who can supply answers.  This would need help from people 
who can't get to meetings.  We can add a link to John's database.

Comments, suggestions, and objections welcome.

Bob
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