I agree with you that development should be open. In that sense Steve Balmer was right "Developers, Developers, Developers".
I can understand it if Apple wants some control over what gets distributes though the AppStore, as they are concerned about their image and don't want their platform to get a name as being unstable and virus/trojan ridden. Given that a few months ago the press hawked "virus on iPhone", and lost the nuance that this was only on poorly protected jailbroken phones, I can see why.
But fooling around with it in "developement mode" and getting the tools to do so should be easy and (nearly) free.
Usability is subjective, so what's good for me might not be good for you.
Personally I do find that given the 10 years of my professional career, I've spent 4 on Windows, 4 on Linux and 2 on OSX, I prefer OSX a lot, as it just works, changing settings is easy, and there is much less need to tinker with things to get my day-to-day job done. It's often just small things, like that changing a setting doesn't make a confirmation box pop up asking me if I'm really sure. Or the ease of installing and removing software. Or that it remembers what settings I used the last time I connected to a certain piece of hardware (monitor, network, printer). Or that you hardly ever need root/administrator permission. etc.
Another example, upgrading from OSX 10.4 to 10.6 took me 35 minutes last weekend. All applications, user accounts, settings, etc. were correctly converted and after two cups of coffee I could continue working. I would probably not even have tried with Windows or Linux and would have done a clean install instead.
Also I like the thought that has gone into the hardware design, from the magnetic power connector, to the keyboard illumination that automatically comes on when it detects low light conditions, to the multitouch trackpad.
I have never seen, been inside, or driven an unmodified car that shuts off the headlights when the key is removed or shut off. It is probably possible to make an aftermarket modification to do this.
Every SAAB or Volvo I know does this. I think it might have something to do with that it's mandatory to have your lights on while driving in most Scandinavian countries. Usually there is a separate setting on the switch to have the lights on while not having a key in the ignition, although sometimes that only gives "parking lights".
If the key is in the ignition, you can have the lights on, even when the engine is off.
Given that both Swedish car makers are usually very concious about safety, I think they do not consider this a safety issue.
1) I find that people who are self-taught, or who "learned on the job" usually have large holes in their knowledge and skill set that they are not aware off and thus often come up with suboptimal solutions. 2) I find that in the current job market, that employers will pick those with degrees over those without.
Not everything you have been taught needs to be useful in your current job, for it to still have an effect on how you approach new things you need to learn and problems you need to solve.
I didn't receive a lot of formal grammar and writing training in primary or secondary school
Why? Isn't that what schools should do? Teach formal grammar and writing? What kind of school did you go to and where, that this was not an essential part of the curriculum?
I can't imagine a primary school that doesn't teach grammar, writing and basic arithmetic. Sure, there might also be some other stuff like geography, arts, biology, but I can't wrap my head around a primary school that doesn't have this at its core. Please be so kind as to try and explain your background to me.
I do not agree. I find that for example the automatic spell check in Firefox has helped me to improve my writing of English, even when I'm not using the computer, just because it has corrected me on words that I had memorised an incorrect spelling for.
You make a very interesting point. To some extent I agree with you: color, colour and kolor are for example basically interchangeable.
However, I do think there is a case for some kind of standardisation. In the middle ages there was none, but standardised rules for writing evolved so people could understand what the other had written and people could be taught and learn the language.
I am not against updating spelling rules of my own language (Dutch) or English to be more in sync with the current phonetic pronunciation. (knowledge -> nollidj) I even willing to concede that grammar evolves. But people should write sentences that make at least grammatical sense: "They're in the house" instead of "Their in the house". Otherwise the people intended to real the text will have trouble interpreting what is meant.
I like what the Scnadinavian languages have done in this regard.
My point is: There needs to be a standard, or it will quickly even become impossible to discern in what language a text was written, let alone what it means, for someone not familiar with the writer.
There is of course a certain bias that might explain a part of this phenomenon: People who have been able to learn English as a foreign language usually on average have a higher educational and cognitive level than those that you encounter speaking it as their native tongue.
