Jake, from Auckland

Introduce yourself. Tell people why you are interested in vintage computers and what (if anything) you've got.

Jake, from Auckland

Postby 3djake on Thu Jun 22, 2017 11:17 am

Hello

My name is Jake, I am primarily a Linux user.

My first computer in the 90's was a Windows 3.1 machine which sparked my interest in computers, I was young so I do not remember the specs or the make, it was not fast but it could run doom but it sounded horrible.
One of my friends who lived down the street when I was a kid had a Commodore 64 which I thought was awesome when he showed me that some of the software was on tapes rather than floppy's.

In about 2006 I decided to try a Linux distro and was introduced to FOSS loved it so much that I stopped using Windows.

Any way for my first vintage computer I want to get a computer from about 1985-1995, I want it to be compatible with Linux(386 and later should be compatible) and have decent specs for that era. I plan to mostly play with old versions of Linux distros but t would be a plus if it could run old DOS games, I may set up a dual boot.
I signed up for some advice on where I can find one of these old computers for a decent price.
I looked on trademe but there were not many options there and the few that I did see were too pricey for me, I would rather buy a complete working computer which I can upgrade if I need to, I can buy the display separate if I have to.

Regards, Jake.
3djake
 
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Re: Jake, from Auckland

Postby SpidersWeb on Sun Jun 25, 2017 5:47 pm

Welcome to the forum :)

I'd recommend a Pentium. Will run MS DOS just fine, Linux distros with window managers from the late 90s fine. CDROMs wont be an issue, and you'll be able to use larger hard drives with less hassle.
I have a 486DX40 with an early version of NetBSD and I'll say that XWindows didn't perform very well, but I have a Pentium 200 running RedHat 6 just fine with a GUI.

I have found Pentium machines in dumpsters before, so if you find one, I wouldn't spend much more than $50 unless it comes with dual VooDoo 2's or throws flames out the back.

Just my two cents.
Wanted - Dead or Alive - Reward $$$: Compaq Deskpro 8088 / 286 / 386 - IBM RT 6150/6151 parts - AT&T 3B2 parts
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