I can pick up an ancient IBM 600e Thinkpad for free. I know Slack will
work fine with it as I once had a 600 (no 'e') that worked fine.

IF I can find a wireless card for it, AND I load the current version of
Slack, would it work in Starbucks, airport, etc? Or will I need to add
some additional wifi package ?

(This thing is so old it doesn't even have built in ethernet. You have
to use a card! But it works with a live Linux CD. I tried Damn Small
Linux. Fonts from hell. Mepis works but slow as hell.)

Would you suggest Slax for a tiny 256MB, 6 GB 900 mhz. machine?



Thanks,

Al

On Mon, 30 Apr 2007 07:14:02 -0700, ANC wrote:

> I can pick up an ancient IBM 600e Thinkpad for free. I know Slack will
> work fine with it as I once had a 600 (no 'e') that worked fine.
>
> IF I can find a wireless card for it, AND I load the current version of
> Slack, would it work in Starbucks, airport, etc? Or will I need to add
> some additional wifi package ?
>
It depends. Some drivers are not built into the kernel. For example, I
have an atheros based PCMCIA wireless card. That card works fine after you
compile the kernel driver. Use a 2.6.x kernel by the way. The usual
caveats about which hardware to buy for Linux compatibility apply.
>
> (This thing is so old it doesn't even have built in ethernet. You have
> to use a card! But it works with a live Linux CD. I tried Damn Small
> Linux. Fonts from hell. Mepis works but slow as hell.)
>
> Would you suggest Slax for a tiny 256MB, 6 GB 900 mhz. machine?
>
Full Slackware 11 would be my preference. Use XFCE to lower the memory
footprint.
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Al
>
Note: comments inline.

Caveat: I only know about an IBM 600e by reading what you have said about
it above.

I have used a Dell with a 650MHz P3 processor and 256M RAM to run either
KDE or GNome on a full install of slackware. However, that computer was
retired when one of the memory slots failed (leaving only 128M active.) In
short, it worked acceptably well with 256M, but was not so great with 128M.

--
Douglas Mayne

On Mon, 30 Apr 2007 07:14:02 -0700, ANC
<acanton.take-out@adams-blake.no_spamxxx.com> wrote:

>I can pick up an ancient IBM 600e Thinkpad for free. I know Slack will
>work fine with it as I once had a 600 (no 'e') that worked fine.
>
>IF I can find a wireless card for it, AND I load the current version of
>Slack, would it work in Starbucks, airport, etc? Or will I need to add
>some additional wifi package ?
>
>(This thing is so old it doesn't even have built in ethernet. You have
>to use a card! But it works with a live Linux CD. I tried Damn Small
>Linux. Fonts from hell. Mepis works but slow as hell.)
>
>Would you suggest Slax for a tiny 256MB, 6 GB 900 mhz. machine?

256GB 900Mhz is'nt a bad computer. That is what they are going to use
for the $100 ( now $175 :-) ) laptop for kids in the 3rd world.
http://hardware.slashdot.org/article...54245&from=rss


Now I have an old Canon, with a 90Mz Pentium and 64 Meg Ram, and
I can put Slackware on it.

I hear that Atheros based cards work well with linux.
If you get one of those, all you need to do is
Get the madwifi patch/module (google for it)
Once it's built and installed .... I'll assume a static ip.

ifconfig ath0 up
ifconfig ath0 inet 192.168.0.1 (may need a different number,
or use DHCP)

iwlist ath0 scan # will tell you what networks are available
# if they broadcast their ssid

#connect to wireless network
wpa_supplicant -w -iath0 -c/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf -d

Read the fine examples in /usr/doc/wpa-supplicant-0.5.7.
It explains how to set pcmcia settings for card detection.
It also has an example for a simple airport/coffeeshop
wpa_supplicant.conf that has no password:

# Plaintext (no encryption) network
ctrl_interface=/var/run/wpa_supplicant
network={
ssid="example open network"
key_mgmt=NONE
}


You might need to set your route too, like
route add default ath0 (possibly with a gw address)

That is the bare minimum to get you going. There are of course,
fancier front ends, that allow you to have multiple network config
files to connect at different locations.
wpa_cli is one such program.


