linux system requirements?

Question

i am thinking of puchasing linux for a load of computers i have and was wondering if i need windows installed already or does it not need to have any software installed and i was mainly wondering what are the system requirements to install linux and what type of linux is the best

Answer 1

Linux is free, there is no need to purchase it. I use Fedora Core 7 for my servers, but Ubuntu seems to be the distro of choice of newbies to the linux kernel. As far as system requirements go, it depends on what you want to do with it. If you're just looking to make web servers with HTML code, it would require very little. If you want it to calculate with PHP, it'll be a little more. If you want a GUI, it'll be quite a bit more.

Answer 2

The minimum requirements for Linux are a 32-bit processor (386 or higher), and, I believe, 4 MB of RAM. That is only for a command line, though. For a GUI, you will need quite a bit more RAM, probably about 16.

The type of Linux that is best depends on what you want to do with it. And you do not need to have Windows installed to install Linux.

Answer 3

By your question I can tell you are not experienced enough to use Linux. You should be at least a relatively advanced user, to know enough about computers to be able to play with them.
But that doesn't mean you can't try it.
Now, be prepared to step into some very unfamiliar territories; to be willing and able to experiment and learn, to be willing to do a lot of research on the internet; to understand how things work, to be frustrated at times but to feel a great sensation when you get things done.

First thing you need to know is that you don't have to purchase Linux. If you are willing to pay for it, you can try some commercial distributions that sell you support (rather than the OS itself). Try Mandriva or Xandros, for example.
If you are willing to try on your own, there are many free distributions available for downloading. I can recommend you a few:

- PCLinuxOS: http://www.pclinuxos.com/
I've found PCLOS to be the easiest distribution for beginners. Easy to install, learn, and get familiar with; particularly if you are a windows user.

- Ubuntu / Kubuntu. http://www.ubuntu.com/
The most popular distribution, but it can be very unfamilar for windows users. Kubuntu may look more familiar, but still can be a little more difficult to learn and use than PCLOS.

- Linux Mint: http://linuxmint.com/
Based on Ubuntu but with added functionality out of the box. I would recommend you the KDE version, it more similar to windows than Gnome.

- Mandriva: http://www.mandriva.com/en/download/mandrivaone
Mandriva One is the free version, and you can purchase a paid version if you want support too.

- Open SUSE: http://en.opensuse.org/Welcome_to_openSUSE.org
Very powerful and very complete distribution.

Some more things to know:

You don't need to have Windows to install Linux. But you can even have both at the same time! If you have a windows installation, you can install Linux too and at boot you get to choose which OS to use. However, this requires advanced knowledge of Linux.

But you don't even have to install Linux to use it! All the distributions I list above let you make a CD that will run Linux from it; you don't need to touch your hard drive. In fact, this is what you should do at first; to see if you like and can use Linux before attempting to install it.

You don't need a fancy computer to run Linux; but to be able to run it well you need at least a Pentium 3 processor (a Celeron above 1.5 GHz, a Pentium 4, an AMD Athlon or Sempron will do). But you need enough memory. 512 MB is the minimum you should have (the distributions can run with less than that, but they will be VERY slow.) If you decide to install it, you'll need at least 10 GB of hard drive space.
So, as you can see, you can get hold of an older computer and use it to play and learn Linux before making it your default Operating System.

But before you do anything, you should do A LOT of research. Look for as much information you can about Linux on the web. Visit some Linux forums and READ a lot (don't ask questions before you know enough). Learn how to download and burn your Linux CDs or DVDs. Learn the basis.
If you are WILLING to learn, to put some effort on it; if you feel confident enough to try something new, then go ahead.
If you don't think you know enough about computers as to learn Linux, then - no offense intended - Linux is not for you.

Good luck.

Answer 4

With respect, from your question, I think you need to steer clear of Linux until you know what you are doing. No offence meant....