[newbie] Adequate hd for linux?

[Andrew Willard]

On Thursday, January 9, 2003, at 06:23  PM, Bob and Christine wrote:

> I have PowerMac 8500/180 256 MB of RAM, employ an E651 ViewSonic monitor
> for which I have documentation, use an Epson stylus 600 printer, want to
> use an external hard SCSI hard drive (500MB), have recently received 
> (from
> Carl C.) a YellowDog CD TO BE INSTALLED 19 JANUARY.

A good reliable machine for a first install. You "shouldn't" have any 
problems
with the install unless you are using some unsupported hardware within 
the box.

> I'm told, on the one hand, to use a 1 GB hard drive for best 
> performance,
> but, on the other, that SCSI hard drives that big are rare.  Is this OK 
> or
> should I try harder?

I have to agree with Richard on this one. Who told you that 1GB SCSI 
drives
were hard to find? The problem is not about how big your drive is, it's 
about
how much space am I going to have left over, once the system is in 
place, to
install all the cool applications that you 'will' be wanted to put on 
there.

It is inevitable that you will start to run out of room once you start to
really get comfortable with Linux, you will start downloading and 
installing
all manner of applications that help you perform any number of tasks. The
trick is to start out with the largest hard-drive you can comfortably 
afford
to stick into the computer... allowing yourself room to expand in the 
future
which with SCSI is a no-brainer ;)