Re: [seul-edu] linux needs

[Michael Viron <mviron@wsdo.sao.uwf.edu>]

We've currently got 2 486/66's that we are using XWindows on with no
problems (32 MB Ram, 1 + GB drive space) and before that we ran a
relatively nice install off of a 486/66 with 16 MB ram and a 400M hard
drive (including X).

The lowest configuration I've ever personally installed X to was a 486/33
with 8M Ram and a 300M hard drive.  (X was slow, but it did work).

I'm pretty sure it would also be possible to run them as X-Terminals if you
can't get the performance you want from installing X directly to the
machine--anyone have an idea where documentation on that might be (been a
while since I fiddled around with x-terms much)?

Let me know if I can help either on or off the list!

Michael Viron <mviron@wsdo.sao.uwf.edu>
Chief System Administrator
Web Spinners

At 06:31 PM 05/20/2000 EDT, you wrote:
>
>On Sat, 20 May 2000, Dave Prentice wrote:
>
>>     I teach math in an inner-city high school in New Orleans which
>> received 17 old computers in January. I have been trying to learn and
>> install Linux ever since. Six of the computers are Pentiums, which
>> run Linux just fine. However, eleven are 486s. So far, I haven't been
>> able to get them to run Xwindows because of hardware problems. 
>>     After hours of searching, I still can't figure out who to ask
>> several questions to. If you could point me in the direction of
>> someone who is presently using old machines with Linux it would be a
>> great help. 
>> Questions for whoever can answer them:
>> 1. If you have old computers, what useful classroom things can you
>> get them to do in Linux?
>> 2. Is there an alternative to Xwindows for these old machines?
>> 3. Where can I find basic math utilities that will run from the
>> command prompt, like calculators and graphing programs?
>> 
>> Thanks very much for your help.
>> Dave Prentice
>> prentice@instruction.com
>> http://www.originsresource.org
>> 
>> 
>Dave,
>
>   I'm quoting your entire message since I'm CCing it to the seul-edu
>mailing list.  I expect that the list members will have lots of
>recommendations for you to get some use from those 486s.  Just what
>kind of hardware problems are you having?  I've installed linux on 486s
>with no trouble.  How much RAM and how large of harddrives do they
>have?  How much memory is on the video cards?  That last question may
>have the most to do with any problems getting X to run on them.
>
>   Folks, let's help Dave out with these questions, OK?
>
>-- 
>Doug Loss            There's no trick to being a humorist
>dloss@suscom.net     when you have the whole government
>(570) 326-3987       working for you.
>                        Will Rogers
>