I need a little advice on what a person should have that is starting to
learn Ubuntu. I have talked with my local computer shop and asked them for
a price on a used computer without Windows because I would like to have a
computer just using U. I checked out the U. web page that says you can use
it with 64 bit computers but he said you don't need 64, you can run it on
32. I only plan to use this computer for a back up to the internet and
learning U. I told him I would want a CD Burner, floppy drive, a minimum 20
G HD, and ofcourse a video board and sound board and printer port. Can you
suggest anything that I should have to go along with this? I just want the
basics for now and if I like U, I will add to it later. Thanks. Ric.

On 2009-01-27, Ric Trexell <rictrexell> wrote:
> I need a little advice on what a person should have that is starting to
> learn Ubuntu. I have talked with my local computer shop and asked them for
> a price on a used computer without Windows because I would like to have a
> computer just using U. I checked out the U. web page that says you can use
> it with 64 bit computers but he said you don't need 64, you can run it on
> 32. I only plan to use this computer for a back up to the internet and
> learning U. I told him I would want a CD Burner, floppy drive, a minimum 20
> G HD, and ofcourse a video board and sound board and printer port. Can you
> suggest anything that I should have to go along with this? I just want the
> basics for now and if I like U, I will add to it later. Thanks. Ric.
>An ethernet port. At least 256MB of RAM, more is better.

I'd drop the floppy drive. They have gone into history. No I know that many
posters will proclaim they still use one

On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:52:21 -0600, Ric Trexell wrote:

> I need a little advice on what a person should have that is starting to
> learn Ubuntu. I have talked with my local computer shop and asked them
> for a price on a used computer without Windows because I would like to
> have a computer just using U. I checked out the U. web page that says
> you can use it with 64 bit computers but he said you don't need 64, you
> can run it on 32. I only plan to use this computer for a back up to the
> internet and learning U. I told him I would want a CD Burner, floppy
> drive, a minimum 20 G HD, and ofcourse a video board and sound board and
> printer port. Can you suggest anything that I should have to go along
> with this? I just want the basics for now and if I like U, I will add
> to it later. Thanks. Ric.

Forget floppy. Get a motherboard with a 1.5GHz 32bit CPU, 1GB ram, USB,
onboard video and onboard sound, and CD burner. I got a box like that 18
months ago for ~$500 including LCD monitor. Install Ubuntu 8.04. Use some
of the money you save to get a Unix-for-beginners book and a Ubuntu book.
Get a USB memory stick at wally-world for like $15, that's the new
floppy. 20-40 GB diskspace is plenty, even for downloading music &etc.
Do you have a router?

Or save even more, turn your current Windows box into a dual-boot system.
It's easy, if you have some spare disk space.

On 2009-01-27, Ric Trexell <rictrexell> wrote:
> I need a little advice on what a person should have that is starting to
> learn Ubuntu. I have talked with my local computer shop and asked them for
> a price on a used computer without Windows because I would like to have a
> computer just using U. I checked out the U. web page that says you can use
> it with 64 bit computers but he said you don't need 64, you can run it on
> 32. I only plan to use this computer for a back up to the internet and
> learning U. I told him I would want a CD Burner, floppy drive, a minimum 20
> G HD, and ofcourse a video board and sound board and printer port. Can you
> suggest anything that I should have to go along with this? I just want the
> basics for now and if I like U, I will add to it later. Thanks. Ric.
>
Use 32 bit. Use only very regular components and you will be very
fine. Make sure to check video card for compatibility, these are most
likely to cause trouble. Most video cards are actually supported.

Gordon wrote:
>
> On 2009-01-27, Ric Trexell <rictrexell> wrote:
> An ethernet port. At least 256MB of RAM, more is better.
>
That's a good point, it's 256meg plus that matters the most.


> I'd drop the floppy drive. They have gone into history. No I know that many
> posters will proclaim they still use one
>
I have found that they make older computers with BIOS that either
don't work right for booting from LAN or just don't even try to
support it work with booting from ltsp. Since it will likely be in
the computer and cost nothing, why not?

Ignoramus10945 wrote:
>
> On 2009-01-27, Ric Trexell <rictrexell> wrote:
>
> Use 32 bit. Use only very regular components and you will be very
> fine. Make sure to check video card for compatibility, these are most
> likely to cause trouble. Most video cards are actually supported.
>
Just have it hooked up when you get there and show up with a live
CD. Test the sound and the rest of it then. With only a 20 gig hd,
he's certainly got to network it with the other system.

Scríobh Gordon <Gordon>:
>
>I'd drop the floppy drive. They have gone into history. No I know that many
>posters will proclaim they still use one

Well if you insist. :)

I have an external USB floppy, had to buy it last year in order to
read some ancient files I was sent from a contact still running a
venerable Win98 powered Gateway.

I don't expect to use it ever again, but you never know.

On Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:08:10 -0600, Ignoramus10945 wrote:


>>
> Use 32 bit. Use only very regular components and you will be very fine.
> Make sure to check video card for compatibility, these are most likely
> to cause trouble. Most video cards are actually supported.