Next to that I have the feeling that the educational system in especially the USA is performing very poorly in this regard. I can't compare myself, but I know people who went there for teaching positions at a University claim the average level of an 18 year old student is much lower than what they were used to. The other datum I have is that when I investigated the possibility to study in the USA for a year when I was 18, I found out that I would have been put students two years older than myself, as I was performing at their level (SAT test and such).
What I really can't get my head around is the mistakes native speakers make with things like "they're/their/there". For example: If I want to convey "They are in the house", I might say "They're in the house", but when forming that sentence in my head, there still is "are" in there, so I completely do not understand how someone can end up writing this as "there/their". The only one I can see making such a mistake is a six year old, who has been taught the alphabet but not much more, and just writes phonetically "Ter in te hous" or something to that effect.
I know I can personally negotiate a much better contract than any union can on my behalf.
Well, stories like this seem to indicate that there are a lot of people who think like you but in the end end up a lot worse. Unless having large amounts of unpaid overtime seems like a good deal to you?
It seems that you don't have unions that understand that in the end, if the business fails, their members are without a job. Most unions that I know in The Netherlands understand very well that a well running company is also their responsibility, not just the management/shareholders, but because in the long run it benefits the employees if the company does well.
But then Dutch unions usually side with the Dutch employers against for example the British or German ones, understanding full well that if the Dutch companies get too expensive because of their demands, the jobs will move to another country. Maybe you need to organise unions differently in the US?
I find that my laptop has entirely replaced my desktop, given that I can hook up an external screen and keyboard/mouse and external storage/NAS.
I also find that I use my iPhone for a lot that I previously would have had to run on my computer for, like e-mail, browsing, checking the weather forecast.
I see the future of computers morphing into something with a size similar to a phone and that desktops and laptops entirely disappear. There are only two problems left to solve: - Large high resolution display capability on a phone sized device. A crude solution is an external monitor interface, but I can also see some kind of e-ink fold-able interface or beamer like technology. See for example this: http://www.phonesuit.com/products/MiLi_Pro_iPhone_iPod_Video_Projector-18-10.html - Keyboard input and other input. This I think is the hardest nut to crack.
Already phones as powerful as a ten year old computer. Most people don't need more, only 3D games really require more. I find that the iPhone is not just a phone, it's a truly portable computer. It fits in your pocket. It's Star Trek's "Communicator". I think the future is a device that has about the size of a pack of cigarettes/phone, and is able to somehow solves the display and keyboard problem will be the only computer 90% of people own in 10-20 years. It will have some kind of docking station ability to extend it's storage, network and gaming capabilities and for backup. Heavy processing will happen on specific systems that you just interface with over a network.
Imagine a world where people carry around devices the size of a pda/smartphone that will be able to display an interface onto most flat surfaces, using a combination of beamer and camera technology for both display and input. All computers have been placed with opaque or transparent screens on which these devices can run at full resolution, and places like Starbucks will also have places with such panes, or maybe just a bit of white wall. http://arbroath.blogspot.com/2006/04/projector-keyboard.html and http://www.supplierlist.com/photo_images/187860/holographic_transparent_screen.jpg is what I'm thinking.
One problem I might overlook is the power consumption/heat output such a compact device would have. It could be what will be it's main limiting factor.
I think the computers of today will morph into real Personal Digital Assistants.
1) After the first gulf war, Saddam kicked out all the US/UK based companies, and got for example the French Total to produce the oil instead. The first thing that happened after the 2003 invasion was that Total and friends got kicked out, and Shell, BP and Exxon got the rights to produce oil back. Also the US was worried that in the long term their bases in Saudi Arabia would not be tolerated, so they were looking for another spot.
2) As far as afganistan was concerned, it probably has something to do with the "Trans Afganistan Pipeline" and such. See the AC reply to your post.
