Linux Recommendation Please

My parents have a somewhat older desktop running Windows XP. They don't use for much more than internet browsing and viewing some photos.
Occasionally they just want to turn the computer quickly on to just check their email quickly or some small task but don't want to wait for Windows to load up (which is pretty slow).

I was thinking that maybe making a small partition of the HDD and installing a light version of linux would be good for them so they could boot linux up for the times that they just need quick access to firefox.

Which linux would you recommend? I would also like for the computer to boot XP on normal startups, but if they want to use linux then they could just press F9 (I think) and boot into linux for that one time.

Any advice?

Thanks - much appreciated.

 

both Fedora 11 and Ubuntu 9.04 would be good for this as 20 second boot times were a requirement of both of their most recent releases.

 

If you go the Ubuntu route, it might be better to consider either CrunchBang or Xubuntu. I recommend CrunchBang.

 

I looked up CrunchBang and I'm pretty impressed. It seems like a fast Ubuntu.

Quick Questions:

1. What's the difference between CrunchBang Standard and Lite?

2. Can I setup a very small partition?

3. Can I still have my computer boot into XP normally and just boot linux on occasion by pushing F9 at boot?

Thanks

 

Crunchbang isn't for noobs. I suggest LinuxMint for a quick install, or Ubuntu if you have experience. Might i suggest you wipe xp and use linux full time?

 

1. The Lite version just contain the strict minimum: http://crunchbanglinux.org/wiki/applications#lite_edition. Get the regular ubuntu. The boot time is already pretty short.

2. Ubuntu takes around 1gb so I guess with a 3gb root partition and a 500-700mb swap partition you should be ok. Or just right click on my computer on XP, manage, disk management and shrink your partition so that there is at least 4gb of unallocated space after the main partition and when booting ubuntu, tell the installer to use the maximum amount of free space.

3.GRUB is installed during the setup and should automatically detect XP. When you are done installing linux just get startup-manager and set xp as the default os to boot.

 

Calvin raises a good point. How experienced are you in installing/administrating linux?

 

I was thinking the same thing that Calvin said. How much experience do you have with Linux configs and how much time do you want to spend on it? Also what are the specs of this machine that you are trying to put Linux on? If you want a fast and easy route to Linux installation without spending a lot of time configuring things I would go with Xubuntu(very low resource usage with XFCE desktop environment) or Linux mint.

 

Thank you all for your help. I've installed Ubuntu linux a few times in the past but since my parents aren't experienced with linux, you're right that I should get them a simple version. So it seems like Linux Mint is the best bet.

 

Hi guys.Im looking to switch from Vista to a linux distro.I want a good basic installed,and then learn little by little to configure my system(with the ebbooks i have).Now,I want my distro to be stble.Im between Debian or Fedora.I use my PC to download stuff(torrent and flash videos from various sites),occasionaly play a play,read mail etc.I'd love to have all the codecs for video playbavk preisntalled but I rather do it myself to learn some stuff.Also I want to avoid the...Dependancy Hell,as much as possible so I will be compiling most of the stuff I want from the source,so I dont care if the distro is based on RPM or other stuff like this.Thanks for any help...

 

So you don't want to do manual dependency resolutions, but you want to compile from source, or am I missing something? What do you mean by "dependency hell"? Compiling things from source does NOT mean your program won't have dependencies. It just means you'll have to find and get them yourself. Source compilation and manual installs are things that newcomers shouldn't attempt, since doing it right requires you to have an intimate knowledge of how the linux root filesystem works. Manually installing software is almost guaranteed to break your system unless you know exactly what you're doing. Since you're looking for a stable system, I don't recommend you do it.

Between Debian and Fedora, I think Fedora for sure would be the best for you. It's more graphically oriented and will give you an easier time. Normally for newbies I would recommend Ubuntu, but Fedora works.

 

By saying dependency hell,i mean that each distro has its own server where you download stuff.I want to avoid that.All I want is,step by step install the stuff I need on my own and keep them,as i rarely upgrade software that work.I have tried Ubuntu but didnt like it.Fedora and Debian I liked them more.Now,I have a little Linux experience,but want to move a step ahead,that why I want to do these stuff manually,to get a deeper understanding.Maybe I should try a Linux running in a virtual environment first?

 

I see, well, an environment like Slackware or Gentoo might be more of what you're looking for. Instead of a repo full of precompiled packages, Gentoo has a repo full of build scripts that you can download and edit to make them what you want. Slackware is more the find it yourself type, and it sounds exactly like what you're looking for. IMO running things in a virtual machine will only make stuff more complicated since you won't be dealing with real hardware and you won't learn as much, but it's up to you.

Good luck.

Oh, and just one request: Please space out your punctuations. It makes it easier on the people who try to read what you write. Thanks!

 

Thanks for the help!I will look into these two!

 

I just noticed on DistroWatch that Slackware 13 RC3 -current has just been posted....I'm downloading

 

Try Kubuntu. Be sure to check the specs of your notebook if it runs on i386 or x86