[Cheap PC for Linux]

[Matt Graham]

Dennis <dennis@pipper.net> wrote:
> I am looking for someplace locally to get a new or used PC that I can 
> play with Linux on.  It needs to be cheap since I can't justify the 
> expense right now.
> I'd like to be able to run a distro of Linux with all the bells 
> and whistles so I can give it a fair assessment, but I can't afford to 
> put it on my primary box right now.

Why not?  Not enough hard drive space?  (Hard drives have never been cheaper;
40G Maxors = $100.)  Worried about trashing your data?  (If you have recent
backups, it's not a problem to restore.  If you *don't* have recent backups,
you have larger problems than installing Linux.)

What exactly do you mean by "all the bells and whistles"?  The server
functions of Linux can run (if a bit slowly) on a headless P150 with 32M.  If
you want fancy graphics and the latest eye-candy UI junk like KDE2, you should
get something as hefty as possible, like an Athlon 1GHz with 256M.  Compromise
would be a K6-3 450 with 128M, I guess.

If you want a system that works reliably, the best bet is to buy parts from
reputable Net suppliers, using http://www.pricewatch.com/ to get a good price,
and build it yourself.  If you want something cheap and local, there's a store
called "Good Deals" that sells older complete systems (as well as parts.) 
1406 W Saginaw, close to the Sparrow hospital, only accessible from the
eastbound side of the street.  It looks like a dump, but the staff has a
partial clue (they don't go all glassy-eyed when you mention Linux) and all of
the parts I've bought there are still performing well.




-- 
Matt G / Dances With Crows
There is no Darkness in Eternity/But only Light too dim for us to see
"I backed up my brain to tape, but tar says the tape contains no data...."