Because I Can

That's the basic reason for me posting this thread. Because I can.

That may not sound impressive, but I am impressed. I'm currently running an OS I've never used before on a computer that didn't have it ten minutes ago.

Also, this is in Opera, while I normally use FireFox.

Anyways, why all this? Well, I spotted a really nice deal for a netbook on ebay ($21 delivered) but it's really on the low end (256mb ram, 800mhz processor) so I also started looking into alternate OS's that would let me work the most out of that machine. The solution so far appears to be Puppy Linux. It's got a really small footprint, seems really user friendly, and generally seems the best option. Better yet, it's based around the idea of booting from a thumb drive so it's got a lot of potential for me to play with it before the netbook gets here without having to nuke my current hard drive.

My next test: will it boot from a thumb drive plugged into my PlayStation 2?

have you tried Ubuntu?

Unfortunately, Ubuntu's footprint is much too large for this system. There is a lot of support for Ubuntu (probably more than any other distro) but it wasn't built with super-low-end systems in mind. I do understand that it can be trimmed down and tweaked to be more compatible, but I'm a Linux newbie so I'm kind of looking for an easy transition.

I hear ya, Latrans. I have an Acer Aspire One with 1 GB and a dual core Atom processor, preloaded with Windows 7 Starter.

I've toyed with Linux before, using Ubuntu 8.04 on a 4 GB laptop. It's stable and versatile, I'll give it that. The way it gets things done, though, is very different from the Windows way. And tweaking details can be a challenge, often to the point of requiring a Computer Science degree to adjust some settings. And though import and export of data files is cake, importing programs is a whole 'nother animal, pardon the pun. There seems to be three or four prominent compression schemes for Linux, each requiring its own codec, which Puppy likely won't include. So, you may find yourself needing a .rar codec, a .gz codec, a .tar codec and a an .arc codec. Even then, it's no guarantee the downloaded program will work, or will need yet another file downloaded separately.

Open Office, though, works just like Microsoft Office Plus, with word processing, spell-check, spreadsheets, databases, presentations, and file sharing. A lot of this will be familiar territory. Linux is ultimately loads of geeker code with only the trailing ends given a n00b-friendly interface.

Well, so much for that. Not only did the auction get sniped, it got sniped by three different people. Bid price tripled in the last ten seconds.

Ouch, sorry about that, Chief.

Those are Bid-Bots; an automated program that logs in a new bid up to a ceiling price on any e-Bay or other standardized auction site. They're usually set to go to work in the last hour of bidding. I would not be surprised if the ten highest bids all came in during the last three minutes.

I don't know what to say, except perhaps http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/models/aspireoned270 for a new Netbook from a trusted source.

Oh, I'm not too hear broken over the lost bid. I just happened to over-budget for my bills and had some extra cash. That auction turned up and I had an "ooh shinee!" moment. I have, however, found something else to spend my monies on...

Doesn't mean I won't stop keeping an eye out though.

I always felt impressed I could boot and run an old Xbox with a portable version of Debian. <3

When in doubt: Slackware. When slackware is annoying, Debian... When you want more functionality.. Unbuntu...and if you feel like derping around. Make it into a hackintosh and laugh at how a ancient Xbox + a few minor mods can outperform a 7,000 USD current generation Apple computer.