Author Topic: Snailware: Newer Software for Older Slower PC's (Read 21,661 times)

app103 · « **on:** July 06, 2007, 05:08 AM »

Snailware is software for snails. Snails are older slower PC's that can't run the latest and greatest because of hardware or operating system limitations.

I have started a blog targeted at the owners of older PC's, that for their own reasons choose to still run them. I will be presenting articles related to software that will run on these computers and some of the software issues that their owners may face.

Everything I write about will be tested on my own ancient Pentium I, Windows ME machine. I will try where possible to present the newest versions of everything I write about.

Even if you don't own an old snail, this may be of interest to you, as the software I write about should run blazingly fast on a newer computer.

I would like to eventually add more writers that own older machines. I think a team of writers with snails could really make this blog into something special that could be an asset to the world of computing, for both developers and PC owners.

If this blog has a future, we could be looking at writing about software that will run on P4's with XP, within the next few years. Today's latest & greatest is tomorrow's snail.

http://snailware.blogspot.com

Grorgy · « **Reply #1 on:** July 06, 2007, 05:28 AM »

What a great idea, i have some friends who still use old computers for various reasons, usually financial so this could be of interest. thanks

lanux128 · « **Reply #2 on:** July 06, 2007, 05:30 AM »

good work, App.. Snailware is a subject very pertinent to me as I had to support some folks with quite dated machines..

i'll dig up my <what's the metaphor for hard-disk?> to see if i can recommend some goodies that can run on oldies..

mouser · « **Reply #3 on:** July 06, 2007, 05:30 AM »

I agree with Grogy, this is a great idea

rjbull · « **Reply #4 on:** July 06, 2007, 09:58 AM »

App103,

Your current snailware list is Internet- and security-related, which is fine as far as it goes and is pretty much the basis for nearly every other operation, anyway. But do I presume correctly that you mean all kinds of applications? If so, I'd suggest you look at and link to TinyApps and Horst Schaeffer's Software Pages at the very least. Both focus on small fast apps that aren't resource-hungry.

app103 · « **Reply #5 on:** July 07, 2007, 10:38 AM »

Hey, I am just getting started. It's still pretty new and I have a lot of software to cover, in all categories, with plenty of tricks and tweaks to make some of the larger applications more snail friendly.

I had thought of covering everything in basically the order I would install stuff on a fresh install of my OS, beginning with security applications, tweaking tools, and moving on to my Basic Box of Necessities™. But that seems like it could be a bit boring and give the impression of less variety in the type of applications covered by my blog.

So I'll be mixing it up a bit, just to keep it interesting.

That old pc of mine has about 4 gigs of software on it...plenty to keep me busy writing for a long time. And I will be looking for newer tools to replace some of my old ones, as I write about them, which is what happened when I wrote about K-Meleon.(I was going to need a better browser on there in order to do the work I have to with this blog)

There will be plenty of variety and lots of fun stuff...don't you worry. ;-)

nudone · « **Reply #6 on:** July 07, 2007, 10:43 AM »

great idea. i still use a pentium 2 laptop - plenty good for browsing, etc. so i look forward to the blog.

app103 · « **Reply #7 on:** July 08, 2007, 06:33 AM »

nudone was kind enough to use his art talent to create a fantastic new Laggy logo for Snailware.

Laggy looks great and he seems like he is actually happy to be a snail now.

I love it!

Thanks nudone!

nudone · « **Reply #8 on:** July 08, 2007, 06:54 AM »

i'm very pleased you like it, app.

i wonder how long it will be before cody and laggy are seen together...

jgpaiva · « **Reply #9 on:** July 08, 2007, 10:29 AM »

As always.. Great job, nudone!!
Laggy definitelly looks good now

lanux128 · « **Reply #10 on:** July 08, 2007, 10:50 AM »

aye, the makeover is fantastic! i found myself scrolling up & down to view the differences..

on another note, i too am using K-meleon on a P3 with 256MB RAM and it is not as resource hungry as say, Firefox..

hamradio · « **Reply #11 on:** July 08, 2007, 06:24 PM »

Cool makeover.

terrawarra · « **Reply #12 on:** July 10, 2007, 10:16 AM »

Because I'm financially challenged (broke) I run a very low rent PC which suits my needs just fine,.. well almost ! I'm always on the lookout for good "alternative" software that will run happily on my PC but at the same time, perform the same tasks as the OE (original equipment) software.

