help me pick a flavor of linux

I recently obtained a win98 laptop and feel like using it to play around with Linux. I need something rather light on resouces and with a good support community for if/when I need help. What do you suggest?

www.ubuntu.com

ignore >>2 and >>4-
http://www.kubuntu.org/ is what you want


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www.debian.org is not what you want, but what you need

>>3
die
>>5
you forgot he is a newbie

ubuntu or xubuntu (http://www.xubuntu.org, if you want something that is lighter on resources)

>>3
is an idiot. {x,k}ubuntu is going to run like SHIT. try pclinuxOS.

he said  LIGHT  on resourcess.  That means Slackware.

Seriously, there are so many distros, even if you want to check out Linux as a newbie, you won't because you can't decide between them and evaluate all of them. Shit sucks.

Ubuntu is probably the easiest choice for a new linux user.  I use Ubuntu on my windows 98 laptop, and it runs just fine.

your choice of window manager is probably more significant than your choice of linux distro for resource use.  Gnome and KDE are the bloatiest options, if you're worried about limited resources try something like FVWM or Blackbox instead.

http://xwinman.org/ for other options

>>1
if you can't decide what to use without someone telling you, you shouldn't be using a computer

the cotton fields are where you belong

>>1

I have an IBM thinkpad T22, and Ubuntu works well on it. Though I did give it a bit of help by turning off useless services (like bluetooth crap, cron, blah blah etc).

oh yeah, thats right, if you've been using windows ubuntu will seem to run fine.

slow 386 compiled software is slooooooow

slow 386 compiled software is slooooooow
wut?

VROOOM VROOOM

>>16
actually, the difference between 386 and 686 is very noticable. yeah, a little bit of  vroom vroom  going on. but it was mainly a joke.

LINUX IS FOR 14 YEAR OLD VIRGIN SCRIPT KIDDIES.

BSD MOTHERFUCKER.

>>18
even though i like linux, that made me lol.

>>6
you forgot he is a newbie

that's exactly why he needs debian.
after that, he's no newb anymore.

>>18
BSD IS FOR 60 YEAR OLD UNIX-HACKERS WHO HATE GUIs.

AMIGA OS MOTHERFUCKER.

>>21
wow. amigafags still exist? Even though amiga OS is 2 years late and will probably NEVER come out?

>>22
No, but trolls and facetious comments do.

Gentoo

Ubuntu will be slow as hell if you don't have at least a Pentium 3 with 256 MB RAM

>>24

Gentoo is much faster because it is OPTIMISED for YOUR HARDWARE, because you compile it yourself.

Gentoo is like a high performance racing car. It needs a good deal of tuning.

>>22
AmigaOS 6 was released one or two weeks ago

>>25
The only difference is: the high performance racing car is much faster than the normal thing. Self-compiled programs are around 0.001 % faster than a precompiled one.
Have fun with your Placebo.

But if you need it: You can completely compile your system with any other distro, too. Even with FreeBSD which isn't even a Linux.

>>27
RESPONDING TO COPYPASTA IS SRS BUISINESS

>>1
Pussy juice-flavoured

OP here
http://linux.toshiba-dme.co.jp/linux/eng/spec.php3?model=490CDT This is what I have, but mine has 64MB of ram.

I don't mind a trial by fire, but Debian looks like it's a little too far over my head.

damn small linux.

its not the EASIEST but it is easy and it is quick.

When you linux users go to purchase a car, do you want to learn locksmithing so you can make a key to get into the door, make another for the ignition, learn electronics so you can install fresh turn signals, and replace the fucking engine with batteries before you start the damn thing? Or do you just want to give it a test drive before you invest your time in something that wont meet your needs?

xubuntu

the *ubuntu family is good for newbies, and has a great community.   of these xubuntu is the lightest in terms of resource use.  if it isn't light enough to work in comfortably, it's easy to install alternate desktop environments later.  (see>>12)

www.opera.com

xubuntu is by no means the lightest of the ubuntu family. May I introduce you to nubuntu http://www.nubuntu.org/

>>32
Except the car costs lots of money and linux is free.
YOUR LOGIC IS RETARDED!

Anyways, >>1->>37 please listen to me. Not that it's really related to this thread. I went to check out Ubuntu a while ago; you know, Ubuntu? Well anyways there was an insane number of people downloading it, and I couldn't get past the front page. Then, I looked at the banner posted at the top of the page, and it had "KDE" written on it. Oh, the stupidity. Those idiots. You, don't come to Linux just for because it has KDE, fool. It's only KDE, the K-DESKTOP ENVIRONMENT for crying out loud. There're even entire families here. Family of 4, all installing some Ubuntu, huh? How fucking nice. "Alright, daddy's gonna run Konqueror!" God I can't bear to watch. You people, I'll give you XGL and Compiz/Beryl if you get out of this community. Linux should be a bloody place. That tense atmosphere, where two niggers on opposite sides of the street can start a fight at any time, The stab-or-be-stabbed mentality, that's what's great about Coonix. Women and children should screw off and stay home. Anyways, I was about to start initializing my raid array, and then the bastard beside me goes "Install Updates with Synaptic Package Manager." Who in the world uses the synaptic package manager, you moron? I want to ask him, "do you REALLY want to have everything installed FOR you?" I want to interrogate him. I want to interrogate him for roughly an hour. Are you sure you don't just want to try saying "install updates"? Coming from a Debian veteran such as myself, the latest trend among us vets is this, apt-get dist-upgrade. That's right, apt-get dist-upgraade. This is the vet's way of managing packages. Apt-get dist-upgrade means more freedom than hand-holding. But on the other hand the risk of breaking existing configuration files is a tad higher. This is the key. And then, it's delicious. This is unbeatable. However, if you do this this then there is danger that you'll be marked by the package maintainers from next time on; it's a double-edged sword. I can't recommend it to amateurs. What this all really means, though, is that you, >>1->>37, should just stick with today's special.

