Installfest - PC Requirements

Due to how quickly things change, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of this document.

CPU

• '386 CPU or higher
• Some distributions require '586/Pentium or higher (eg, Mandrake)

RAM

• Some distributions of Linux can run on a system with as little as 4MB of RAM
• A minimum of 16MB is generally recommended
• 32MB is recommended for a graphical install
• The more, the better!

CDROM

• Nearly all Linux installations are on CD media. If you don't have a CDROM drive, contact us and we'll see if we can still help.

Hard Disk Space

• Some distributions run off of a floppy disk, but they're not usually meant for general use.
• At a very minimum, some Linux distributions can fit in as little as 20MB.
• The smallest space we recommend trying to fit Linux into is 500MB
• For a more usable system, at least 2GB is useful
• The more, the better!

Input/Output Devices

• Most styles of keyboards and mice are supported
• Currently, USB devices might be an issue (they are currently not fully supported under the 'stable' versions of Linux (versus the 'development' versions))
• Joysticks and joypads, touch pads, and many other devices are supported to varying degrees

Video

• Many, many video cards are supported, including some of the newer 3D accellarated cards. Bring your manuals, though!
• Most monitors can be made to work well under Linux. Bring your manuals!

Sound

• Most soundcards work to varying degrees under Linux.

Network Peripherals

• Most Winmodems are not supported ("Winmodems" are very cheap internal modems; for info, see: Linmodems.org))
• Other than that, we can probably figure out your modem or network card (eventually)

Other

• Zip drives and most tape drives are supported.
• PalmOS devices are supported.
• Many digital cameras and scanners are supported to varying degrees.
• Got anything else? Ask us and we'll find out!

Note: If you're wondering to yourself why some hardware is so poorly supported under Linux, realize that this is due to the manufacturers not releasing drivers, or even specifications, for their hardware. Many companies are changing this policy and supporting Linux. On the other hand, other companies go so far as suing developers who are reverse-engineering hardware so it can be used under Linux!

For more details on supported hardware, see the Linux Hardware HOWTO!