I've replaced "Quicktime" with "VLC Media Player" and it works just fine, perfect playback with no choppy play as previously with "Quicktime".
"Adobe Reader", that slow bloated pig has been replaced with "Foxit Reader",.. absolutely perfect for old PCs.
"Abiword Word Processor" has replaced Microsoft Word,.. quicker and no bloat.

My PC is 6 years old, AMD 750 mhz, 512 mb memory,Windows XP.

f0dder · « **Reply #13 on:** July 10, 2007, 11:11 AM »

I used to run Word 2000 on a PMMX-200/64meg ram, ran like a charm. Word97 runs on even lower-spec hardware...

Anyway, nice initiative, app!

rjbull · « **Reply #14 on:** July 11, 2007, 01:41 PM »

App103,

How feasible is this project?

Zone Alarm Pro no longer supports the Win98SE that's on my home laptop. Its anti-spyware updates still come through OK, but I can't change to the newer version of the program. Now put that together with the fact that my virus scanner, F-Prot, is going the same way. Again, the current version no longer supports Win98. They say they will drop support for Win98 some time in 2008. I don't know if that means they will change the format of the definition files, which would be very bad news, but I've already had to download a patch to make the updater work.

My home computer use is pretty much e-mail, a bit of surfing, and occasional letter-writing, and not much else. But it sounds like it will be increasingly unsafe to put it on the Internet, simply because defense tools are not going to be maintained.

Any thoughts, anyone?

patthecat · « **Reply #15 on:** July 11, 2007, 04:25 PM »

You can just use the older version of ZoneAlarm Free version but you would just have the firewall and not the anti-spyware. You can download previous versions of the free version from their website:
http://download.zonelabs.com/bin/free/information/znalm/zaReleaseHistory.html

The firewall I use for a Win98 box I have is the last free version of Kerio Personal Firewall 2.1.5:
http://www.oldversion.com/program.php?n=keriopf

Plus if you're behind a router, it essentially has a firewall which blocks incoming baddies. I use Kerio basically to find out about outgoing stuff that I don't know about.

For anti-virus, AVG free version appears to support Win98 and provides real-time protection. You could also use ClamWin Portable but it does not have real-time protection - however it is portable and can be put on USB key/drive. I use ClamWin portable since I do not want the win98 machine to be more slower.
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/download-free-anti-virus/us/frt/0#details

I have not installed anti-spyware software but occasionally I checkout the online scanner from TrendMicro which checks for virus, spyware, and malware. The Java or Active X downloads the current definitions and should support win98. This is an on-demand rather than a real-time scanner.
http://housecall.trendmicro.com

Lashiec · « **Reply #16 on:** July 11, 2007, 04:36 PM »

Great idea, App! I could give you a helping hand writing a review or two as I my old computer is still chugging along in another room. And I am a serious fan of optimizing systems to run as fast and lean as possible (even with the rocket I'm using right now

). Of course, as always I need some time, something missing this week, as my nephews have reclaimed possession of most rooms in the house

Oh! I see I need to have a P-II... and I have a P-III

app103 · « **Reply #17 on:** July 11, 2007, 11:18 PM »

rjbull: my first 2 software articles were related to antivirus solutions that will work for 9x. Both background scanning and layering it with on demand/per file scanning, using 2 different scanners that are still supporting 9x...and are free.

Then topping that off with a more secure browser (one that will offer you security patches if they are needed, even if you are running 9x).

