So, I'm looking at getting Linux, just because it sounds like fun, and some friends are trying to get me on it...
I have a very old windows box, running win98SE and my Mac...
I installed Mandrake 10.0 and I have no GUI... as a total novice in the ways of Linux, I would love a GUI...
Just wondering... what is a good Linux for a TOTAL NOVICE
On another note.. Linux scares me...

Ubuntu. Its a Debian-based distribution but a lot of work has been done to make it install nicely and pop up a useable GUI desktop. and its free. Give it a run.

Would it run on a 233MHZ AMD?

Yes, it should run. As morik said, ubuntu is very user-friendly, so I'd give that a go.

These days RAM means more than CPU. Slow CPU == slower stuff, small RAM == lots of "pretending" that the hard disk is really temporary memory and thus everything becomes REALLY slow.

Modern Linux/GUI OSes really do want a lot of memory (256mb+) for the environment and applications to be fast and stable. For example, a web browser may use >64 megabytes of RAM just for itself. Scary, eh?

Ok, thanks so much! I'm working on getting it right now, but.. can I still use MUISHclient inside of Ubuntu? Or is there a special list of Linux-mud clients? And if so, any reccomendations?

Yes that is very very scary Morik... maybe I should just keep to my Mac, it loves me, it told me so!

You'll have to get Wine (Windows emulator kinda) up and running for Mushclient to work on Linux. And Wine is a pain in the ass. A good Linux-client is Tinyfugue, but you have to be competent at programming to use it well.

I know BLITZBasic (listens to the laughter...) So.. I am screwed for clients now? :cry:
I could always telnet...

Also... anyone know why my Mandrake 10.0 won't change to GUI when I push ctrl+alt+F7 ?

Try startx in the commandline.

Lots of stuff about Xanth... and a server error... still no GUI
This box is not online...I stiol need to actually get an OS on it, with a GUI...MMMmmm GUI..

Chances are you haven't configured the X server. Which is a bitch. Really, just install Ubuntu, give that a whirl.

Ubuntu is installing....and installing... and installing.... and *dies*
Wow... this is taking days, I am almost to 4 hours on the install now!
and no I have no server or even internet yet.

Its on an AMD 233mhz - and you wanted a GUI - what were you expecting?

A GUI... Windoze 98SE has a GUI...
OH well, I always have my macmini... but Uubuntu looks so cute! Decisions Decisions!
Do you think it will run ok, asfar as tranversing through the GUI on the 233?

Ubuntu - 2004/2005
Windows 98 - 1998

things have gotten shinier, have more features, and are generally full of crap. Its the march of progress. (eww.)

Who knows, I wouldn't run GUI w/ linux on anything slower than a 500mhz machine w/ 128 mb of RAM these days. Guess you'll just have to find out.

Think about what it'd be like to run Windows XP on your machine. thats what 'modern' flashy GUI linux installs will perform like. It is possible to get a cut down GUI setup under Linux but its not anywhere near as user friendly as Ubuntu.

Your scaring me... so now my box has no OS...oh well I have 85% on Ubuntu!
The text-commandline interface is fun and all, cause it looks like a mud, so it is friendly... but I don't know how to do anything with it, and /uptime didn't work.
Thanks for all the help by the way, I appreciate it!

You know, MacOS/X, on your mac mini, "runs on UNIX". Its not derived from Linux, but its still unix-y. You can access it by clicking on "Applications", then "Utilities", "Terminal". As long as you don't run sudo you can't damage the actual computer (ie, the damage is limited, hopefully, to your home folder.)

Thats quite a good place to start if you want to fiddle with UNIX. There's a lot more you can do in a text unix environment than ubuntu/macosx has - but you generally find those by spending time trying to figure out how to do something, asking a UNIX-clued friend and they say "install {this program}! It'll do everything you want!"

Have fun.

Will do! I, in my infinite amount of stupidity, assumed UNIX and LINUX were... well, like windows 98 and windows XP, evolutions of each other or some such.
All I know is Ubuntu was cute, and it suppport all the languages I need!
The onlything I know about the textbased OS thing, is you can gunzip and unpack and repack things so much easier... like DIKU!
How easy/hard is it to edit the (what would be called the system file, I think, on windows?) so i can change the whole look of the GUI and such? I'm wanting to work on a Lusternia-Themed computer, and all I have so far are the image files and such I made.
Oh No! I just thought of something! Does this mean I can't use things like Photoshop anymore?

Ah, google for "The History of UNIX" and "The History of Linux" - they're linked, but not directly related to each other.

Changing the GUI requires a little hackery but there are "themes" in the two GUI environments Ubuntu can use (Gnome and KDE). Ubuntu should come with Gnome, KUbuntu is Ubuntu with KDE. Get familiar with the environment then start googling for "Ubuntu themes" and "Gnome themes".

Place to start: http://www.gnome-look.org/ - grab a theme, unpack it, see what it looks like inside. It should be a zipped/tarball file of 'stuff' including images which you can just modify.

finally, photoshop? There's an open source version called "The Gimp" which should be installed w/ Ubuntu but really, Photoshop kicks its ass. Try to grab Photoshop for your Mac Mini, it'll be infinitely easier to work with.

I use photoshop 7.0 and I have fireworks (I think it is called FireWorks..) I think it might work on it, If it will ever get done installing!
Thanks again for all of the help!
So, TinyFugue is my new mud client then? Or would I be ok with telnet *shiver*?