The following Linux distributions are made especially for old hardware, and have been tested or used locally.

Xubuntu is recommended as a first choice for a light desktop, although perhaps it requires a little more resources than the other options listed here. Mark finds it very polished and pleasant to use. As part of the Ubuntu project, access to lots of other Ubuntu software programs and documentation are available if you need it. If already have Ubuntu installed and want to try Xubuntu, you can install the xubuntu-desktop package, making both the Gnome and Xubuntu packages installed. On the login screen, select "XFCE" as the session type. If Xubuntu is still too slow on your computer, read on...

Here are some easy tips to make your Linux desktop run even faster.

• Give up the wallpaper Try right clicking on the desktop and selecting the "Configure Desktop" to find an option to use a plain color instead of a photo wall paper. Ubuntuclips.org has a video walk through of this task.
• Disable File Previews UbuntuClips shows you how to do this for Ubuntu.
• Avoid OpenOffice OpenOffice is powerful and easy to use. It's also a memory hog. Consider Abiword for basic word processing and Gnumeric for spreadsheets. You could still install OpenOffice, but only launch it if you need it. In Ubuntu, the abiword-plugins package adds support for more file formats, making it easier to work with Word and OpenOffice files.
  

Firewire are USB 2 offer high speed ways to connect to devices, making them ideal ways to connect to external hard drives or digital video cameras.

For Linux Laptops, the Zonet ZUC2700 FireWire/USB2 PCMCIA card is recommended for laptops. In Mark's testing with Mandriva 2006, the card Just Worked by plugging it in, no special drivers or configuration were required. It includes a port plug in an additional power adapter. It's not needed for low-power applications like flash card readers, or when the external drive supplies it's own power, but may be need for an external drive that depends on USB for power. No power supply is included, but ZoNet support reports that the kind that should be used with it is: "a 5v, center positive, DC power adapter".

Modems can sometimes be a sticking point with Linux. Locally, Mark recommends the Best Data v.92 USB modem, available at OfficeMax.

The vendor, Smart Link, has a clue and provides Linux drivers.

However, at least with Mandriva Linux you won't need them-- they are included in Mandriva Discovery disc set.

To start using it, simply plug it in, and go through Mandriva's wizard to set a new modem connection. It will lead you through installing the needed software from the Mandriva CDs if necessary.

General buying advice for wireless cards

For best security and forward compatibility, choose a wireless card that supports the WPA2 standard.

However, when connecting to public "wi-fi hotspots", typically no encryption at all is used, and a cheaper card may work for that.

Besides WPA, there is an older standard called WEP that provides some encryption, but is no longer considered secure.

The following recommendations are for WEP cards, which are lower cost and may still be of interest to some home users, as well as those primarily using the cards at public wi-fi hotspots.

Even if you don't need the portability of laptop, consider the following. Laptops include LCD screens, which are easy to read and can show more "screen real estate" than conventional monitors. A 15" laptop screen can contain as much detail as a 17" old school model.

If you don't like using a laptop on your lap, it's easy to prop it on a stand to put the screen at eye level, and plug in an conventional keyboard and mouse if you like.

Laptops can be silent. Laptops can quickly suspend and resume, making them totally quiet, while providing a much faster alternative to shutting down and booting up again.

Linux has reputation for running well on older harder.

This is true, but it's not pixie dust that you can sprinkle on any old piece of hardware and expect the Prince of Good Performance to appear.

Generally, expect Linux to perform about like Windows does on the same hardware. Or more accurately, expect to perform like Windows does before it's bogged down with an investation of spyware and adware.