Posted: 8/26/2006 7:52:15 AM EDT
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I have a friend that is TOTALLY computer illiterate when it comes to PC’s. He just brought me an IBM ThinkPad that someone gave him. It’s a 366 Celeron and 256mb ram. All he needs it to do is run email and Excel. My problem is the HD is toast. Should I run WIN2K, Linux or Win98SE (original OS on this machine)? My thought is to run a Linux distro, but I fear the learning curve would be too great for him. Thoughts? |
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Hmmm... ...if ALL he needs to do is surf the web and needs a spreadsheet app, then install a Linux distro you're comfortable with - being sure to tell him that it will do what he asked for, and that installing something he bought at BestBuy isn't going to work without your help. He needs OpenOffice and Firefox. I don't care HOW computer illiterate he is, ANYBODY can figure out how to use those applications under any modern Linux distro. My father in law figured it out (knows nothing about computers AT ALL). For what he needs to do, he'll never even need to know that a command line exists. Fedora (as an example, because I'm familiar with it) will run just fine on his old Thinkpad. It runs great on my new one. 
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Right.... Just because it'll run slow as shit, doesn't matter. That machine will run FINE with 98SE. 2000 is debatable. It'll run, but it'll drag a little. I ran an OLD Dell GX Pro, 200MHz with 64 MB's of ram on 98 24/7 for years, without any problem and it surfed quite nicely on my cable connection. I'd say for what it IS, install 98SE. If you get a big enough hard drive, partition it and install 2000 also and see how it runs. Get both ! 
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