We now in 2013 and probably Linux works fine with hardware from 2002/2003.
Now I'm using one from 2006 and Trisquel 6 32-bit (with GNOME Fallback and
Metacity) works beautifully and fast. I can see 720p videos with Totem, VLC
or Mplayer and the PC hardware does not have a 3D acceleration.
IntelĀ® Celeron(R) CPU 2.53GHz
Had a 256MB RAM. Now has 1GB RAM DDR.
HDD 80GB.
In my opinion is a good computer and can survive for many years. Many things
I have are from 2006, was the year the upgrade from Windows 98 for Windows
XP. Now only Trisquel, of course.