# Best OS to use for a PC internet terminal **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 19, 2002, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-os-to-use-for-a-pc-internet-terminal/137433 "2002-11-19T01:33:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-os-to-use-for-a-pc-internet-terminal/137433/1 "2002-11-19T01:33:38Z")
I have an old Gateway 233MHz Pentium w/64megs which I want to set up as a broadband internet terminal. What’s the best OS to use, IOW what will run the fastest on an old machine like this? [ul][li]Windows 98 & IE 6[/li][li]Windows 95 & IE 5.5[/li][li]Linux & browser[/li][/ul]If Linux, which GUI and browser do you recommend? ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-os-to-use-for-a-pc-internet-terminal/137433/2 "2002-11-19T02:09:08Z")
Jeez… why? How big a pipe? ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-os-to-use-for-a-pc-internet-terminal/137433/3 "2002-11-19T02:36:06Z")
I should think that Windows 98 would be best, though I know nothing of Linux. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-os-to-use-for-a-pc-internet-terminal/137433/4 "2002-11-19T02:38:36Z")
Windows 98SE with a non-IE browser or Linux, any flavor. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-os-to-use-for-a-pc-internet-terminal/137433/5 "2002-11-19T03:02:11Z")
Have you considered NT? I would say go no higher then win 98 1st ed - the 2nd ed requires a good bump in horsepower. But give linux a shot ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-os-to-use-for-a-pc-internet-terminal/137433/6 "2002-11-19T03:23:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by k2dave \* > Have you considered NT? > > I would say go no higher then win 98 1st ed - the 2nd ed requires a good bump in horsepower. > > But give linux a shot LOL! NT, while saying 98SE “requires a good bump in horsepower”? Surely you jest. ---
**Author:** ![Pythagras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/45deac/32.png) [@Pythagras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pythagras)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-os-to-use-for-a-pc-internet-terminal/137433/7 "2002-11-19T03:26:08Z")
You can control very little about the system in 98/95/ME. If youre going to go windows, go NT. You can restrict users much more easily from doing moronic things like setting the wallpaper to porno (yes it happens quite predictably) and installing programs and doing other sorts of naughty internet thingys. ---
**Author:** ![Toddly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@Toddly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toddly)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-os-to-use-for-a-pc-internet-terminal/137433/8 "2002-11-19T04:02:09Z")
Linux and the Opera browser would be my choice. Just make sure that the hardware is compatable. I think that Mandrake is very easy to install and get ready to go quickly. They both are free by the way. I don’t think NT will run with your system specs as they are now. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-os-to-use-for-a-pc-internet-terminal/137433/9 "2002-11-19T07:32:31Z")
OpenBSD with Mozilla. If you don’t need the security of OpenBSD Linux will do. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-os-to-use-for-a-pc-internet-terminal/137433/10 "2002-11-19T11:07:33Z")
- - - Linux is the smallest/lightest (_IF_ your hardware is Linux-friendly, and you get a retail distro CD which is one-click install), but you can’t get IE6 on Linux. I use Mozilla normally, but many pages I run across still don’t display properly in anything but IE. What other browsers display ranges from minor problems such as missing right margins up to pages completely illegible or empty/blank. ~ ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Cool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@Joe\_Cool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cool)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-os-to-use-for-a-pc-internet-terminal/137433/11 "2002-11-19T14:23:42Z")
If you go with linux, I’d suggest the Phoenix browser instead of straight Mozilla. Phoenix is Mozilla with all the non-browser components taken out, so it loads and runs much faster. ---
**Author:** ![Dilbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58f4c7/32.png) [@Dilbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dilbert)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-os-to-use-for-a-pc-internet-terminal/137433/12 "2002-11-19T14:39:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duckster \* > **NT, while saying 98SE “requires a good bump in horsepower”?** I can’t say about 98 (SE or otherwise), but I know NT runs very well on the configuration in the OP. That being said, even though I know nothing of Linux, if I had a box that was configured the same way as the OP, I would try to install Linux of some sort. While NT would run fine, any newish browser would probably be the bottleneck on that machine (except perhaps Opera) I wonder if this thread is destined for IMHO? ---
**Author:** ![Dilbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58f4c7/32.png) [@Dilbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dilbert)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-os-to-use-for-a-pc-internet-terminal/137433/13 "2002-11-19T14:40:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dilbert \* > **but I know NT runs very well on the configuration in the OP.