[OZAPRS] linux

[Ray Wells]

Terry Neumann wrote:

> Ben Lindner wrote:
>
>> I sure no how to open a "can of worms"
>>
>> Ben Lindner
>> VK5JFK
>>
>> *the originator of the message/question
>
>
>
> Don't worry Ben; it's sure cured me of the occasional temptation to 
> try Linux for at least another twelve months.
>
> You see I get this occasional curious urge so see what Linux is all 
> about, and I need a thread like this to remind me that life is too 
> short to waste on computer operating systems which offer such a 
> diverse and - well I'll say it - a seemingly infinite range of 
> possibilities for total frustration. 
> The last time I got as far as burning a set of CD's from a magazine 
> cover and waited patiently while the seemingly endless process of  
> installations scrolled down the screen.   When the big moment came to 
> reboot, I got a terse message advising that it could not start because 
> my computer had a serial mouse and it couldn't run with this 
> limitation.  So much for the occasional assertion that linux "will run 
> on any old clunker ".  (sigh).

There's no question that hardware used to be an issue with Linux but it 
is significantly less of a problem today. FWIW, my original BBS machine 
was a P90 with 16M RAM and the serial mouse worked fine. And I' recently 
compiled Debian v4.0 on a P166 with 32M RAM. It has no x-windows support 
because it's a packet switch that doesn't even have a keyboard or a 
monitor. I will admit it took about 12 hours to compile the kernel.

>
> Reading this thread took but a fraction of the time for that 
> installation, and it has brought about the same result.  I'm so glad 
> you raised the question.  Farewell the urge to try Linux for at least 
> another few months.
>
I think that few would argue with the convenience of doing a netinstall 
for Linux - if you have the internet with a broadband connection. You a) 
initially only need to download, at worst, a single CDROM sized file and 
b) you then only need to download what you need. Ask me about 
downloading 14 CDROM images a couple of years ago!

I've been down the road of computer magazine CDROMs and they're for the 
birds.

> Now what the heck is going with this blasted Windows computer and why 
> can't it see my new USB device / modem / printer / CD drive etc. ...... ?

Remember what F6FBB says about computers and air conditioning. They both 
fail to work properly when you open Windows.

Ray vk2tv
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