>>38
This is a good Yosinoya variant. Definetely saved.

Lold

>>32
Live cd mother fucker. Do you use it?

grape?

>>30

Want to know what I would do with that laptop? I'd do an ubuntu server install; it installs the bare minimum stuff that is required. Then install only what is needed, and turn off unused services. Only then will it run well enough to be usable.

uh

ubuntu server install?

dude just fucking install Debian on it

    　　　　　　　　　　∧＿∧　　　／￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣
    　　　　　　　　　 （　´∀｀）　＜　ubuntu is for gay niggers order more delicious 吉野家
    　　　　　　　　／　　　　|　　　 ＼
    　　　　　　　/ 　　　 　 .|　　　　　￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣
    　　　　　　 / "⌒ヽ |.ｲ |
    　　　＿＿ |　　　.ノ | || |＿＿
    　 .　　　 ノく＿＿つ∪∪　　 ＼
    　　　＿（（＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿_＼
    　　 ￣￣ヽつ￣￣￣￣￣￣ | |￣

>>44
ubuntu server install?
dude just fucking install Debian on it

QFT

>>46

Debian is teh fail:
It is never updated (kernel 2.6.8 ?!?!?! HELLO !!!), you have to use their bleeding edge distro just to catch up to last year. Might as well just use Slack and be a man about it.

>>47
What do you need a newer kernel for on a server.
LOGIC FAILS AGAIN

>>47

Slack is down in the stack.
Gentoo ftw.
Debian is the best, but debian users are fucking integrists/human failures

>>49
You're just jealous that you are not as 1337 as they are

In during Arch Linux.

http://www.archlinux.org./

lets see ummmm SECURITY PATCHES
yeah thats it

>>48
bitches dont know 'bout my SECURITY PATCHES.

>>53
The kernel IS patched on stable servers, fag.
go learn debian.

>>50
"You're just jealous that you are not as 1337 as they think"
>>Fixed.
Real 1337 use *BSD

>>54
Terribly sorry but if I wanted to learn to be a fag I'd just go use a Mac.

Deb is for religious GNU zealots that have more time on their hands than sense in their heads...

KUBUNTU MOTHERFUCKERS

ehr, debian is not for religious gnu faggots

all packages are distributed in binary. you know, binary? like, something gnufags hate? in fact debian is pretty antignufag

Anyways, >>1->>58 please listen to me. Not that it's really related to this thread. I went to check out Ubuntu a while ago; you know, Ubuntu? Well anyways there was an insane number of people downloading it, and I couldn't get past the front page. Then, I looked at the banner posted at the top of the page, and it had "KDE" written on it. Oh, the stupidity. Those idiots. You, don't come to Linux just because it has KDE, fool. It's only KDE, the K-DESKTOP ENVIRONMENT for crying out loud. There're even entire families here. Family of 4, all installing some Ubuntu, huh? How fucking nice. "Alright, daddy's gonna run Konqueror!" God I can't bear to watch. You people, I'll give you XGL and Compiz/Beryl if you get out of this community. Linux should be a bloody place. That tense atmosphere, where two niggers on opposite sides of the street can start a fight at any time, The stab-or-be-stabbed mentality, that's what's great about Coonix. Women and children should screw off and stay home. Anyways, I was about to start initializing my raid array, and then the bastard beside me goes "Install Updates with Synaptic Package Manager." Who in the world uses the synaptic package manager, you moron? I want to ask him, "do you REALLY want to have everything installed FOR you?" I want to interrogate him. I want to interrogate him for roughly an hour. Are you sure you don't just want to try saying "install updates"? Coming from a Debian veteran such as myself, the latest trend among us vets is this, apt-get dist-upgrade. That's right, apt-get dist-upgraade. This is the vet's way of managing packages. Apt-get dist-upgrade means more freedom than hand-holding. But on the other hand the risk of breaking existing configuration files is a tad higher. This is the key. And then, it's delicious. This is unbeatable. However, if you do this this then there is danger that you'll be marked by the package maintainers from next time on; it's a double-edged sword. I can't recommend it to amateurs. What this all really means, though, is that you, >>1->>58, should just stick with today's special.