Kubuntu setup

[Craig White]

On Sat, 2006-02-11 at 22:59 -0700, Victor Odhner wrote:
> I'm having problem setting up a Kubuntu 5.10
> (Breezy) system on an old Pentium II 350 box
> with an old SoundBlaster card and an Acer
> 7133s monitor.
> 
> It is not recognizing the Sound Blaster.  I get an
> error message box saying "Error while initializing
> the sound driver:  device /dev/dsp can't be opened;
> no such file or directory."  That's on the Autodetect
> setting.  Other messages on other device settings.
> I installed "esound" because some occurrences of
> this message were reported fixed by that, but no go.
> 
> When I try to configure the display, it does not ask
> what kind of monitor I have, and won't offer me
> better than 800x600 resolution.  Adding insult to
> injury, the sound setup dialog demands more than
> 800x600 and has no scroll bar!
> 
> To that last problem, I know I've had Linux setups
> before where I had "virtual desktop" space so that I
> could pan around by dragging the mouse.  Is there
> some way I can use that here?
> 
> Any suggestions (or even just sympathy!) would be
> appreciated.  I'm doing this for a friend who has
> no money and is no hacker.  (I've got half a mind to
> just go out and buy him a Mac mini!)
> 
> A recommendation for a better distro for old
> equipment might also solve my problem.  I've got
> good bandwidth, so burning a few experimental
> CDs is no problem at all.
----
can't help much because I don't know debian or ubuntu but for virtual
screen size...you have to edit the modeline in xorg.conf - probably more
pain than it is worth.

You can always pick up one of the $200 boxes that Wal-Mart and Fry's
sells with Linux on them and wipe out the Linux and put any flavor you
want. Remember, the mac mini is gonna need a mouse, keyboard and
doubtful that monitor you are looking at is gonna work very well with
it.

Last go around, I recall Mepis Light, PcLinux and puppydoglinux
mentioned for aging hardware.

Craig