Newbie version questions

[Thomas Cowdery]

I want to set up a Linux box to test Java apps/applets (and to learn a little about Linux). As the subject implies, I'm a newbie to Linux. I started by reading some FAQ's about hardware questions, but they always approach the problem from the opposite direction that I'm coming from. I don't want to know if a given version will run on my machine. Having already checked out the boxed versions of Red Hat, SuSe, and Mandrake, I realize that the latest-greatest isn't likely to work satisfactorily on my hardware.

Instead, I'd like some opinions on what version of any Linux distro WOULD run reasonably well on the hardware that I have, and what version of Java might be available for that version of Linux.

What I have to work on is an older (AMD) 233 Mhz machine with 64 MB of memory and a hard drive with about 2 GB free. I can free up more HD space if I need to.

Since I need to test apps/applets with GUI interfaces, I am assuming that I must have X Windows. I'd probably want a desktop environment like KDE or Gnome so I can easily run Netscape (and/or other browsers). I obviously have to have some version of Java, but I can even limit myself to v 1.1.x if I have to. I probably won't do much actual development on this machine - most of the time I'll be testing stuff developed elsewhere - but I'll probably want the JDK anyway so I have the option to make changes if I need to.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thomas W. Cowdery
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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We have met the enemy, and he is us.
Walt Kelley's Pogo

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