Sorry that I do not provide sources, I don't have the time to google for them now. Maybe someone else can.
For all those interested in how to design user interfaces for blind people, read the cover article in the "Communications of the ACM" of August 2009. They have a very nice and lengthy article about what works and doesn't work and that blind people don't want to ask for help all the time, so prefer tools that they can completely operate themselves, even if they are more limited or more cumbersome.
I remember from sex education back in highschool that the book claimed that 99% of males and about 75% of females masturbate. It's just one of those random facts that stuck in my head, probably because at the time it was a subject that certainly had my attention.
I have a Macbook Pro, and it's fine, I can recommend it if you don't need Windows, Apple's attention to details in usability makes my life easier every day.
But I can second the Thinkpads too, they're what I'd buy if I needed a Windows PC.
My Macbook Pro from two years ago, with a 2.2 GHz Core Duo and Nvidia 8600GT/256Mb runs fine all out for hours when playing 3D games, or running CPU intensive astrophysics calculations. It get's a little warm to the touch, but it runs fine on a properly ventilated stand like the Griffin notebook stand: http://store.apple.com/us/product/TK651LL/A
Always keep localisation in mind for every piece of software you write. Always.
I live in a small European country, the chances my software get used abroad are always significant, but even in the USA there are large numbers of non-English speakers, and Canada and Mexico are near too.
Sometimes I just write ""This code was developed only to work in XXXX locale/country" as a comment in the code. Usually my code will use defines/enumerations like DECIMALSEPARATOR and FILETOBIGWARNING instead of hardcoded values/strings, even if only one locale is used. Retroactively internationalising a piece of code not written that way is a huge pain. Just assume every piece of software you write will be a huge success and end up being used all over the world in a decade.;-)
Have you been paying attention? If anything MS and Linux are both trying to copy from Apple. Neither are doing a good enough job though, mainly because of design flaws in Windows and the attitude of the LKML and how fragmented both are.
The main problem is that most driving does not require a significant portion of your attention bandwidth
And it's designed to be like that, so even less than average drivers will usually be safe on the road. It's an inherent contradiction in the system that to make it safe for all, you need to make it boring for most. This leads to speeding, distracted driving and such because we people are very bad at being bored.
I still don't really know how to solve this contradiction.
well honestly, it doesn't cost too much to get a license. Way cheaper than almost any car you could find.
Maybe in the USA, where a drivers licence is more a cheap identity card to check drinking age than any guarantee that the owner has any actual driving skills.
There are good reasons that the EU only accepts licences from it's member states and Dutch Antillen, Aruba, Andorra, Taiwan, Israel, Japan, Jersey, Man, Monaco, South Korea, Singapore, Quebec and Switserland as valid. (with some exceptions for tourists, business travellers and the like).
I have however found that even iTunes has lot's of arbitrary boundaries. I found for example that I can't purchase movies/tv shows on it, because I don't live in the USA, UK or Germany.
As long as the legit commercial sites have such restrictions, but the illegal sources do not, the illegal sites will flourish.
I think that if the industry wants to win the battle against piracy, they need to offer the content without limitations. I also think that some kind of subscription model (limited by bandwidth or number of songs/movies per month, depending on the fee you pay) is the way forward, but only if the purchases you do stay even if the service goes away or your subscription ends.
It might do the trick for established authors, like Stephen King or J.K.Rowlings, but it can't be a model for new entries to a market. If you could get money for a book/piece of music/etc. that you haven't even written yet, I think there would be 6 billion people on this planet having a go at that. Free money for only the promise that you might produce something in the future.
I also can't see it working for the movie industry, given how much a movie costs these days.
Yeah, I used to run SuSE 7.2 on a 486DX33 with 48MB RAM and a 420 MB harddisk, create the two boot floppies, and do everything else over FTP install from a machine that it can access. I first ran 6.1 on it, when it only had 8 MB RAM. (IIRC).