Good luck.
zentara




--
I'm not really a human, but I play one on earth.
http://zentara.net/japh.html

On Mon, 30 Apr 2007 07:14:02 -0700, ANC wrote:

> I can pick up an ancient IBM 600e Thinkpad for free. I know Slack will
> work fine with it as I once had a 600 (no 'e') that worked fine.
>
> IF I can find a wireless card for it, AND I load the current version of
> Slack, would it work in Starbucks, airport, etc? Or will I need to add
> some additional wifi package ?
>

I have found that Atheros based cards like Dlink WNA2330 will usually work
quite well with Linux - uses mad-wifi. Not familiar with how star$$ works,
but I should think there would be no major difficulty.

> (This thing is so old it doesn't even have built in ethernet. You have
> to use a card! But it works with a live Linux CD. I tried Damn Small
> Linux. Fonts from hell. Mepis works but slow as hell.)
>
> Would you suggest Slax for a tiny 256MB, 6 GB 900 mhz. machine?

My preference would probably be for Elive. I've installed it on a P166
with 64MB and it ran tolerably well, to each his/her own.


>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Al

ANC wrote:
> I can pick up an ancient IBM 600e Thinkpad for free. I know Slack will
> work fine with it as I once had a 600 (no 'e') that worked fine.
>
> IF I can find a wireless card for it, AND I load the current version of
> Slack, would it work in Starbucks, airport, etc? Or will I need to add
> some additional wifi package ?
>
> (This thing is so old it doesn't even have built in ethernet. You have
> to use a card! But it works with a live Linux CD. I tried Damn Small
> Linux. Fonts from hell. Mepis works but slow as hell.)
>
> Would you suggest Slax for a tiny 256MB, 6 GB 900 mhz. machine?
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Al
I would stick with slack 11. It has better driver support (esp with 2.6.17.13 stock
kernel) than earlier versions and slax. I have it running on 3 laptops:
Compaq Evo N400C PIII-850, 256Mb, 20GB HD with D-Link PCMCIA 802.11g
Compaq Armada E500 PIII-900, 256MB, 20GB HD internal NIC
IBM Thinkpad i1400 Pentium 266MMX, 64MB, 4GB HD, PCMCIA NIC

I only install what I really need; CDs (DVD)come with a lot of good software but
most is not needed fro a regular office/travel box. Picking and choosing you can get
Slack to well under 1.5GB with all the bells and whistles. Also, if you optimize the
kernel configuration and recompile you can speed it up and save a bit of space (there
are A LOT of modules you don't need!). Don't forget, the full kernel source take up
some decent space!

Whether or not fonts look "crisp" will depend not so much on the window manager
/desktop but on how you configure X (native LCD resolution) and how good the LCD is.
On my laptops, the fonts look fine whether I used KDE, xfce, fluxbox etc. (I'm
part of the bifocal crowd now...). I increased the default font sizes to 12/14/16 pt
in KDE from the much smaller defaults.

As for wireless PCMCIA (PCCARD / cardbus), I really like the D-Link (model WNA-1330
atheros chipset and using madwifi drivers).

Enjoy

ANC wrote:
>
>I can pick up an ancient IBM 600e Thinkpad for free. I know Slack will
>work fine with it as I once had a 600 (no 'e') that worked fine.
>
>IF I can find a wireless card for it, AND I load the current version of
>Slack, would it work in Starbucks, airport, etc? Or will I need to add
>some additional wifi package ?

Please post whatever your results are -- good or bad -- with
the wireless card. I sometimes use an old laptop when on
business trips (no worries if it breaks or is stolen) and would
be interested in being able to connect at starbucks with it.

>(This thing is so old it doesn't even have built in ethernet. You have
>to use a card! But it works with a live Linux CD. I tried Damn Small
>Linux. Fonts from hell. Mepis works but slow as hell.)
>
>Would you suggest Slax for a tiny 256MB, 6 GB 900 mhz. machine?

I get pretty good performance out of machines that are slower
and have less RAM than that. The key is to stay out of X as
much as possible and to run a lightweight window manager such as
XFCE, FluxBox, Enlightenment or WindowMaker when you do run X.

