obtained a windows me desktop, want to install linux for practice and experimentation

[newbrobo]

here is my dilemna! I recently bought a linux netbook and have found this little go getter, better than other window computers i have had and used. learning the ropes to my root terminal, and picking up every little bit of information i can obtain. which is when I fount this website. For the purpose of creating a stable large mem. cd burning monster on the desktop. I have just also learned about (LFS) but, Would like to know other than buying all the install linux software, if there is anything I might find useful. I am a newb.

[mooreted]

here is my dilemna! I recently bought a linux netbook and have found this little go getter, better than other window computers i have had and used. learning the ropes to my root terminal, and picking up every little bit of information i can obtain. which is when I fount this website. For the purpose of creating a stable large mem. cd burning monster on the desktop. I have just also learned about (LFS) but, Would like to know other than buying all the install linux software, if there is anything I might find useful. I am a newb.

If you're new to Linux LFS is going to be a hard distro to figure out. It's really intended for Linux geeks that want to build their own system.

Just go download Ubuntu and you can learn Linux slowly.

Also, Linux is free you don't have to buy any software.

Ubuntu definitely, especially if you're new.

Version 10.04 is out and looks sweet. Just check the specs of your machine.

[JasonHippy]

Whilst I agree that Ubuntu is a great Linux distro to get started with; Looking at the original post, the title mentions that the PC in question runs Windows ME, which implies to me that the hardware will be quite old. So perhaps a more lightweight distro would be in order.

I'd wager that Ubuntu would most likely be a bit too bloated and heavyweight for a machine of that age. However Xubuntu might be worth a try, dependant on the amount of RAM the PC has. But you'd probably have to use the alternate install CD rather than the liveCD..I think the liveCD of Xubuntu would still be a bit too heavyweight!

Failing that, perhaps WattOS (Ubuntu-based lightweight distro) or Zeven OS (a little known Xubuntu-based lightweight distro).

Otherwise there are plenty of other distros available like Unity, Slitaz, Vector, Zenwalk, Antix, Tiny ME, Puppy and DSL which are all geared towards running on older hardware. But like I said, it does depend on the exact specs of the machine.

There are shed-loads of different Linux distros out there and they're all free. So as long as you have a bit of free-time and a decent internet connection you can download several different versions of Linux per day. My advice is to take some time and shop around a bit. Take a look at distrowatch.com, google/search for lightweight linux distros, download some LiveCD's and find the distro that works best for you and your hardware!

Once you've found a distro that works well with your hardware (and also that you like the look and feel of!) then you should consider installing it on your PC!

Cheers for now,
Jas.

Yeah good points Jason!