Which Linux OS should I use?

Question

I have an old computer with Pentium II 400MHz, 254MB RAM (two 128 MB DDR1 133MHz memory sticks). The max hard drive I can use is 20GB. I have been using Win95 for the longest time and only switched to Vista about a year ago. I have some experience with java programing and doing most windows tasks but I'll admit that I never worked with DOS or command prompts before (except perhaps when formating but that's not complicated)

I was interested in switching to Linux but I'm overwhelmed with options.

I need an OS capable of running Firefox (or a browser capable of loading java applets), Open Office (I am not interested in word editors only but I need to make presentations as well so just using Abiword is not enough) and if need be some mp3s (not so much but it would be nice).

I've tried PuppyLinux which is light but I wanted something more powerful yet not to demanding on resources.

Last point is that I would like to be able to run the OS as a live CD before installing it.
Thanks.

Answer 1

If you know Puppy Linux then you can find it is very powerful.



One of the above posters mentioned Xubuntu. I would generally recommend a distro with the XFCE desktop (which is the X in Ubuntu. On the other hand, if you are looking for a livecd try Knoppix. The default desktop is KDE but you can load it with either fluxbox or ICEwm, both of which I enjoy.



A fun LiveCD which has the XFCE desktop is dyne:bolic. The only thing is, it offers an install option. Don't. Ever. I've never gotten the installation to boot properly. It is chock full of multimedia applications and cutting edge graphics.



Slax is also a good one to try on LiveCD. But to install I'd go with xubuntu.

Answer 2

Damn Small Linux is a very light Linux distro that will run on a 486 PC so it could do all you need on that Pentium. Give it a shot:



http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/



You could also try Xubuntu. Xubuntu is an Ubuntu fork for less powerful computers:



http://www.xubuntu.org/

Answer 3

Ubuntu.



It is by far the easiest distro to use and very well maintained. It will run on your Computer without problem, comes with Firefox and I believe Open Office. The live CD works great and to install cound not be easier.

Answer 4

Like The 'bird' sez, Puppy is a good install- but if you want more options... Do a light Debian or Ubuntu install and simply install xfce4 with the following command:

sudo apt-get install xfce4

Google it- this is a good alternative

Answer 5

Check out Vector linux. It was recommended recently in an article about rehabilitating old hardware, and DSL, Puppy, etc., were not used because they were too limiting.

Answer 6

puppy dog linux is very light and is a small file