I think I'd try for an Nvidia card, judging by comments in newsgroups
about ATI support. I must confess I've never tried ATI - by chance all
my computers have Nvidia, and I've never had any problems, other than the
dual head driver difficulties when 8.10 first came out.

Keith

"Féachadóir" <Féach> wrote in message
news:nlji
> Scríobh Gordon <Gordon>:
>>
>>I'd drop the floppy drive. They have gone into history. No I know that
>>many
>>posters will proclaim they still use one
>
> Well if you insist. :)
>
> I have an external USB floppy, had to buy it last year in order to
> read some ancient files I was sent from a contact still running a
> venerable Win98 powered Gateway.

I have one to transfer files to/from a Yamaha keyboard.
Not everything is a PC.

>
> I don't expect to use it ever again, but you never know.

I will for sure.

dennis@home wrote:
> I have one to transfer files to/from a Yamaha keyboard.
> Not everything is a PC.

My Yamaha Electone US-1 has a built-in floppy drive.

Probably a little bigger than your "keyboard"; it is close to 400 pounds.

http://www.xs4all.nl/~wkoopman/elect...tails/us-1.htm

http://www.electone.com/museum/index.html?i=199

I also have a Hammond M3 out in the garage. It works, but needs some
tubes (valves) replaced (weak audio output).

Here are some pictures of this model: http://www.nycfarmboy.com/m3/m3.html

Both are for sale if you are interested.

On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:52:21 -0600, Ric Trexell wrote:

> I told him I would want a CD Burner

You should be aiming for a DVD burner.

> a minimum 20 G HD

20 GB is adequate but get a disk as large as you can afford.

Actually, it is preferable to have two disks to spread the
file systems across (the best example being /usr on one,
/usr/lib on the other) which can improve performance.

keith wrote:
>
> On Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:08:10 -0600, Ignoramus10945 wrote:
>
> >>
> > Use 32 bit. Use only very regular components and you will be very fine.
> > Make sure to check video card for compatibility, these are most likely
> > to cause trouble. Most video cards are actually supported.
>
> I think I'd try for an Nvidia card, judging by comments in newsgroups
> about ATI support.
>
Someone claimed that the ATI drivers in Ubuntu just worked with the
TV and I know that the Nvidia ones haven't for me. I still haven't
tried installing with an ATI card yet. I may be able to do that
soon.


> I must confess I've never tried ATI - by chance all
>
THEIR Windows drivers and programs have always been troublesome for
me. I think they are just ponderous and fall over of their own
bloat.


> my computers have Nvidia, and I've never had any problems, other than the
> dual head driver difficulties when 8.10 first came out.
>
But updating 225 meg fixed that?

J G Miller wrote:
>
> On Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:52:21 -0600, Ric Trexell wrote:
>
> > I told him I would want a CD Burner
>
> You should be aiming for a DVD burner.
>
If he has this on the other machine, why? if it costs more money?



> > a minimum 20 G HD
>
> 20 GB is adequate but get a disk as large as you can afford.
>
Certainly a DVD burner and 20 gig is going to create problems,
namely where are you going to put the stuff you are going to burn?
Trying to do this off a flash drive might be possible but given the
machine age it's likely going at USB 1.0.


> Actually, it is preferable to have two disks to spread the
> file systems across (the best example being /usr on one,
> /usr/lib on the other) which can improve performance.
>
While you are at it, drop any sort of DVD/CD and use each of the
HDs on its own channel.

On 27 Jan 2009 05:22:04 GMT, Gordon <Gordon> wrote:

>On 2009-01-27, Ric Trexell <rictrexell> wrote:
>An ethernet port. At least 256MB of RAM, more is better.
>
>I'd drop the floppy drive. They have gone into history. No I know that many
>posters will proclaim they still use one
IMHO Buy a USB floppy drive. That way you can quickly share it with ANY of
those floppy less computers/notebooks when you need one.

If the mainboard came with a USB port, it probably supports USB floppy booting
(just in case :^) you need it) .

Try and get one with a BIOS date > 1999 if building up from used equipment
(ACPI BIOS cutoff date).
256 M DRAM is wimpy. Go for 512 if you r system supports it and you probably
will never use the "swap" space :D

"Ric Trexell" <rictrexell> wrote in message
news:nz2d
> I need a little advice on what a person should have that is starting to
> learn Ubuntu.
__________________________________________________ __________________________

Thank you to all that have offered help. As I said in my post I want a
seperate computer so that if my 'real' one should go down I have a back up.
I don't want to network or put a lot of money into this. I hoped to get a
used computer and usually those have a floppy built in already. I know they
are history, but generally they are so cheap it doesn't pay to not put one
in. I will print out some of the replys and take them to the computer shop.
I can buy an e-machine at Wal-mart for $350 so I'm looking for something
less than that. I was hoping to see if I could break into 'U' by getting a
machine in the $150 range. If I'm going to stick $500 in one, I might as
well pick up a used Windows machine. My reason for having a second computer
is also to have something in case this computer dies while I'm trying to
sell something on ebay. I don't want to miss a sell or a good buy just
because the old Windoze machine decided to crash. Thanks again. Ric.