Hi, guys,
I very appreciate all replies to my post.
Let me explain what I am trying to accomplish.
I would like to send a computer to my parents so that I could communicate with them via email and IM. They are 100% computer illiterate. The solution should be cost effective and user friendly :-)
I have found the following publication and got in touch with the mentioned computer maker (please check out the link below)
http://www.norhtec.com/products/mcjr/index.html
The manufacturer has mentioned that their device could run Linux Puppy. Amen.
One of the decisions to make is - what should be the hardware configuration.
The other one is related to the first one - which configuration of Linux Puppy to choose.
So far, I have personally tried only Puppy that comes with OpenOffice 2.0. The LiveCD for this distribution is 170 Mb. The other ones claim to be smaller than 50-70 Mb.
So, I have to decide which way to go:
1. get the smallest Puppy, put it into the RAM (how much should I have?) and install the rest of the software such as graphics and OpenOffice onto the ... (hard drive, CF, - please help me with the configuration of the hardware)
2. get the Puppy with the OpenOffice 2 and adjust the hardware appropriately (amount of RAM, size and kind of the HDD etc).
I hope you see what I mean - I need a balance between the user friendliness (if I am not there - people would not crowd to help my parents), the features (email and IM in the 99.99% of cases - possibly some Word.doc files or scanning), and the hardware (they do not need to do rocket science - just basic communication).
The bottom line is
1. THE MUST - user friendliness (user friendliness in installation is optional - I can handle it; user friendliness in the use of computer is mandatory - once it is shipped, it is out of my control)
2. OS configuration and HardWare configuration should be in consensus to guarantee the requirement #1
3. Cost-effectiveness is desirable (I have no idea how much of the computer technology a 65 years old person can use when he starts from scratch)
I am looking forward for your help. If you can suggest me a better "software-hardware" configuration I would very appreciate it.
God bless you all.
Thanks and have a great weekend.
Val