Stop Microsoft
Operating Systems => Linux and UNIX => Topic started by: jrigby on 1 October 2002, 08:07
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alright i need a linux distro that is quick to download a few hours max, easy to learn on, and has a pretty good gui. any suggestions???
ohh yeah very slow internet connection.
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Chances are im not qualified to give you proper advice. (http://smile.gif)
What I will say is that most distros are very large for a 56K download. So if you want to go the Linux route, figure out which distro is the best for you and then preapre to spend a day or more downloading.
Make sure you have a downloading resumer program and your download source supports resuming.
Once it's downloaded you'll want to have a CD burner, it makes it alot easier. Although im sure it's possible to install Linux without a CD burner to make your own CD.
Alternatively you could just go out and buy a Linux distro at a store for under $100.
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If you've got a slow Internet connection I would suggest ordering the CDs from some budget CD burning place. You can get most distros for just a few bucks ($5-$10).
An example is here:
http://www.linuxemporium.co.uk/cheap.html (http://www.linuxemporium.co.uk/cheap.html)
This one is in Canada but there are many around the world with roughly the same prices. Several have been mentioned in these forums. Search around.
[ September 30, 2002: Message edited by: void main ]
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I'm pretty sure you can pick up Mandrake for $30.00 easily at any software dealer. Why don't you check out your local bookstore? Some of the linux books actually come with a distro CD for less than that. This is probably the best for you, you are going to need a reference book. You can also find Suse and Redhat, but they cost more, and you probably want/need to go on the cheap. :D
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Goto this place (http://www.linuxcentral.com) and check them out. You can get a complete linux distro for around USD $5-$10. They ship same day in most cases so usually you can get the distro and have it installed before you could finish downloading it with a slow connection.
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not to be rude or anything but I live in montana ive checked most of the stores and came up with nothing and I really dont want to spend the 37 hours on downloading a distro. but the way its looking i just might have to, or order one. thanks for the help
P.S. keep posting please
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I forgot to mention you will want to look at their Linux Central CD-Roms section.
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Order them online:
http://cart.cheapbytes.com/cgi-bin/cart (http://cart.cheapbytes.com/cgi-bin/cart)
Mandrake 8.2 for $5.99 (I would go for RedHat though, am downloading 8.0 as we speak).
Or order the RedHat 8.0 personal edition boxed set with manuals directly from RedHat for $39.95:
http://www.redhat.com/apps/commerce/ (http://www.redhat.com/apps/commerce/)
[ September 30, 2002: Message edited by: void main ]
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Keep your eye on the computer mags, I have seen distributions offered on the free discs, whilst this may not give you all the bells and whistles it can get you started.
Alternatively try and find someone local and copy theirs (after all this is perfectly legal under the GPL - unlike other Operating Systems one could mention).
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i got red hat 7.1, turbolinux 6.1 and mandrake 8.2 off of cover CDs. I have also seen Kirix(?), Red Hat 7.1 and Mandrake 8.0 on cover CDs too.
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quote:
Originally posted by void main:
If you've got a slow Internet connection I would suggest ordering the CDs from some budget CD burning place. You can get most distros for just a few bucks ($5-$10).
An example is here:
http://www.linuxemporium.co.uk/cheap.html (http://www.linuxemporium.co.uk/cheap.html)
This one is in Canada but there are many around the world with roughly the same prices. Several have been mentioned in these forums. Search around.
[ September 30, 2002: Message edited by: void main ]
that doesnt seem to be in Canada. The prices are in pounds, and its .co.uk
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Good catch, I'm a zipperhead. (http://smile.gif)
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As far as smaller-sized distros go:
Try Lycoris. It's interface is Windows-like (you can take that off if you want), and it's easy.
If you are more advanced, and you have used *NIX before, try Gentoo. It's TINY, and should download quickly.
Not to mention it's only one CD unlike the other distros which are 2 or 3 CD's (READ: 2x or 3x download time)
Download it from www.linuxiso.org (http://www.linuxiso.org)
My Download Time Calculator Tells Me:
Lycoris (513MB) @ 56k = 20 Hours
Gentoo (135MB) @ 56k = 5.5 Hours
[ October 01, 2002: Message edited by: The_Muffin_Man/B0b ]
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It takes me on average 6 days to download a *nix distro. I don't know how you calculate 20 hours! (http://smile.gif)
I've downloaded build 46 of Lycoris and it took 6 days on and off, i'm now downloading build 51 and its took so far 4 days with 150 megs to go.
It isn't that long if you think about it.
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56k modems dont run at 56 kb/s.