** I mean _fairly_ well. ---
**Author:** ![tourbot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@tourbot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tourbot)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-os-to-use-for-a-pc-internet-terminal/137433/14 "2002-11-19T15:14:21Z")
As someone who dual boots between Linux and 98SE at home, I can say that Linux is noticably much, much faster at simple web browsing and downloading files than 98. This is true for every browser I have tried under both OS’s (and IMHO, IE is the slowest, most crash prone compared to the other Win98 choices). However, I am running on a fairly new computer. There are definitely many more choices for browsers under Linux, including slightly stripped down but faster ones such as Galeon. If you read newsgroups, Linux also comes bundled with better newreaders than any I’ve seen available for Windows. When considering Linux as a choice, you really need to take into account your hardware. For web browsing, this means your NIC, video card, and monitor. For the NIC, just make sure it is compatible and it should be easy to get it working. The video system is where it gets tricky on an older system. While newer monitors and video cards with 8MB of video RAM or more tend to work flawlessly, I have had problems getting acceptable screen resolutions with older hardware. I have also gotten great results with 1MB cards on very old 15 inch monitors, so it isn’t impossible. Another consideration is what exactly you use the web for. If you prefer to view shockwave movies or games, sometimes the plugins are not up to date or not available, and they aren’t quite as easy to install as in Windows. (Not that it’s hard, either, but its more than just clicking next next next.) Also, you may have a harder time getting some types of streaming media to play. Again, not impossible, but it may require some effort. I would suggest trying out RedHat and see how it works for you. Then, if you want a system that really flies and where you have real control over the configuration, give Slackware a try. Trust me, its not as hard as it looks. 😉 OTOH, I did run Win98SE on a machine with the same specs as above (and with a 1MB video card) until something less than a year ago, and it ran just fine. Honestly, I can’t say that I see that big of a difference in web browsing speeds in Win98 since switching to my Athlon 1800. Not as big as the difference between Windows and Linux anyway. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-os-to-use-for-a-pc-internet-terminal/137433/15 "2002-11-19T15:32:22Z")
If you do want to run Linux on a computer that old I _highly_ recommend that you don’t try to run some bloated desktop like KDE. You won’t have much fun with it… ---
**Author:** ![blinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@blinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinx)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-os-to-use-for-a-pc-internet-terminal/137433/16 "2002-11-19T16:05:19Z")
If you could add just a little more memory and you have people in your house that are not used to working with a computer, I would suggest using something like this: [http://www.oeone.com/products/desktop.html](http://www.oeone.com/products/desktop.html) Also - if you are just going to use it for browsing, you can run linux and do without a window manager, just start mozilla/opera/galeon whatever and you will have none of the bloat that such likes as KDE would give you. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-os-to-use-for-a-pc-internet-terminal/137433/17 "2002-11-20T22:25:57Z")
Okay, after a little research I figure that I’ll go with either Red Hat 8.0 or Mandrake 9.0. Can anyone recommend one over the other in terms of running it on a 233 Pentium I? And the main use will just be internet browsing. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-os-to-use-for-a-pc-internet-terminal/137433/18 "2002-11-20T23:10:06Z")
> [@](#): > > LOL! > > NT, while saying 98SE “requires a good bump in horsepower”? > > Surely you jest. not one bit, NT can be installed in a way that it takes very little power to run and has added security features. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-os-to-use-for-a-pc-internet-terminal/137433/19 "2002-11-21T01:54:52Z")
I would suggest Linux in the following configuration: [ul] [li]Distro: Mandrake. Easy to install, easy to configure, aimed at the newbie market. Find Mandrake 8.1, which only needs 64 Mb RAM to install.[/li][li]Desktop: IceWM. A very light window manager with a Win95-style look and feel. This will run fine on older hardware while giving those who only know Windows a way to feel more at home.[/li][li]Browser: Opera. Very small, light, and fast. Mozilla tends to run too bloated for small or embedded systems, whereas Opera is used on the Sharp Zaurus PDA.[/li][/ul]All of that should cost you $3.99 or less at [http://cheapbytes.com/](http://cheapbytes.com/) , more if you buy from Mandrake itself or at a store. Note: [Cheapbytes.com](http://Cheapbytes.com) sells CD-ROMs with ISO-9660 images burned on them. These images are freely available online, so Cheapbytes is simply selling the service of burning them onto CD-ROMs for you. It’s worth the money, especially when you consider how damned huge a full distro is. Don’t expect tech support if you buy CDs from Cheapbytes, however. This shouldn’t be a problem, but if it worries you, buy from Mandrake. ---
**Author:** ![sigSEGV](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@sigSEGV](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sigSEGV)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-os-to-use-for-a-pc-internet-terminal/137433/20 "2002-11-21T02:17:28Z")
I would suggest using Linux running mozilla, but using a raw X session – no window manager. Configure it to use tabbed browsing to switch between windows. Lock down all Linux console shorcuts (CTRL-ALT-DEL), X keyboard shortcuts CTRL-ALT ±, CTRL-ALT-BS, etc.). Make all browser preferences read only (chmod 440). Haven’t tried it, there may be hangups, but it would seem to me to be the most secure method.