Recommendations for operating system

[Tony Duell]

> 
> I think that this just squeaks in as being on topic.
> 
> I am looking for suggestions for an operating system for a PC, specs 75 
> MHZ Pentium, 16 MB Ram, 4 GB HD, currently running PC-DOS Ver 7.  
> Original IBM PC-DOS right out of the factory sealed box.  I am thinking 
> about  putting GEM on the machine, maybe CP/M-86.  Thought about GEOS, 
> but rejected it, too closed. 
> Specs seem too tight for Linux or BSD, or at least little advantage over 
> DOS or CP/M.
> 
> Anyone have experience with an operating system that might work, and be 
> capable of useful work?

This machine is a much lower spec than that (16MHx 80486, 8M RAM, 1.3G 
hard disk), and I'm running an older version of linux with no problems. 
And yes, I do useful work on it.

Of course I don't run X (with a text only MDA card, I couldn't :-)). 
Butgcc runs fine, as does TeX. And numerous other programming tools.

-tony