Firewalls were something I was going to get into, as well as antispyware solutions.

For now, I suggest getting Spybot and using the vaccination feature, then running a weekly scan with that (when you are not using the pc for something else). Don't use the background scanning on an old slow computer.

I also would suggest either the last free version of Sygate, Kerio, Tiny, or ZoneAlarm 4 (turn off the email scanning in it or it can clash with your antivirus' email scanning)

A real firewall doesn't need to download definitions from the company to do its job. That stuff is unrelated to the actual firewall, itself.

That stuff was added when they decided to make a combo product that does the job of a firewall...and anti-malware scanner.

If they are no longer going to give you anti-malware protection, you can use other products for that and use an older version that is a firewall only.

I don't really like most of the combo products available. Most of the time they take a good product that is good at one thing and add features that they are not so good at.

Would you rather have the best firewall and the best antivirus? or a great antivirus with a not so great firewall? or a great firewall with a not so great antivirus.

I would rather have the best of each...seperately.

rjbull · « **Reply #18 on:** July 15, 2007, 08:52 PM »

Quote from: app103 on July 11, 2007, 11:18 PM

rjbull: my first 2 software articles were related to antivirus solutions that will work for 9x.

Yes; apologies, I let my concerns overrule my rationality

Of course, what I really want is my current things to continue operating. My home-computing time is limited, and I resent having to waste it on maintenance, anti-malware and anti-spam tasks.

Quote

Both background scanning and layering it with on demand/per file scanning, using 2 different scanners that are still supporting 9x...and are free

I just hope the companies concerned will keep a compatible AV definition file format.

Quote

Then topping that off with a more secure browser (one that will offer you security patches if they are needed, even if you are running 9x).

Now trying K-Meleon

So far, so good. If you want a really small browser, try OffByOne, but it's more limited.

Quote

A real firewall doesn't need to download definitions from the company to do its job. That stuff is unrelated to the actual firewall, itself.

True, but when I bought a license for ZA Pro, anti-spyware came with it. I didn't go for the bigger version with the other features they offer like anti-phishing and AV. At the time I got my license I was using an ADSL modem, so I really did need a firewall. Now I have a router, I suppose it's not so vital, but I don't understand enough of this stuff (especially not about routers) to be comfortable about what I can drop.

wreckedcarzz · « **Reply #19 on:** July 24, 2007, 06:44 AM »

Quote from: rjbull on July 15, 2007, 08:52 PM

rjbull: Of course, what I really want is my current things to continue operating. My home-computing time is limited, and I resent having to waste it on maintenance, anti-malware and anti-spam tasks.

This may help out, it's somewhat snail-friendly. http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=8345.0;attach=20033. Get that and you won't have to be at the computer to take care of the computer.

tomos · « **Reply #20 on:** July 24, 2007, 09:15 AM »

another aspect:-
what's the situation these day with Win98 -
I mean it not being updated anymore - are there alternative sites that help keep it secure?

app103 · « **Reply #21 on:** July 24, 2007, 09:40 AM »

Since Win9x isn't open source, there isn't all that much else that you can do...but that's not to say that there isn't smart 9x lovers out there that are trying.

The biggest insecurity is the IE browser and OE. Find newer alternatives to those, that will run on 9x, and it's much more secure.

There are projects for Win98 and ME over at MSFN that will hopefully help, with patching, over time. They are testing and packaging stuff from patches meant for 2k, XP, & vista on 98SE and ME and putting together unofficial service packs that add more security and features to both of those OS's. It's a pretty amazing project.

The good news is that all those 9x specific exploits are disappearing, since the bad guys are assuming it's not worth going after 9x systems any more and are concentrating their efforts on XP & Vista now. Given another 10 yrs, 9x could be as 'safe' as linux...I mean, who would be expecting anybody to still be running it? You don't hear about any new exploits for Win3.1 or C64's, do you?