I have an old computer that I mainly use for browsing and im. It runs pretty slow on Win2K and I've heard that it's good to use linux OS for slow computers. Would I be able to use softwares such as Firefox, AIM, and Adobe programs under linux?

Firefox: Yes.

AIM: Sort of.
AOL Instant Messenger 6.0 (The newest one) is a Windows only program. There is a Linux version, but it is at version 1.5, and I think it is missing a lot of features. There are other programs, however, such as GAIM, that allow you to communicate using the AIM protocol.

Adobe:
Any you purchased for Windows will not install on Linux. Most Adobe programs, such as the Studio Suite, are only for Windows and Mac. I do not know if others have Linux versions. However, there are several programs for Linux that provide similar or the same functionality. For example, instead of Photoshop, I use GIMP.

~Viz

Opera and Gaim are your way foward. Nearly everything by windows has a better cross-platform counterpart (OpenOffice) and most deccent stuff is also cross-platform.

Opinion that linux is for slow computers not complitely right. Linux is such an OS that vary drastically from installation to installation. You can install last DE (desktop envirenment) with cool 3D effects, such as Beryl, which will need at least 512M of RAM and new video board with at least 256 Mb of RAM on it. In other side you can install text-only system which will run smoothly at old i486 machine with 8M of RAM. All depends of your needs.
In your case it's feasible not to install GNOME nor KDE, install more lightweight DE, such as Xfce, or maybe even pure window manager, such as IceWM or BlackBox. This will save to you plenty of RAM.
If you even more limited in RAM try lightweight browser - elinks and console IM - centericq.
Happy linuxing.

Uh I would sugget that you go with windows98 rather. You will not enjoy using Linux without a desktop environment, which if installed, will make your Linux machine slower. Either you install an old linux distro like RedHat 9/8/7 or take my word, install win98. You wont enjoy Linux unless you can mentally prepare yourself to get over all the Adobe products and switch for a replacement (which certainly aren't as powerful).

For Adobe apps, if you have Photoshop 7 or lower, it will work under WINE almost perfectly.

xboxrulz

That's right, I forgot about WINE. WINE (WINE Is Not an Emulator) is an application for Linux that provides a registry and drive structure that Windows programs need. It also provides translation from things like DirectX and the Windows API into Linux APIs and OpenGL. Some programs work well with it, others don't. If you are interested, WineHQ.

~Viz

Would be nice to see what Specs you have on that computer, some people who say old and slow say computers that are less than 4 years old, I've got systems dating back to the 80s that are old, but not slow.

Since you're running Win2K I can say you're running a system with a processor speed greater than 150MHz, RAM might be around 64MB or more.

Now you can run a Desktop Environment, and it doesn't mean you need the recommended 512MB of RAM though this would be nice to have. You can run the lite desktops, ignite has suggested a few, which may mean you'll need to find the right Linux for you or be able to install what you need off the internet.

AIM is no problem, lots of clients exist that will work for you. May not have all the fancier features though.

Firefox, of course it's on Linux.

Adobe programs, depends which ones, though you may want to look into Alternatives, I did write a guide how to get PS7 on Linux using Wine, but Gimp is really an underestimated app, I found it does a few things better.

Cheers,

MC

ALright, here are the specifications for the computer:

Gateway Astro PC
Pentium II
500 Mhz
128mb RAM
4GB Hard Drive
USB 1.1 ports

This post has been edited by demolaynyc: Jan 13 2007, 02:06 AM

Ya, the X server is going to have some problems running on 128mb or RAM. I tried that before, it lagged right out.

4GB of HDD space is barely enough to get a full-fledge desktop going.

xboxrulz