gentoo - wow!! - progress

[Collins]

[ snips - split a large topic into smaller chunks ]

On Sun, 30 Jun 2002 10:46:39 -0400 dep <dep at linuxandmain.com> wrote:
> begin  Collins's  quote:

> 
> | Since the current market for PCs is 1G+ (now pushing 2G+) with
> | minimum 128Meg (often 256 Meg), it don't see this as a deal
> | breaker.  Sorry, I'm not interested in linux on a 486.  

> 
> great. and no one seeks to deny you that which you have, want, and
> can afford. however, a current linux distribution typically requires
> more horsepower than a current windows version does. 

We agree to disagree.  My WIN98 system runs great on K6/II 300MZ
128Meg.  A little slow for Photoshop stuff, but AOK for M$Office
stuff; same system ran Linux AOK.  My laptop at work is a Compaq 800Mz
256MZ model, and it really needs 512M to run WIN2K properly, wheras
linux would run just fine on that box.  The concept that linux
requires more resources to run that M$ products is just wrong.

Windows was a miserable experience on 133MZ machines; basic linux
stuff is a little better.  Granted, neither linux nor M$ is doing much
for the third world class of user.  FreeBSD, on the other hand, has a
lower memory profile and runs most executables slightly faster, so it
might be a candidate for the third world, except that it's even
squirrelier to install than the average linux distro.

> 
 
> suggests that claims for linux are as phony as claims for the 
> commercial stuff. third, it robs linux of the upcoming generation of
> programmers, those in countries where computers are just beginning
> to take hold and where the enthusiasm that allowed things like linux
> could easily flower anew, but won't if linux requires hardware that 
> no one has. i favor a system where people in those countries can
> work their way into the information age.

Claims are almost always bogus.

Current results would counter this argument.  Linux as a complete
solution and in the univeristy community appears to be growing most
rapidly in the higher tier third world countries and in the non-US
first tier countries.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt that much can be
done with respect to computers in dirt poor, starvation economies (I
doubt that they even have reliable electric power), and I certainly
don't believe that linux should sacrifice current generation
capabilities in order to run on ancient hardware.

There are efforts to provide linux for less capable machines (Peanut
Linux comes to mind).


-- 
Collins Richey - Denver Area - WWTLRD?
gentoo(since 01/01/01) 2.4.18+(ext3) xfce-sylpheed-mozilla