[brlug-poly] [brlug-general] Old PCs

[Adam J Hogan]

Only problem I have is getting dsl to load on the computer.  After about 20
minutes, all that had loaded was X and the cpu meter.  Maybe I could
install it on a different computer and move the HD.

Other issue: The computers I have will probably be used as an incentive for
some students in my school.  Our computer teacher and I are working on
getting them set up.  She is vaguely familiar with GNU/Linux (I gave her a
Live CD).  Her feeling is that Windows is the way to go because most people
will buy software and hardware without understanding that it may not be
supported.  These people will probably never use a  package manager to
install programs.  They may not even know that it is GNU/Linux.  All they
will know is that their game doesn't work or their new tax software can't
be installed.  Should I have freedom to install the OS I want and place a
file on the desktop for people to read explaining program acquisition via
apt, for example, and why most commercial software won't work?

Is freedom of program use a freedom to be valued when users have no
understanding?  The people who will be receiving these computers will most
likely live in projects and may not know anything about software.  Does
freedom of program use outweigh freedom of modification and distribution if
people have no clue about these freedoms?  Just looking for opinions.

Carl W. wrote:

after testing mepis, feather, puppy, and others i settled on dsl for my
166mhz 32mb toshiba tecra, you may have seen me dragging it about at sig
meetings. With the help of members i have learned to configure stuborn
hardware and load numerous packages for the system. I would be happy to
help you with it if you need help.

I chose to work with live cd versions for the excellent hardware detection
they provide, and it's great to just pop a cd in and see how it works
before commiting to the installation process.