which is more efficient win9x or linux?

[RaynorWolfcastle]

i have an old 486 lying around and i was wondering which would be a better OS for some light word processing? no images will be used but i would like to be able to save files in word format to transfer them to my other comp. The version of the word format doesn't really matter since i'm not using any fancy formatting or images. This is gonna be for essays and lab reports.

so i guess the question is, which OS would run smoother win95 or linux? I have 48 mb ram in it.
-Ice

 

[Abzstrak]

lol... is this a joke?

linux would run ALOT better... X will be slow, but then again so would windows.

I should say Linux will run ALOT better if you know how to optimize it, otherwise it will probably be about the same speed or only slightly faster

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

that's what i thought, but the problem is i understand almost nothing of linux, and i don't have the full specs of the comp, i got it free and its a Compaq. I got X up and running but its in black and white and my mouse doesn't work properly

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

I'm using slackware btw, and i tried installing the ice window manager but i haven't succeeded so far

 

[DocDoo]

Just last week I had installed Win98 on a 486 DX4, also with 48MB of ram. It loaded without a problem (once I updated their 4X CDROM). They did not want to spend any money, I even loaded AOL 5, Word 97, ect.. I was actually surprised how well it runs.

If you have a 486/SX or DX33, you might consider Win95 (the free version from Microsoft).

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

whoa, say this again just so i can make sure it wasn't a typo, Microsoft GIVES AWAY an operating system?!?! :Q If they do, just PM me where i can get it. Oh, btw it's a DX2 (66 MHz)

 

[DocDoo]

Hummm... I remember reading a post about a month ago that the earliest version of Win95 was available as a download from Microsoft. Since I have not needed to think about Win95 in about 4 years, I did not read into the topic really well. So, I could be wrong Try searching the AnandTech forum...

BTW: I don't think you will have a problem running Win98 on your PC. If you do, make sure you go into MSCONFIG and un-check just about everything in the "start-up."

 

[SendTrash]

wow, win95 is free now?

 

[bjc112]

i would say linux.. it isn't bloated at all..

 

[Kadesh]

They might have been thinking about an MSDN subscription. You get all MS OS's that way.

Anyway, a Linux box could beat a Windows box easy because Linux's command line isn't as screwed up as DOS. Therefore, you can cut out the GUI and still have functionality comparable to Windows (hi-res console and screen are your friends). You're just missing some images in your web browser. If it was a Pentium (just a 90 or 120), you could even play MP3's from the command line.

 

[goshdarnindie]

It would be a good chance to learn Linux since it is the wave of the future
My only caution is printer support. Make sure your printer supports Linux or your printer is supported by your distirbution. Otherwise you will be running to another printer to print your work.

 

[goshdarnindie]

Oh, completly forgot, StarOffice from Sun is free and will save the document in Word format.

 

[HansXP]

MS ain't giving away operating systems for free. No how, no way.

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

ok, here's the deal, I have a sweet 500 MB hd, so i really want a tiny install of anything i use.
Right now i'm trying to install slackware but it really isn't working too well...

You guys think i should switch over to an older version of mandrake? I hear its easier for newbs

Next, how big is staroffice? can it fit onto a 500 MB hd with the OS? I really don't want or need any fancy features.

Finally, anyone with experience with IceWM please, pm me if yuo can help me get it up and running

-Ice

 

[neutronzenith]

Myself, I'd recommed going with 95. I've installed it on a few older machines, and you can get it to take up less than 100mb of space. 98 and 98se are a little bit more bloated than 95, and I find that 95 boots a little bit faster. It always amazes me how fast a 486 with a fresh install of 95 boots, well under 10 seconds after the bios initializes.

NZ

 

[thornc]

icecool83
You can try running an older version of Mandrake (7.x ) or RedHat(6.x) with the minimal installation....that should use around 100MB of hard-disk...

For wordprocessing try using:
AbiWord
or:
OpenOffice ( The Open Source StarOffice )!!