Can i switch from windows 95 to ubuntu (linux) for free??

Question

ok im only 13.i know ALOT about computers.i have my own laptop.now my brother wanted one really bad and hes only 11.since hes only tht age my dad got him a really old one at a yard sale for like a doller.it works and everything.but i had to hack into it cuz the guy had a password on it.and my brother wants me to fix it for him.but of course im not paying $100 to get windows xp.so i want to get linux.i heard it was free. is it? and how much memory does it take up?my bros computer has a floppy so im not sure if it will work.is it possible to upgrade to linux?i think his computer came out around 1996-1998

Answer 1

Well, I am running a distro of Linux right now, and it is the MOST efficient operating system I have ever seen. If you monitor the usage of everything, it is far, way better than any alternative. I will NEVER go back, booting up window$ and right away it hogs the internet and thrashes the hard drive for a long time. Using Linux, I always know that it will be quiet right when it boots up, I don't have to worry about lagging anyone on the PS3.

Yes, it's completely free, I highly recommend Ubuntu, their support is top notch(community, forums, etc.), I even find other distributions coming into the Ubuntu forums, to ask questions about their distribution, ironic really.

Their operating system is also really user friendly, good for beginners, but not so stupid-proof an advanced user(like myself, computer programmer) would be tripping over all the time. Yes, as with almost all distros you need the terminal, but I like the terminal, very powerful, I do not, however, like building from source-I think it is because I haven't really done it enough to feel comfortable with it.

As for booting, there are ways that I have heard of, to make a bootable flash drive, once again, if your BIOS supports it.

Ubuntu is fast, and extremely good at multitasking, better than windows especially in this aspect, 10 fold.

With Linux, it is also meant to be installed on lower-end computers, and will usually act accordingly, it uses a very small amount of memory, it works with what it has. And also note, with Linux, it creates a small cache in memory so as to serve for quick access to what it thinks you will use next. With Linux, it sees any amount of ram unused, being wasted, this increases speed, and it will make room for your programs quickly.

Of course don't get window$ XP, he will become more intelligent with computers, and he will certainly like it and not be able to go back (most likely) after he has tried this. With windows, after going to Ubuntu, I've noticed it is very horrible at multitasking, and objects in explorer, like start menu, etc. get all laggy. It's horrible really, I have a very fast computer besides. Vista is 10x worse than XP. Not to mention how much windows likes to bug you, minimizing and most likely crashing a game because it wants you to install stupid, useless security updates. With Linux, updates actually add functionality, something you can see, not just fix a backdoor, of which windows has many.

Answer 2

You don't give any specs, so you need to do a bit of research. Try googling the specific computer & linux to see what comes up.

One distro that is recommended for older hardware is vector linux http://www.vectorlinux.com/ - check their website and if the machine you are looking to install on doesn't meet the requirements, look into DSL or Puppy. You can also do a google search on distros & old hardware for other recommendations.  

Answer 3

Switching to Ubuntu will be free, and it should run on an old laptop. I'm currently running Ubuntu Gutsy on an older laptop without much RAM or HDD space. The only thing that I had to change, was use the Text-based installer which doesn't load a live CD first, allowing you to install first, then use. However if you're looking to install a disro of linux from a floppy, I'd recommend d**n Small Linux. Google it and see if it'll work.

Here's the requirements (from Ubuntu site)

Ubuntu is available for PC, 64-Bit PC and Intel based Mac architectures. At least 256 MB of RAM is required to run the alternate install CD (384MB of RAM is required to use the live CD based installer). Install requires at least 4 GB of disk space.

Answer 4

if it doesnt have a CD drive, i don't think so. you'd hafta burn ubuntu from http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download and burn it to a CD and then install it... but seeing as how he has a "floppy" i dont see that working unless you someone put it on a "floppy" and i dont know if you can...

Answer 5

Being that you get passed the CD Drive issue. Yes it's possible to install Linux on that computer. You can install Linux on an iPod, you can install Linux on a Toaster if you'd like. Actually there are people out there who do nothing but try to install Linux on strange things, just because they can.

Suggestions for getting past the CD drive issue might be to install it from an external drive, so long as the computers BIOS are able to do so. Or you can just use an external CD drive. Which you can find for extremely cheap. I'm talking $10 to $20 dollar range. Which is much cheaper than purchasing XP.

Linux is completely free. It has a special license called the GNU/GPL which pretty much says that is HAS to be free. You can download it and burn it to a CD at your will, and do whatever you want with it.

The great thing about Linux is it will actually run much faster than Windows XP will, which is especially good on an older computer. Being that typically Linux uses less resources. Usually when I find an older computer, I install Linux on it, that way I can achieve proper performance.

Although you may also want to look into, "Yellow Dog" Linux. Which is the Distribution that they run on the PS3, they say that Yellow Dog is really good for use in older hardware.

But I'll be realistic. Linux is not the easiest thing to use if you're more accustomed to Windows, and will probably require a lot of effort on your part. You might just want to look into getting Windows XP through alternative means, maybe from a website, or from a friend. I believe there are also free ways to get it for educational purposes.