Kiwi Linux
I have been formatting and reorganizing all my computers from netbook to my old IBM Server, it is time for me to give some good advice to young and old guys who are bombarded with wrong information to get rid of the out of fashion old stuff with lot of changes coming in the computer world.
I will deal with old stuff.
1. First of all I still have the computer with 4 MiB on board graphic.
That I keep to test Tiny Linux which does not need lot of RAM and graphic but want to do some scripts in command line (I do not do it any more now).
I have found better short cuts and utilities like net booting now.
2. Then I have an old Toshiba Laptop which packed up it's CD ROM device.
With lot of difficulty I found a CD ROM of a different model which juts out of is casing but still runs making a big noise when read and right heads touches the rotating platters.
I managed to install Knoppix and Peppermint on the hard disk which is less than 20 GiB.
I had forgotten (this is my son’s who is now not interested in computers) the password and was looking for a CD distribution in my armory and I could not find one.
All the recent distributions are DVD size and above 800 including Linux Mint.
I was more than annoyed but found KiWi Linux 12.04 LTS as a a very healthy companion.
It took hours of installing with not so perfect (It reported that the CD Rom has reading difficulty and went down to slower rotating speed) CD/RW ROM.
It got me on my nerves with the rickety, rack-arty noise (I was listening to light music and dosing in between) but eventually I got the KiWi Linux beautifully running and I was connected to the Internet in a flash and wanted to post this piece of writing but was only woken up by our domestic aid at 12.00 p.m. today.
I had gone to sleep with my dog under the bed.
He also had a good night sleep, I believe but he is mortally scarred of the fire crackers and that is why he was under my bed.
I quickly posted verse on Tony Graig which included my resolution not to promote fire crackers for New Year celebrations.
There was nothing for me and my dog to eat, I told the domestic aid to do some cooking and rushed to town to buy some cookies.
So sorry KiWi Linux for my holiday lapses.
It is a beautiful outfit and thank a lot for your wonderful work and keeping it within 700 MiB and the latest software and Chromium.
All other CD distributions except Peppermint go back to 2009 and won’t let one updates and repositories are no longer supporting some software.
3. Then my Server, I have dismantled it with all its parts,
I could not find RAM, more than 256 memory for it.
Mind you, servers do not need much RAM or graphic capabilities.
I was looking for replacement RAM for over 9 months and I could not find one.
I sorted out all the DDR 1 RAMs I had, just a few days ago and tried one by one and found one with 400 speed and 512 Memory at last.
Now the time to summarize the problems, one encounters if one is using old computers.
1. Graphic capability (on board or cards capability).
2. RAM
3. CD instead of DVD
4. Size and the type of hard disks (IDE, SATA instead of Solid State without mechanical parts)
5. Transformer.
6. Battery Life.
One has to consider all the above apart from the weight of the laptop and the accessory gadgets.
7. Is there blue tooth?
That is vital if one is using the device for mobile work.
8. One should see whether it is bootable with a USB device (DVD for example) or Pendrive.
For me Pendrive is the only device I need but now I have few laptop hard disks that fits in my front pocket with few images stored in for quick action, on the fly, on the spot and no more downloading.
If one is buying secondhand those are the problems but if you buy new one you are going into unknown territory.
I hate Japanese laptops including Toshiba and I will stop at that.
There are many reasons, including hardware compatibility with Linux.
9. I will be brief with new laptops.
Only look for the battery life even if it is on the heavy side.
Like ASUS transformer, if you have two for one device it is wonderful, if your backpack is large enough to accommodate.
10. All the other gimmicks that (salesman/woman) chaps tell you are blah-blahs unless you are serious graphic artist or a gamer.
Even a media person can be happy with a minimum of resources.
11. Solid state hard disk is what one needs if you are a chap like me who will jump to sea bed with backpack on my back.
So be wise in your choices but cheap does not mean one cannot get one’s work done on a daily basis.
12. One more advice,
One has to use the computer 24/7 schedule like me.
If not do not buy one but borrow one for the work and have your hands free on vacation or better still get another donkey to do the work and enjoy one’s life like, there is no tomorrow.
Warning
With the Tablets about to hit the market and take it by storm, the work floor guys are going to DUMP old hardware on your back and part with your hard earned money,too.
Beware business gimmicks.