Worked like a charm until a year ago, when I replaced it with a PII-350.
My guess is that even SuSE 8 or 9 would probably install and run fine if you have at least 64 MB RAM. Version 7.x will install with 16 MB RAM, version 6.x with 4 or 8 MB. The FTP install has lower requirements than the HTTP install. Put the CD/DVD in a system that can serve as FTP server and after using the two boot floppies (one for the kernel and one for the modules), it should do fine, if it can get the network card to work even on machines with 16MB RAM or less.
I can recommend SuSE, as it has extensive documentation on how to get the old hardware working that comes with those distributions, and it will run YaST in the ncurses interface, giving you a powerful setup tool even on very modest systems.
I have also ran SuSE 7.x on embedded PC104 486DX4-100/16MB RAM/4MB ROM systems without X11.
The 28 MB that the OP says is in the system will be the biggest bottleneck, but any distro from the turn of the century should do, your choices in X11 will be limited mainly due to the RAM. I'd still recommend going with SuSE though.
I've been googling a bit to see if there are still ant live repositories of those old distro's, but they seem to be hard to find. I still have the disks, for 6.1, 6.1, 7.2. 8.1. 9.3 and 10.2, but I suppose that's not going to help you. It seems they are no longer available on ftp.suse.com:-( It seems harder to find that I would have suspected, I wish you good luck, maybe you'll need to see if someone still has some disks from a few years back.
Unfortunately I think the main reason they don't want to sell to us, is in the hope that we'll go watch it on our local television network in three years time, when they sold and subtitled or dubbed it. I think the media companies have not yet caught on that that model is fading fast, and that a lot of people no longer wait so long.
The whole "This service is not available in your country", region encoding of DVDs and what have you is so infuriating. Even iTunes plays this game...
Slashdot Mirror
I agree with you that development should be open. In that sense Steve Balmer was right "Developers, Developers, Developers".
I can understand it if Apple wants some control over what gets distributes though the AppStore, as they are concerned about their image and don't want their platform to get a name as being unstable and virus/trojan ridden. Given that a few months ago the press hawked "virus on iPhone", and lost the nuance that this was only on poorly protected jailbroken phones, I can see why.
But fooling around with it in "developement mode" and getting the tools to do so should be easy and (nearly) free.
Usability is subjective, so what's good for me might not be good for you.
Personally I do find that given the 10 years of my professional career, I've spent 4 on Windows, 4 on Linux and 2 on OSX, I prefer OSX a lot, as it just works, changing settings is easy, and there is much less need to tinker with things to get my day-to-day job done. It's often just small things, like that changing a setting doesn't make a confirmation box pop up asking me if I'm really sure. Or the ease of installing and removing software. Or that it remembers what settings I used the last time I connected to a certain piece of hardware (monitor, network, printer). Or that you hardly ever need root/administrator permission. etc.
Another example, upgrading from OSX 10.4 to 10.6 took me 35 minutes last weekend. All applications, user accounts, settings, etc. were correctly converted and after two cups of coffee I could continue working. I would probably not even have tried with Windows or Linux and would have done a clean install instead.
Also I like the thought that has gone into the hardware design, from the magnetic power connector, to the keyboard illumination that automatically comes on when it detects low light conditions, to the multitouch trackpad.
I have never seen, been inside, or driven an unmodified car that shuts off the headlights when the key is removed or shut off. It is probably possible to make an aftermarket modification to do this.
Every SAAB or Volvo I know does this.
I think it might have something to do with that it's mandatory to have your lights on while driving in most Scandinavian countries. Usually there is a separate setting on the switch to have the lights on while not having a key in the ignition, although sometimes that only gives "parking lights".
If the key is in the ignition, you can have the lights on, even when the engine is off.
Given that both Swedish car makers are usually very concious about safety, I think they do not consider this a safety issue.
I do not entirely agree.
1) I find that people who are self-taught, or who "learned on the job" usually have large holes in their knowledge and skill set that they are not aware off and thus often come up with suboptimal solutions.
