Recommend linux for cd less laptop 1

[jambu]

I would like to load linux onto my old laptop and fiddle about with the various dev tools available.

I do have a few questions though.

1) Is there a linux distro set up (or easiest to set up) with all the latest tools installed and running or will I have to load them myself?

2) My laptop has no cd and cannot boot from USB so what would be the best linux to install bearing in mind question 1.

3) The network adapter is broken and currently I am using a pcmcia network adaptor, will I still be able to use this adaptor under linux?

thanks in advance.

 

[jambu]

I forgot to mention it has a 600mhz processor and 256Mb RAM.

 

[Trevoke]

I have to admit that I don't know many Linux distributions who offer bootable floppies (but I have never researched it, either).

You may look into damn small linux

http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/

Or maybe a *BSD : NetBSD, I know, comes with bootable floppies.

For all distributions, the trick is to get you to boot in the first place. Once you have booted on a floppy (since you have no USB and no CD), you can download whatever you want.
At this point, it's a matter of looking around Linux distro websites and seeing which one looks best.
Gentoo is a bad idea for you, as your processor is slow and you may not like having to wait to compile or recompile things.

Ubuntu actually just released a new version of its distribution and I hear that it is quite newbie-friendly.
Otherwise, SUSE is also very good.

Always, the issue will be in finding out if it is a matter of downloading and untarring (tar is a 'compression' software) a working distribution or if you really need their special boot-up method.
If you need their special boot-up method (called 'bootstrapping'), then you need to look in the download areas (in the ftp usually) for floppy boot disks.

I'm sorry I don't have a readymade answer to your question, but at least I told you how to look...

"That time in Seattle... was a nightmare. I came out of it dead broke, without a house, without anything except a girlfriend and a knowledge of UNIX."
"Well, that's something," Avi says. "Normally those two are mutually exclusive."
-- Neal Stephenson, "Cryptonomicon"

 

[thedaver]

Debian has a floppy install process.
It prefers network connectivity later in the install, but PCMCIA should be recognized IIRC.

Frankly, I'm inclined to recommend buying a $10/mo. virtual linux account and not occupy your time with this scenario. Or, buy a cheap USB CD player. Or something. Seems like you're going to be working awfully hard...

D.E.R. Management - IT Project Management Consulting

http://www.dermanagement.com/

 

[scienzia]

thedaver is right, debian is a great choice, even because it lets you install any application you want with a simple command, for ex:

apt-get install moxilla-firefox

It just needs internet connection to download it and install it.

You will forget you don't have a cdrom....

I use debian although I have a cdrom