[plug] Free CD linux - any good ?

[Mike Holland]

On Fri, 30 Mar 2001, Peter Wright wrote:

> > The 486s have long ago gone to the dump, except some laptops such as the
> > one that started this thread.
> 
> Well... actually I suspect you'll find that quite a few people on the list
> will still be using 486's (and perhaps even 386's) in home server roles.

OK. In my case, the 486 server was long ago replaced when the P120 retired
from desktop use. 
  Another headless 486 was dedicated to Win95 & VNC, but has been replaced
by VMware & Win4lin software.

> Imagine the sort of case where a home computer enthusiast might well have
> an old machine sitting unused in a cupboard while he (or she - but most
> likely he) does all his stuff (games, office shit, devel work, whatever) on
> his latest high-end megabeasty machine.

An enthusiast would have been through two more generations between the 486
and "latest high-end". Why not pull the pentium/686/celeron300 out of the
cupboard?    I understand your argument. It just seems a few years out of
date.

> trying to say is that I believe there is still a significant minority of
> people using Linux on 486 or lower spec machines[1][2], and while I have no

No point arguing, but I'd be interested if anyone had any reliable 
numbers.

> [1] And probably a larger percentage than, for example, Linux users as a
> percentage of all computer users.

That aint saying much :)
 
> Andrew. He runs our entire house network (at least 12 active machines)
> through one 386 machine acting as nameserver and default internet gateway.

I can hear the Yorshire accents starting up, and a thread about tin cans,
string, and 1200 baud manual-dial modems.
  Let me start by saying the the Uni Computer Club (founded 1975) made
their first keyboards from alfoil and cardboard. (sadly no longer
supported by most Linux distros)

-- 
Mike Holland  <mike at golden.wattle.id.au>
                          --==--
    I had no shoes and I pitied myself.  Then I met a man who had no
    feet, so I took his shoes.            -- Dave Barry