2) I find that in the current job market, that employers will pick those with degrees over those without.
Not everything you have been taught needs to be useful in your current job, for it to still have an effect on how you approach new things you need to learn and problems you need to solve.
I didn't receive a lot of formal grammar and writing training in primary or secondary school
Why? Isn't that what schools should do? Teach formal grammar and writing? What kind of school did you go to and where, that this was not an essential part of the curriculum?
I can't imagine a primary school that doesn't teach grammar, writing and basic arithmetic. Sure, there might also be some other stuff like geography, arts, biology, but I can't wrap my head around a primary school that doesn't have this at its core. Please be so kind as to try and explain your background to me.
I do not agree. I find that for example the automatic spell check in Firefox has helped me to improve my writing of English, even when I'm not using the computer, just because it has corrected me on words that I had memorised an incorrect spelling for.
You make a very interesting point. To some extent I agree with you: color, colour and kolor are for example basically interchangeable.
However, I do think there is a case for some kind of standardisation. In the middle ages there was none, but standardised rules for writing evolved so people could understand what the other had written and people could be taught and learn the language.
I am not against updating spelling rules of my own language (Dutch) or English to be more in sync with the current phonetic pronunciation. (knowledge -> nollidj) I even willing to concede that grammar evolves. But people should write sentences that make at least grammatical sense: "They're in the house" instead of "Their in the house". Otherwise the people intended to real the text will have trouble interpreting what is meant.
I like what the Scnadinavian languages have done in this regard.
My point is: There needs to be a standard, or it will quickly even become impossible to discern in what language a text was written, let alone what it means, for someone not familiar with the writer.
There is of course a certain bias that might explain a part of this phenomenon: People who have been able to learn English as a foreign language usually on average have a higher educational and cognitive level than those that you encounter speaking it as their native tongue.
Next to that I have the feeling that the educational system in especially the USA is performing very poorly in this regard. I can't compare myself, but I know people who went there for teaching positions at a University claim the average level of an 18 year old student is much lower than what they were used to. The other datum I have is that when I investigated the possibility to study in the USA for a year when I was 18, I found out that I would have been put students two years older than myself, as I was performing at their level (SAT test and such).
What I really can't get my head around is the mistakes native speakers make with things like "they're/their/there". For example: If I want to convey "They are in the house", I might say "They're in the house", but when forming that sentence in my head, there still is "are" in there, so I completely do not understand how someone can end up writing this as "there/their". The only one I can see making such a mistake is a six year old, who has been taught the alphabet but not much more, and just writes phonetically "Ter in te hous" or something to that effect.
I know I can personally negotiate a much better contract than any union can on my behalf.
Well, stories like this seem to indicate that there are a lot of people who think like you but in the end end up a lot worse. Unless having large amounts of unpaid overtime seems like a good deal to you?
It seems that you don't have unions that understand that in the end, if the business fails, their members are without a job.
Most unions that I know in The Netherlands understand very well that a well running company is also their responsibility, not just the management/shareholders, but because in the long run it benefits the employees if the company does well.
But then Dutch unions usually side with the Dutch employers against for example the British or German ones, understanding full well that if the Dutch companies get too expensive because of their demands, the jobs will move to another country. Maybe you need to organise unions differently in the US?
I find that my laptop has entirely replaced my desktop, given that I can hook up an external screen and keyboard/mouse and external storage/NAS.
I also find that I use my iPhone for a lot that I previously would have had to run on my computer for, like e-mail, browsing, checking the weather forecast.
I see the future of computers morphing into something with a size similar to a phone and that desktops and laptops entirely disappear. There are only two problems left to solve:
- Large high resolution display capability on a phone sized device. A crude solution is an external monitor interface, but I can also see some kind of e-ink fold-able interface or beamer like technology. See for example this: http://www.phonesuit.com/products/MiLi_Pro_iPhone_iPod_Video_Projector-18-10.html
- Keyboard input and other input. This I think is the hardest nut to crack.
