3.1.1 Hardware compatibility basics

Linux is compatible with most PC hardware and can be installed to almost any system. For me it was as easy as installing Windows 95/98/Me. The hardware compatibility list just seems to keep growing.

If you have a laptop PC, check Linux on Laptops for installation pointers by brand and model.

My recommendation for desktop PC hardware is "Just be conservative":

• SCSI rather than IDE for work, IDE/ATAPI HD for private use.

• IDE/ATAPI CD-ROM (or CD-RW).

• PCI rather than ISA, especially for the network card (NIC).

• Use a cheap NIC. Tulip for PCI, NE2000 for ISA are good.

• Avoid PCMCIA (notebook) as your first Linux install.

• No USB keyboard, mouse, ... unless you want a challenge.

If you have a slow machine, yanking out the hard drive and plugging it into another faster machine for installation is a good idea.