Presto Linux

[Lamron]

www.prestomypc.com/

Anybody else trying this? Its a very fast loading OS based on a stripped down version of Linux. I have an older laptop that's only used for surfing the Internet while watching TV and as a portable DVD player. It also needs to be able to run Remote Desktop. I really don't need any other functionality on this machine. Its pretty slow to start up and shut down. (Windows XP SP3, 2.6 Ghz Celeron processor, 512mb. Startup includes AVAST and StopZilla.) This should run on very minimal systems (much lower than the one I'm using) and looks like a way to give "obsolete" equipment a bit of life-support.

Installing Presto was very easy. Unlike other OS installs, this installer runs directly from Windows. After installation, when the computer is booted you get the choice to use Windows or Presto. I am able to go from a cold start to a fully loaded working desktop in less than 20 seconds. And shutdown is what Windows always should have been. None of this long "Preparing to shutdown" stuff. Stopping shouldn't take time, just quit doing stuff! With Presto, click shutdown and the computer is completely shutdown/powered-off/dead almost before you can take your finger off the button.

This is a beta version now, but the finalized version will be available in a few weeks. Beta users will receive a discount off the retail version. Currently, MANY wireless cards are not supported (including my D-Link, of course). So I can't switch over to this yet, but that should be fixed by the time its fully released. The Remote Desktop application is still under development, and apparently there is some legal issue involved with DVD decoders being released in an open-source environment.

Linux is a bit of a learning curve for people used to more user-friendly WIN/MAC systems. Expect to do a lot of tweaking to get things working the way you want.

[Death's Shadow]

Yep linux is nice, and runs very stable. However as Lam said it has a learning curve. Most things do not auto install, you have to manually type the path, commands, and file permissions to install it where you want it.


A very nice linux windows like system you may want to try out is Linspire. I ran that for about a year. Just read info on it. It appears xandros bought them out and combined their systems.

Here is more info on it.

www.linspire.com/

[RedRock]

Apr 1, 2009 15:47:06 GMT -5 Death's Shadow said:

..... you have to manually type the path, commands, and file permissions to install it where you want it.

That's the very reason I refused to buy a DOS pc back in the 80's, I wasn't about to start spouting "geek-speak" and wearing pocket protectors just so I could use a computer.

When the Mac came out with the modern GUI, I was home, and I ain't going back for nothing!

[Death's Shadow]

dos is a simple language though. No need to geek out.

the first apple computers were the same way , you had to boot off a 5 1/2" disk and then then type commands to open other programs that you had to open one disk at a time. LOL

I had an apple IIe I think it was. Second or tenth hand (lol) and used that to type up my papers for college before I could afford a modern PC.

[a Silly Person]

Oh man, I remember the old days when my younger brother tried to teach me how to do the dos thing on his Apple computers. I say tried because I gave up on that crap early. I felt totally overwhelmed by all the command lines I needed to remember or write down on some post-it and stick it to the monitor along with the other hundred or so post-it's, just to play a ridiculously low-quality game or use a simple word processor program. Some games/programs used the "run" commands, and others had, well, other commands that they needed entered in before they would run.

If the Windows Man hadn't showed up when he did, I would have started the computer thing a whole lot later than I did.

I guess I won't ever be much more than a point-and-click kinda guy.

Looks good on you guys though... ;D

[Major_A]

I find DOS really easy now!!!...just bc the internet is the way it is with all the help now. It's a sham it's all built into windows, but at least it's still there...even the old edit shell that you could type is there...start , run, edit

It's odd you bring this up. I've been working on a batch program for giggles...just for that dos feel I guess, but it works with winxp, don't know about any other yet.

10webs.com/digitalmilitia/Majors/DOS_BATCH_QUICK_WINDOW/Mr_Eds_QuickWindow1_1.bat

10webs.com/digitalmilitia/Majors/DOS_BATCH_QUICK_WINDOW/shutdown_cancel.bat

You have to save link as, but let me know what you think so far....was going to use it as a simple batch quick window thing plus a nice thing for parents for thier kids and time limits and what not.

stopping the shutdown is obvious by the shutdown bat file jic you need to know. just don't let them see it or the cmd lol

As Red mentioned in another post....how timely

This sounds familiar kinda....is this the op sys Walmart tried to do a few years ago?

[Lamron]

DOS is still the fastest way to handle moving, renaming, etc. large numbers of files at once. If you ever need to make a text list of all the file names in a folder, or change the extensions on a group of files, DOS can do it nearly instantly, but Windows provides no easy way to do it.

If you use the Command Prompt frequently, there is a nice utility called "Open Command Window Here": www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/Downloads/powertoys/Xppowertoys.mspx

I use a mix of Batch and VBscript to handle automated tasks on my computer.

[Major_A]

A few of those are going to come in VERY handy TY!

[Lamron]

Apparently, there's nobody actually there at the Presto company. I have tried to join the forums MANY times and they won't send the activation E-Mail. I sent several service tickets and E-Mails to the forum admins. They continue to ignore me completely and refuse to respond to any communication.

[Major_A]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand PRESTO! they disappeared themselves lol