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---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 03 Jan 1999 21:58:47 -0500 From: Bill Horne <bhorne at banet.net> To: general at BLU.ORG Subject: Please tell me if a 386 is realistic for Linux Sirs, My sister, whom has very little cash, is trying to get a "better" machine than the 8088 she's been using for 12 years. Her requirements are very modest: a word processor is essential, and a spreadsheet would be very welcome. As it happens, I've a 386 that's sitting around, and want to offer it to her as a step up. Of course, Windows won't run worth a damn on a 386, so please tell me if Linux will. The machine I have is equipped with 8MB of RAM and a 40MB hard drive, and does not have a CD-ROM or other mass storage. It has only 5.25 inch floppies, and a monochrome display. Although this is, of course, antideluvian by "wintel" standards, I hope that the Linux system is efficient enough to make it usable for her. Please tell me if the machine is usable "as is", or if more memory and/or hard drive is needed; I also need to know if I can obtain or make floppies to load Linux on the machine, and what the "minimum" system requirements are. Last, I'll ask a favor: although I've programmed PL/I in a IBM MVS environment, I know very little about PC's. Please provide specific advice on where I may obtain detailed instructions and how to use them. Thank you for your time. Bill Horne *** Subcription/unsubscription/info requests: send e-mail with subject of "subscribe", "unsubscribe", or "info" to discuss-request at blu.org
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