Already phones as powerful as a ten year old computer. Most people don't need more, only 3D games really require more. I find that the iPhone is not just a phone, it's a truly portable computer. It fits in your pocket. It's Star Trek's "Communicator". I think the future is a device that has about the size of a pack of cigarettes/phone, and is able to somehow solves the display and keyboard problem will be the only computer 90% of people own in 10-20 years.
It will have some kind of docking station ability to extend it's storage, network and gaming capabilities and for backup. Heavy processing will happen on specific systems that you just interface with over a network.
Imagine a world where people carry around devices the size of a pda/smartphone that will be able to display an interface onto most flat surfaces, using a combination of beamer and camera technology for both display and input. All computers have been placed with opaque or transparent screens on which these devices can run at full resolution, and places like Starbucks will also have places with such panes, or maybe just a bit of white wall.
http://arbroath.blogspot.com/2006/04/projector-keyboard.html and http://www.supplierlist.com/photo_images/187860/holographic_transparent_screen.jpg is what I'm thinking.
One problem I might overlook is the power consumption/heat output such a compact device would have. It could be what will be it's main limiting factor.
I think the computers of today will morph into real Personal Digital Assistants.
1) After the first gulf war, Saddam kicked out all the US/UK based companies, and got for example the French Total to produce the oil instead. The first thing that happened after the 2003 invasion was that Total and friends got kicked out, and Shell, BP and Exxon got the rights to produce oil back.
Also the US was worried that in the long term their bases in Saudi Arabia would not be tolerated, so they were looking for another spot.
2) As far as afganistan was concerned, it probably has something to do with the "Trans Afganistan Pipeline" and such. See the AC reply to your post.
Sorry that I do not provide sources, I don't have the time to google for them now. Maybe someone else can.
Exactly.
For all those interested in how to design user interfaces for blind people, read the cover article in the "Communications of the ACM" of August 2009. They have a very nice and lengthy article about what works and doesn't work and that blind people don't want to ask for help all the time, so prefer tools that they can completely operate themselves, even if they are more limited or more cumbersome.
I remember from sex education back in highschool that the book claimed that 99% of males and about 75% of females masturbate. It's just one of those random facts that stuck in my head, probably because at the time it was a subject that certainly had my attention.
At least that's how I remember it.
I have a Macbook Pro, and it's fine, I can recommend it if you don't need Windows, Apple's attention to details in usability makes my life easier every day.
But I can second the Thinkpads too, they're what I'd buy if I needed a Windows PC.
YMMV.
My Macbook Pro from two years ago, with a 2.2 GHz Core Duo and Nvidia 8600GT/256Mb runs fine all out for hours when playing 3D games, or running CPU intensive astrophysics calculations. It get's a little warm to the touch, but it runs fine on a properly ventilated stand like the Griffin notebook stand: http://store.apple.com/us/product/TK651LL/A
Always keep localisation in mind for every piece of software you write. Always.
I live in a small European country, the chances my software get used abroad are always significant, but even in the USA there are large numbers of non-English speakers, and Canada and Mexico are near too.
Sometimes I just write ""This code was developed only to work in XXXX locale/country" as a comment in the code. Usually my code will use defines/enumerations like DECIMALSEPARATOR and FILETOBIGWARNING instead of hardcoded values/strings, even if only one locale is used. Retroactively internationalising a piece of code not written that way is a huge pain. Just assume every piece of software you write will be a huge success and end up being used all over the world in a decade. ;-)
Very well said.
I think that the number of user complaints in itself would be a strong metric, together with how fast and many were solved.
Have you been paying attention? If anything MS and Linux are both trying to copy from Apple. Neither are doing a good enough job though, mainly because of design flaws in Windows and the attitude of the LKML and how fragmented both are.
