I know it's possible to get Linux running pretty smoothly on it but... I would like things like Adobe Flash (which I know is not possible) and worry wether there are other things (Java springs to mind) that I'll not be able to get.
I pretty-much told the guy I'm not really interested as it's not 64 bit but I may make an offer anyhow as it's almost got sentimental value. So the issue I face is that I know I can get it running well but would I be able to use it for all I want when not at home.


Might have to look up he best way to turn it into a retro-gaming rig for him or something?

You don't really need flash anyway. Most legit videos have all moved to safer formats.

You're right -- I'm almost certain I don't need Flash but, since I have it at the moment, I'm not absolutely sure.
If I buy the machine from my colleague I want to do so with the plan that I use it day-to-day for doing things like posting on this site and, possibly, watching a little YouTube posted from Twitter.
I don't need all that much processing power but I'm worried that the lack of 64 bit will mean I end up just using my phone instead.

I am using only 32 bit mostly on here. Rarely do I use 64 bit, it is only to run VM on the rare instance.

uninstall your flash package now and try, I'll bet you won't miss it. You can always reinstall if needed.

Luckily, because my colleague dug out the device his mother, whose device it is, is now playing games on her "netbook" that only came with Windows 7 -- she's not connecting it to anything so it's safe and it is, as my colleague sad "her gaming rig" .
I appreciate the answers regarding 32 bit though but have to admit that I'll likely look for AMD64 architecture if I go that route.

How much ram does the netbook have? I found 64 bit with less than 4G was a bit slow.

Some old PC related info.:

1. First Mac sold:
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-37199000

2. Local store is selling 100 CDR media for 70 bucks including tax. approx.
Wonder who buys this media and what they still use it for ? Seems so niche

3. Recently I tried dosemu and it works excellent with Puppy Linux, now I can pla
retro dos games on my older PC. The advantage of dosemu is that I can open more than one version of the emulator and hence have a few puzzles going on at the same time.

Build Virtual Environment with old PC:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly1BLt0s0zI

This is a good watch.

My old 63 ford f100 cd player plays cdr's burned on my linux computer.
Out here on the Mexican border. My radio station choices are limited.
If I want to listen to streaming radio. I gotta use my phone with a external speaker on the passenger seat.

You asked. So I am just saying.

Very good point, tx for sharing. I also see in US the same media is over 50% cheaper, so the demand is there.

http://englishrussia.com/2017/02/22/...ronic-gadgets/

Old soviet computers also in above set of pictures, interesting to see.

Convert Laptop to Desktop:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paIkeNIfZ8Y

Several other videos on same topic, interesting to see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkVhY-Bvt6U

I've been playing with 'minimal' (iso in VBox on old XP netbook) Has [SLOW]js LIVE demo!

Another LinuxLinks of Mini_Distros! And this ?OmniBoot? with a zillion ? like MBRwork!

*Hours* of mini_FUN

Amazing post, thanks for sharing. I know Linuxlinks site but never looked for the mini distros there. Will take a while to learn it all but well worth it.