UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Well to start off, let me say hello to every one! Im a bit new on the forum, I just signed up, but Ive been working with Unix like systems for a few years now. I have this old i486 sx that I found in my closet and I want to load a Unix onto it although Im not too sure what it might handle. I believe it has like 16mb RAM, and the processor is the 25mhz I want to say. I mean its really old and Im surprised it still runs! I would appreciate if anybody has any ideas on what i could run on it, I mean its just a little project until I purchase another computer.

Well linux at the beginning used to run (fine) on i386, I had (and still somewhere...) a 486 DX66 running 0.99p118 ... and the last release I can remember installing on it (1994-5?) was a slackware with kernel 1.2, so I would expect anything (linux) to that kernel release should work, now with 16MB ram I believe X would be dead slow and would soon start to swap... if its to use without GUI, it could run in a way it could be "useable"...The most difficult for you would be to find a suitable network card...

You should be able to get DSL running. Maybe not with X, but the live CD should still work.

DSL information

It looks like I might be trying out the DSL again once I find my disk. I actually had it on one of my old boxes that got "disposed of". But it wasnt a bad system at all, this is actually why I tried to keep the live disk, just in case I acquired an old project machine. I am pretty curious as to how it will run on this hoopty of a box! I'll try to keep you guys in the loop of how goes the battle if I don't just go buy a new machine before this one disappears. Thanx for your insight so far