** Reply to note from David Hinz post.center@gmail.com Sat, 07 Jan 2006 20:36:55 +0100
Hi,
..[...]...
They need a slim and reliable OS, not something fat that does everything Windows XP does.
That's right. But that's a fact for 99% office users.
And which OS could be used for this laptop? Windows is to big,
Unstable, expensive ...
linux is big, but could be made smaller (a lot of work).
See Damn Small Linux, delilinux, puppy-linux and so on.
I don't know how these people think about us, but I think we could at least ask them, it's worth a try.
I use OS/2 Warp 3 and 4 for aged PCs. It works fine, is reliable, stable and fast. Typesetting with VTeX (Micropress) and lout (3.29), easy drawings with PMDraw (EWS from 1992) and I am able to create semi-professionel printwork. More about this typewriter deluxe (only in german): http://www.uwe-borchert.de/
CPU : Intel P166, IBM/Cyrix 686 PR166+ or higher ... clocked less then 200 MHz (from 133 to 166 MHz) and reduced core voltage to keep thermal stability with passiv cooling, to lower the energy consumtion and the noise ...
RAM : from 64 to 128 MB others : mainly GA586** Mainboards, CD-Burner, cheap RTL8130 ethernet, old graphic adaptors with S3 or Matrox chips ...
I hope that reactos will become the next alternativ OS, Linux is still not realy useable for my kind of work. I use and test linux since 10 years, but at the begining there was a lack of apps, and now there is a lack of cheap(est) Hardware. OS/2 is not free. Reactos can solve all problems!(?)
Btw: DSL and Knoppix do not boot on any(?) AMD-K5 and IBM/Cyrix 686 systems. You need a 100% Intel compatible CPU. Intel Pentium classic, Celeron, AMD-K6-II should work. But a big number of the faster CPUs need to much power. So you need fans, get more noise, another part to collapse ... :-(
MfG (Mit freundlichen Gruessen/with friendly greetings)
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Uwe.Borchert＠gmx.de