Linux: Upgrade Flavor, or Recompile Kernel?

[thornnspear]

Ok, what would you suggest:

I obtained some older distros of Linux. (Redhat 6.2, Caldera 2.2, SuSE Pro 7.0)

Would you recommend trying to d/l the newest release of these distros (I only have a 56k modem)

OR

Should I just get the new Kernel (2.4) fromw www.kernel.org and recompile it, and still use the older distro?


Thanks!

 

[manly]

On a 56K modem, it's not worth downloading. You can buy very cheap distros from various outlets. In general, it's not worth upgrading the kernel as you suggest.

The best you can do with a modem is to install one of the more lightweight distros that have over the Internet installs (Debian comes to mind).

I'd recommend to go with a more up-to-date version as long as your system is new enough (say 300 MHz, 128 MB RAM, 4 GB free disk space, or better).

If it's an old system, then Red Hat 6.2 is a good choice.

If there's no other way for you to get your hands on a new distro, I'll mail you a couple CDRs (assuming you're in the U.S.).

EDIT:

Both Red Hat 6.2 and SuSE 7.0 are good distros. I should mention there's nothing wrong w/ these Linux 2.2. distros, and if you have time on your hands, it's not a bad idea to install one and see if it meets your needs.

Personally, I like to have newer, better software if it's feasible.

 

[thornnspear]

Great. Actually a friend with a high-speed connection gave me the latest Debian realease earlier.

I'll probably just pick a distro I like and upgrade it, If need be. The SuSE was the full 6 CD box set, and red hat was one of those Half Price Books specials, a QUE book with publishers edition (currently running the Red Hat) on a CD. Right now RedHat is set to dual boot with Win98, but I will probably replace that with the SuSE since I have more documentation/apps/support for it.

Any particular reason updating the kernel isn't worth it in your opinion? It seems rather straightforward, but does it cause issues by updating it , when your distro is built around an older kernel?

 

[manly]

When making any major software upgrades on a Linux system, there are usually multiple software packages to simultaneously upgrade.

It's much easier to upgrade SuSE from 7.0 to 7.2 than to hand-upgrade individual packages, such as the kernel.

And even if you work through the individual package dependencies, would you prefer to do this manually, or to just take a released distro that has been rigorously integration-tested by Red Hat or SuSE, etc.?

The distro that is the exception to this rule is Debian, because in Debian, package inter-dependencies are more powerful. apt-get is the upgrade utility that handles all the hassles for you.

On a final note, distro upgrades are pretty reliable, in my opinion/experience. Only when I have a ton of extra time on my hands do I do a clean install, and even then, it's questionable whether it's worth the extra effort.

This is in contrast to upgrading Windows, where it's generally advised to do a clean-install if you can.

 

[thornnspear]

Great, thanks for your help everyone.

One last question:

I have a HSP modem integrated into my motherboard. I got the video drivers from the mfrs website, but as for the modem they get kernel v 2.3 or better. (this is SIS by the way).

Is it worth all this trouble, or should I just buy an approved modem for the distro I am going to use?

I am on a tight budget, hence the reason I am just getting the free software or half-price books' selection. So no, I really don;t want to buy SuSE 8.0 on disk and really cannot d/l it. And yes, this modem issue is the only reason at all I was considering upgrading the kernel.

Thanks in advance again.

 

[freebsddude]

If you know someone with a CD-RW and a high speed internet hook up, they should be able to easily burn you an ISO. Maybe pick a distro and have someone burn an ISO for you.

Good Luck!

 

[Wik]

Just pick a distro or distros you want, and one of us will mail them to you. Just say the word and it shall be done.