[luau] Resolution of my Laptop Dilemma and Hardware Questions

[demon_jr808]

Hi Everyone,

To everyone that replied to my previous post regarding purchasing a laptop, thanks!

I have finally taken the plunge and shelled out around $300 for a laptop.
(Actually it's still in the process of being, well, "processed". I should have a confirmation order within 10 business days.)

The specs are as follows:

Compaq Armada 7800
Pentium II 266mhz
64mb RAM
5.2 GB Hard Drive

A big factor in my decision is that Compaq actually had "white papers" on installing Linux on this particular laptop. In addition, one of the specific distributions of Linux the "white paper" dealt with was Red Hat 5.2, the same distribution I currently own, which is straight from the box. Another factor in my decision came from the recommendations posters to this mailing list had made regarding hardware requirements, etc. Lastly, the price fit in quite nicely into my very tight budget.

Now, can anyone give their opinion on how Linux should run base on these hardware specs?

I remember a few posters mentioning I should have at least 128mb RAM, so do you think I will be all right with 64mb?

My main concern regarding the amount of RAM I should have stemmed from many articles I had read stating that Linux required very little in the way of hardware to run smoothly. I realize that wanting to run graphic intensive environments such as X and KDE (I think I'm slowly beginning to understand the difference between the two) requires more system resources for Linux, in this case RAM. However, one of my main attractions to Linux was its "minimalist" (low hardware requirements) approach to hardware. But the need for more RAM, in my opinion, makes it appear to have similar requirements to Windows in order to work smoothly. I also understand that what the actual use for Linux will also dictate what type of hardware will be needed to have Linux run smoothly. 

I'm still confused about this so any comments are most appreciated.

Thanks!




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