old computers + ubuntu 7.10
i have a generic computer which will be used as an ubuntu desktop test bed. it used to be an xp pro machine — it still has the sticker — but this time we’ll be using it as part of an experiment. we want to see if end users with simple needs will use it.
the specs are: an ecs p4vmm2 motherboard with a 1.7 ghz pentium 4, 512 meg ram, 40 gig hard disk. it has almost everything built-in — video (s3 savag4, 32 meg shared memory), audio (ac’ 97 audio codec) and lan (10baset/100basetx). there is no floppy installed (do we still need these things?)
i had a “fun” time installing ubuntu 7.10 with this old computer. the desktop cd install didn’t work. i tried several times with different vga configurations and it just wouldn’t install properly. so, like the laptop, i resorted to install 7.10 using the alternate install cd and it worked.
what i learned from this installation exercise is that “modern” operating systems will be better off in a unit with more than 256 meg of memory. this applies to both xp and linux. get the most memory you can afford.
i get the impression that the ubuntu desktop install cd will work properly with newer computers. but i do feel that support for older computers should also be important as they are one of the more likely candidates where linux would be used.