HOW TO: De-clutter your desktop -- Linux GUIs compared
http://apcmag.com/5810/howto_de_clutter_your_desktop

Beginners Guide to Linux Desktops: Xfce 4
http://techgage.com/article/beginner...nux_desktops/3

Beginners Guide to Linux Desktops: Fluxbox, E16, FVWM-Crystal
http://techgage.com/article/beginner...nux_desktops/4

--
Guy Macon
<http://www.guymacon.com/>

ANC wrote:

> I can pick up an ancient IBM 600e Thinkpad for free. I know Slack will
> work fine with it as I once had a 600 (no 'e') that worked fine.

(Made mention of fonts.)

(late 1999 is not so old) (my 600E is late 1999)

I recently installed Slack 11.0 onto a Thinkpad 600E. It has a 366 MHZ cpu.
It's motherboard bios has been flashed to the latest bios from Lenovo. It
has a 30 GB HD. I've two add in sticks of 128 MB each ram -- so, add
those two 128's on to the 32 MB that's permanently on the motherboard gives
me a total of 288 MB of ram.

Slack 11.0, I did the full install, everything (600E has a 24X CD drive).

Installed the 2.6.17 (the generic kernel and modules from /extra)

Made an initrd (ext3 file system).

This machine runs rather nicely in KDE. The default fonts are very well.

One thing -- prior to Slack install, I booted this 600E from a Knoppix 5.1.1
CD disk. Next, my Knoppix bootup command:

what do you want to boot: knoppix nodma acpi=off noapic

so, either

knoppix nodma acpi=off noapic

or

knoppix nodma acpi=off noapic desktop=icewm

Gets me rockin real fine with Knoppix on this 600E. The first loads KDE.
The second loads icewm.

It chokes (won't boot Knoppix) without the nodma (this lappy is too old for
dma to be assigned to its cdrom drive) (*oops*, *there* I said it: this
machine is *so old*, a dinosaur, so o o o o l d)

While in KDE in Knoppix, I wrote down some settings from the xorg.conf file.

Knoppix loads the neomagic and also (I think properly) detects the LCD at
1024 x 768

I copied down both the horizontal and the vertical sync rates.

Then in Slack 11.0, xorgconfig I entered the same horiz and vert. sync
rates.

I might did something in Slack to get neomagic (driver/module) to load
(brain too full, can't remember).

Slack's /etc/lilo.conf I use an append line with: acpi=off

oop, here again, 600E is *too old* (for acpi). apm works good though. But
I seriously doubt if hibernate/resume works.

I don't (yet) expect it to work too much like a laptop. It works great
plugged in to electrical outlet. Accesses the internet superbly via a
pcmcia 3com 10/100 lan card, via gateway (a 2wire DSL modem/router) on my
lan. Accesses other boxes on my lan ok.

I haven't run it long enough on battery yet to find out what would happen
when battery gets low . . .

Well, KDE (after sits for a while) the screen goes dark. Just wiggle the
mouse wakes up the video.

After some other (days, perhaps a week's worth of) pressing projects, I'll
have to run lappy via battery until battery gets low and discover what
happens.

I've not done wireless yet.

Have fun.

--
Alan_Cu A.B.C.

ANC wrote:
> I can pick up an ancient IBM 600e Thinkpad for free. I know Slack will
> work fine with it as I once had a 600 (no 'e') that worked fine.
>
> IF I can find a wireless card for it, AND I load the current version of
> Slack, would it work in Starbucks, airport, etc? Or will I need to add
> some additional wifi package ?
>
> (This thing is so old it doesn't even have built in ethernet. You have
> to use a card! But it works with a live Linux CD. I tried Damn Small
> Linux. Fonts from hell. Mepis works but slow as hell.)
>
> Would you suggest Slax for a tiny 256MB, 6 GB 900 mhz. machine?
>

I have Slackware 10.2 installed on a Pentium 120MHz 32 MB machine that
I use it only for tape backups and it works quite well with an USB
wireless pen (ndiswrapper) though I have to limit to 11Mbps becuase
usb2.0 is not supported on the MB.

Ciao
Giovanni
--
A computer is like an air conditioner,
it stops working when you open Windows.
Registered Linux user #337974 < http://giovanni.homelinux.net/ >