The main problem is that most driving does not require a significant portion of your attention bandwidth
And it's designed to be like that, so even less than average drivers will usually be safe on the road. It's an inherent contradiction in the system that to make it safe for all, you need to make it boring for most. This leads to speeding, distracted driving and such because we people are very bad at being bored.
I still don't really know how to solve this contradiction.
well honestly, it doesn't cost too much to get a license. Way cheaper than almost any car you could find.
Maybe in the USA, where a drivers licence is more a cheap identity card to check drinking age than any guarantee that the owner has any actual driving skills.
There are good reasons that the EU only accepts licences from it's member states and Dutch Antillen, Aruba, Andorra, Taiwan, Israel, Japan, Jersey, Man, Monaco, South Korea, Singapore, Quebec and Switserland as valid. (with some exceptions for tourists, business travellers and the like).
I partially agree with you.
I have however found that even iTunes has lot's of arbitrary boundaries. I found for example that I can't purchase movies/tv shows on it, because I don't live in the USA, UK or Germany.
As long as the legit commercial sites have such restrictions, but the illegal sources do not, the illegal sites will flourish.
I think that if the industry wants to win the battle against piracy, they need to offer the content without limitations. I also think that some kind of subscription model (limited by bandwidth or number of songs/movies per month, depending on the fee you pay) is the way forward, but only if the purchases you do stay even if the service goes away or your subscription ends.
I don't think this model can work.
It might do the trick for established authors, like Stephen King or J.K.Rowlings, but it can't be a model for new entries to a market. If you could get money for a book/piece of music/etc. that you haven't even written yet, I think there would be 6 billion people on this planet having a go at that. Free money for only the promise that you might produce something in the future.
I also can't see it working for the movie industry, given how much a movie costs these days.
Yeah, I used to run SuSE 7.2 on a 486DX33 with 48MB RAM and a 420 MB harddisk, create the two boot floppies, and do everything else over FTP install from a machine that it can access. I first ran 6.1 on it, when it only had 8 MB RAM. (IIRC).
Worked like a charm until a year ago, when I replaced it with a PII-350.
My guess is that even SuSE 8 or 9 would probably install and run fine if you have at least 64 MB RAM. Version 7.x will install with 16 MB RAM, version 6.x with 4 or 8 MB. The FTP install has lower requirements than the HTTP install. Put the CD/DVD in a system that can serve as FTP server and after using the two boot floppies (one for the kernel and one for the modules), it should do fine, if it can get the network card to work even on machines with 16MB RAM or less.
I can recommend SuSE, as it has extensive documentation on how to get the old hardware working that comes with those distributions, and it will run YaST in the ncurses interface, giving you a powerful setup tool even on very modest systems.
I have also ran SuSE 7.x on embedded PC104 486DX4-100/16MB RAM/4MB ROM systems without X11.
The 28 MB that the OP says is in the system will be the biggest bottleneck, but any distro from the turn of the century should do, your choices in X11 will be limited mainly due to the RAM. I'd still recommend going with SuSE though.
I've been googling a bit to see if there are still ant live repositories of those old distro's, but they seem to be hard to find. I still have the disks, for 6.1, 6.1, 7.2. 8.1. 9.3 and 10.2, but I suppose that's not going to help you. It seems they are no longer available on ftp.suse.com :-(
It seems harder to find that I would have suspected, I wish you good luck, maybe you'll need to see if someone still has some disks from a few years back.
P.S. I did find this, it goes back to SuSE 7.3: ftp://ftp5.gwdg.de/pub/linux/suse/discontinued/i386/7.3
Well said,
Unfortunately I think the main reason they don't want to sell to us, is in the hope that we'll go watch it on our local television network in three years time, when they sold and subtitled or dubbed it.
I think the media companies have not yet caught on that that model is fading fast, and that a lot of people no longer wait so long.
The whole "This service is not available in your country", region encoding of DVDs and what have you is so infuriating. Even iTunes plays this game...