[Wolves] New to Linux advice appreciated

[Andy Jewell]

Hi Daryl,

Welcome to Wolves LUG!

That sounds great... just remember it's a journey, and that because of its very nature - there's always something new to learn, the Linux/FOSS journey never ends! 

Your ambitions are perfectly achievable - just don't expect to be able to do everything all at once! The best approach is to dive in and try - and if you get stuck, ask for help. That's what we're here for. :-)

How much memory have you got in your ubuntu box? I've found it doesn't perform well with less than 512MB with any version since about 2008. "Your mileage may vary" - but you might find Kubuntu works ok for you. If not, you could try Puppy Linux or Damn Small Linux, both of which run well on tha type of hardware.

BackTrack has some very powerful security software - just remember - with great power comes great responsibility. Use it ethically!

WRT your server plans - go for it! File + print and web servers will all run useably well on your 333MHz machine. You may find it easiest to start with the web-server, as it's probably easiest to set up - there are warts in the way Windows networking works that can make it frustrating to get Samba working, whereas web-clients speak essentially the same lingo, so there's less fiddling to do to get it working.

Hope to hear from you soon ... maybe you can make it to the fortnightly meet-up (which is this Wednesday, unless I am mistaken). Would be good to see you there!

Regards,
-Andy D'Arcy Jewell