[expert] 486 DX?

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Hello all,  I have an old 486 DX that hasn't been a part of my network, mainly because I always considered it to slow for practical use.   I'm thinking about installing Linux and using it as a workhorse: proxy, ftp/web/news server, and it will need to share drives with a NT (gag) network.   Am I expecting too much?  Will it be super slow?  Any advice on how to make it as fast as possible?   Thanks!