Very Computer

Hey guys..

Be forewarned, I'm a Linux newbie..

2 Main things, I hope some of you can help me out with.

I am about the purchase a new computer..  I am looking at the P2 450
processor..  Maybe jump up to the P3-450 for the new instruction set,
but I am not sure if it is worth the extra $50...

But, the question I have is what kind of components should I get..
I am thinking about the
-ATI Rage Fury 32 Meg video card...
-SoundBlaster Live..   (I have heard all sorts of bad stuff about this
and linux.. What are some other comparable cards.)
-56k Modem v90..  (Does this matter as long as it is not a win-modem?)
-17.2 gig western digital 7200 rpm..

i have heard stuff about linux not liking HD's too big... is it an easy
thing to get around?  i wanted to dual boot windows and linux so I
wasn't sure where to go with that.

Secondly...
I have seen Red Hat 6 for nearly $80..
I don't want to spend that much, if it is simply a matter of
downloadign an ISO and burning it..  My question was what about the
other 2 cds included in the boxed set..  what is on them?  the source
and applications??

finally, i found some postscript files on the redhat website which is
supposedly the installation guide..  what other documentation comes
with the boxed set which might be worth that $80??

thanks a lot fellas.

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Celeron's are cheap, spend what you like though.

Quote:

> But, the question I have is what kind of components should I get..
> I am thinking about the
> -ATI Rage Fury 32 Meg video card...

Blech, how about a TNT2(3?) or Voodoo3?

Quote:> -SoundBlaster Live..   (I have heard all sorts of bad stuff about this
> and linux.. What are some other comparable cards.)

Hmmm.... that's the tricky question.
http://www.linux.org.uk/OSS/ is the place to look... Soundblaster Live
strictly not-supported.

Quote:> -56k Modem v90..  (Does this matter as long as it is not a win-modem?)

no, it shouldn't matter
I've always liked US robotics, they dial fast plus they're old-school.

Quote:> -17.2 gig western digital 7200 rpm..

> i have heard stuff about linux not liking HD's too big... is it an easy
> thing to get around?  i wanted to dual boot windows and linux so I
> wasn't sure where to go with that.

I am not sure on that one.

Quote:

> Secondly...
> I have seen Red Hat 6 for nearly $80..
> I don't want to spend that much, if it is simply a matter of
> downloadign an ISO and burning it..  My question was what about the
> other 2 cds included in the boxed set..  what is on them?  the source
> and applications??

> finally, i found some postscript files on the redhat website which is
> supposedly the installation guide..  what other documentation comes
> with the boxed set which might be worth that $80??

I believe you can order a redhat-6.0 disk for $15 somewhere, it isn't
from redhat but it is exactly the same thing.  I don't think the manual
or the extra disks are worth the cost.  If you have a fast net
connection you could just do a net install... or burn your own disk but
that is prohbitively time-consuming without a very quick internet
connection.

Found the link on the cheap redhat-6.0 disks (which I have used...):
http://cheapbytes.com/

happy hacking

Quote:>I have seen Red Hat 6 for nearly $80..
>I don't want to spend that much, if it is simply a matter of
>downloadign an ISO and burning it..  My question was what about the
>other 2 cds included in the boxed set..  what is on them?  the source
>and applications??

One is source code, the other is a collection of apps.

Quote:>finally, i found some postscript files on the redhat website which is
>supposedly the installation guide..  what other documentation comes
>with the boxed set which might be worth that $80??

You get a "Getting Started guide" which is mainly an introduction to
GNOME and a short tutorial for first time Linux users. You also get 90
days e-mail support and 30 days phone support. I guess it's up to you to
decide whether you think you need these or not.

--
Phil Harrison

Hi,
    Definetely don't spend the money.  You can get more applications and
the Redhat CD from a place like www.cheapbytes.com for ~$10.  Spend the
saved money on a book for linux that will teach you far more than the poor
manuals from redhat.  Support is the only thing and you shoulld be fine.
    Big hard drives aren't a problem at all for linux.  I have on 18gb no
prob at all (actually its even software raided with a 10 gig drive).
Windows dows require you to have at least two partitions for a large drive
like this but you'll want at least 3 partitions just for your linux
install.  There might be an issue about having the / partition in the
first like 7 or 8 gigs but thats a bios thing I think not linux.
    I hear great things about the TNT2 but linux support is going to be
more important and I have no idea what the status of this is.

--
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*       The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily.  That is what      *
*       Fiction means.                                                    *
*                             - Oscar Wilde                               *
***************************************************************************
           John Grimes - Physics Grad Student at U of Chicago


             http://student-www.uchicago.edu/users/jpgrimes/

My 2cents:

1) There is really no noticeable difference between the P2-450 and the
P3-450, save your $50 and take yourself out to a movie.  Katmai is
marketing BS, noone really supports it yet, and when they do it won't make
much of a difference.

2) IMHO, Rage fury stinks.  Friends who have it are complaining about
driver stability under Windows, and there is really no support yet (afaik)
for Linux.  I'm very happy with my TNT card, both under win98 and RH 6.

3) Skip the sb Live!.  If you want basic sound support, pick up a genuine
sound blaster 16, you wont have any problems with it.  If you're really
into MIDI stuff, I hear there are a few options (not my ball of wax, tho -
you'll have to do some digging)  I have a sb live, Windoze support is nice
but the Linux  drivers from Creative are beta (read: buggy) and released
as binaries (read: compatibility problems).  I'm going soundless rather
than have my Linux box unstable with the Creative beta drivers.

4) The modem should work fine as long as it's not a WinModem.  Don't know
about USB support in RH 6 (anyone?), I'd stick with external serial.

5) I got my copy of RH 6.0 from LinuxMall (http://www.linuxmall.com) for
$1.85 plus shipping and handling.  Support doesn't get much better than
that offered on this group - there are some REALLY TALENTED people out
there helping out (thanks, all).  Save your money and pick up a decent
Linux book.

Hope this helps,

Steve