Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 18:19:05 -0400 From: Mark Hendriks <markh@lon.imag.net> To: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Cc: Gerlbonnie@aol.com Subject: Re: IBM PS/1 Was: (no subject) Message-ID: <00041818541400.00232@mymachine.imag.net> References: <38FC970E.59E3325F@sympatico.ca>
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On Tue, 18 Apr 2000, Paul Halliday wrote: > Gerlbonnie@aol.com wrote: > > > > I have a friend with an IBM PS/1IT with Windows 3.1. Can freebsd be installed > > on this computer? > > Yuppers. Actually, I believe that IBM's PS series was based on their MCA bus, which is not supported by FreeBSD. Even if I'm wrong about the PS1 being MCA bus, there are still also going to be a few other problems. First, if she's looking to 'upgrade' from Windows, then she's not going to want to run text mode. The IBM PS/1 dates back to when VGA was standard, if not earlier. XFree86 does, of course, support VGA mode, but have you ever tried to run XWindow software in VGA mode? In a word, don't. Some of it will be okay, but a lot of the newer stuff definitely wants 800x600 or better - especially the KDE stuff, and I'd bet the same it true of GNOME as well. Second, if she's still running Win3.1 on an old PS/1, she probably still only has 1 MB of RAM, maybe 4 MB if she upgraded since purchasing the computer. That's not going to be enough. I've tried getting RAM for an older computer. When a store tells you that they can get RAM for an older computer, they mean 3 to 4 years, not something as old as a PS/1 is now. Thirdly, it's very doubtful that she would have a CD drive, or a network card. If she did have a modem (not a safe bet, since someone else had to write to the mailing list,) Win3.1 doesn't even support 56k modems. The best she would likely have is 36.6, and again, that's assuming she's upgraded since the original purchase, otherwise we're talking 9600 at best. Download FreeBSD at 9600 baud? Aside from being a shut-on, she'd also better be an insomniac. > > She is a shut in with no funds to get any upgrades OR new > > computer system. > > FreeBSD can be downloaded from free. She _will_ however require a > network connection. Unless she's done some serious upgrading already, she is going to need more than just a network connection. If she doesn't have money for upgrading her computer, FreeBSD just won't run on it. Mark Hendriks markh@lon.imag.net To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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