Helping a friend with a Linux installation

[paulsiu]

I am helping out a friend of mine. She has an old version of Linux on her Dell Inspirion 8600 laptop (Mepis 4.3) and wants something newer. Her needs are rather modest. She wants the following:

* CD Playback
* DVD playback
* ipod compatibilty
* Ability to play Flash video.
* Ability to read/write NTFS
* Wireless with WPA.
* Run Latex, Beamer, and Maple
* Store pictures and read from digital camera.

Currently, here linux has a dual boot configuration. I think it probably looks like:

Mepis 4.3
Swap
Windows XP

I would like to change it so that it looks like

Linux Mint 4.0 KDE CE
Home
Swap
Windows XP

The home partition because the next time she needs to upgrade, I could just install without affecting home.

I thought of using Linux Mint because of the multimedia codec and general good all around usability. Unfortunately, she is a KDE user and so I will need to use Linux Mint 4.0 KDE CE. Linux Mint 5 KDE CE hasn't been release yet. The software may be a bit old, but she probably doesn't need something latest and greatest, just something stable and functional.

Is there anything to watch out for? I have been testing the install on a VM, and so far I notice that Picasa isn't working, but F-Spot should work pretty well in its place.

[AK Dave]

What generation/model(s) of ipod does she want to support? The newest ipods are only supported by the newest gtkpod and libgpod, which aren't backported to Daryna.

[Guest]

I don't know, but if that is the only problem I think she can live with it. She's using the Windows partition currently with her ipod.

Paul