It is actually impossible for them to run at 56 kb/s
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The fastest i can remember my modem communication went down the old copper line was 17k, that was over ICQ as well for a quick file transfer inside my country. But yeah you are right none the less.
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well my internet connection usually rounds out to dowload at about 6 kb per second.
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let's not confuse bits and bytes here...
56k modem can run at a max 7kB/s which is unrealistic. say 5kB/s max...
Lycoris (513MB) @ 5kB/s = 28.5 hours
Gentoo (135MB) @ 5kB/s = 7.5 hours
your modem will probably have difficulty doing 5kB/s, so it'll be quite a bit longer...
on another note, i may give gentoo a try, seems small and full of linxy goodness...
edit: how about slackware zip linux? fits on a zip disc, so it's less than 100Mb...
[ October 01, 2002: Message edited by: keot ]
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The calculation was assuming a 7 KILOBYTES per second download for a 56kbps modem.
KBps and Kbps are all different things(bits and Bytes)
The calculator does:
(DownloadsizeMB *1024)/(Speed in kilobits per second /8) = Download time in minutes
Sometimes the max is unreasonable, but it made it flexible to enter any connection speed. Maybe I'll revise it to shave off 10 or 20 percent of the speed.
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And also don't forget it depends on if the servers are hogged. I've got 1.5Mbps cable yet I've been downloading RedHat 8.0 for a day and a half now and only 544MB downloaded out of the 3 CDs. The servers are just plain swamped and I'm only getting about 3 or 4KB/s. Normally I can download a CD (650MB in around an hour or two). Looks like it'll be a few days for my RedHat 8.0 report...
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56k's can't go at true 56k for some reason, something like 48k perhaps. 48k does not mean 48kb or 48000 bytes(or is that bits?) per second, it actually means 4800 bytes(or is that bits?) per second.
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56 kilobits (Kb) / 8 = 7 kilobytes (KB) of data per second. That is assuming both ends are connected at maximum capability.
In addition to that if you have a modem capable of compression you can effectively get higher transfer rates. Assuming you are transferring a text file that is capable of being compressed to half it's size (most text files compress much smaller than this) you will in effect get 14KB/s when you transfer that text file. Now compression will do you no good when transferring files that are already compressed (*.zip, *.gz, etc) because compressed files can not be compressed any more than they are.
Obviously there are other factors that will not allow the maximum connect speeds (shitty equipment, phone lines, running Windows, dropped packets, latency, etc) so you likely will only get 5 or 6KB/s max on a good connection when transferring *.zip, *.gz, or other compressed files.
[ October 01, 2002: Message edited by: void main ]
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That, and in the US (and other countries, I think) they limit it to 53k. 53/8 equals to 6. And you'll probably go lower then that.
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so your saying the average 56 might get 5-6 KB/s (kilobytes) not 5-6Kb/s(kilobits).
Therefore redhat 8.0 (all 5 CDs) would take 7.513 24-hour days?? (rough estimate)
[ October 01, 2002: Message edited by: The Master of Reality / Bob ]
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I'm saying that the US limits 56k modems to 53kilobits. 53 divided by 8 is 6, so you'd get about 6k to 5k.
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the US doesnt limit anything. It is the hardwares maximum capacity. My hypothesis was going by that anyway, so do the math for your self and see if it comes to 7.513 days.
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No, the US _does_ limit it to 53kilobits. Read a 56k modem manual.
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why in hell would The US limit the capacty of 56k modems!!!!! and Canada's 56k modems seem to work the same too.
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quote:
*Capable of receiving downloads at up to 56 Kbps and sending at up to 31.2 Kbps. Actual download speeds you experience may be lower due to varying line conditions. Maximum download speeds in the U.S. and Canada are limited to 53K, due to regulatory limits on power output. Requires compatible analog phone line and server equipment.
http://www.dynadirect.com/md-usr5686d.html (http://www.dynadirect.com/md-usr5686d.html)
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what a fucking ripoff. I am glad i have never used a 56k modem. The highest i ever used was 28.8
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I was really fond of my 300 baud modem. Then there was the one that you set the telephone handset in that I think was around 30 baud.
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300 baud? thats old school. My slowest modem is a 9600 baud
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quote:
Originally posted by void main:
I was really fond of my 300 baud modem. Then there was the one that you set the telephone handset in that I think was around 30 baud.
I used to have one of those (http://tongue.gif)
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dont be ranking on a 300 baud modem. it can still dial out, and people through shit like that away. so at my job, we use them to dial telephone numbers so us people don't have to dial the phone by hand
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here where i live (blue mountains, australia) the phone lines only go at 46k so that can also be a limitation. but ive got adsl so (http://tongue.gif) hehehe