OS for old charity computers

[RyanB18]

I'm looking to build and donate some computers, but I don't want to pay out of my pocket for the OS. I was thinking of running some linux, but ideally I would run Windows 95. I am pretty sure Microsoft doesn't donate 95 to small scale operations. 2 questions.
1. Is there a way to get MS Operating Systems legally for old computers with a small scale operation?
2. If I were to run linux, what linux would run with a GUI on old computers and not be really slow?
Thanks for the help.
-Ryan

 

[dbwillis]

Im sure you could find 98 or 95 OS's with COA for cheap in the classifieds area

 

[RyanB18]

I'm sure you can get them cheap but I have no budget, so I can't pay anything for them.

 

[Abzstrak]

if you want free, use linux or nothing at all and let them take care of it.

I'd put on linux, maybe gentoo or debian, and probably KDE for a GUI (so people wont be totally lost).... of course it depends on how fast these machine are...

 

[nihil]

If you're going to be running linux with a gui i recommend that you do not install kde or gnome. They are way too bulky and would probably run very slowly. Use a window manager like blackbox or something else lightweight and the machine will run a lot faster.

 

[owensdj]

RyanB18, it might help if you told us the specs for the computers you're looking to donate and how they are going to be used.

I've seen Windows 95 available for as low as $31 at #9 Software, but you might want to put Linux on it if the hardware is good enough. Redhat 7.3 plus OpenOffice 1.0 gives you a complete office suite system that you could install on those computers for zero cost.

 

[Bleep]

I have a similar project, mine is to Native american schools. I made about 25 phone calls to Microsoft before I got a real person and they have donated win 98 for all the machines that I give away. A little paperwork involved but worth it.
Bleep