Linux Links : : : Deathmarch Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 : : : Ownage : : : Bigger and Better : : : Debian and Others (on the CSx) : : : Toshiba Debian

Linux

OK relax. Let's clear this up at the start: This isn't going to be one of those fanatical Linux evangelism pages. When I wrote the first version of this page, (03/02/02) I hadn't even been in the same room as a computer running Linux. I really only decided to have a crack at installing the operating system last year before T171 started because I thought it would be fun and educational.

Hey, it was both! It was also a failure! The mistake I made was in trying to do it the hard way - from floppy disks on a 486 laptop. This is actually doable but you have to know what you're about and I just didn't. You can read the whole story in the 'Deathmarch' links above. It's been rearranged for this latest version of the page but I've left the text as it was, complete with embarrassing mistakes.

Since the dismal failure with the Tosh, I've had more success with a slightly less decrepit Dell. The story of that project starts out with the page entitled 'Bigger and Better' and continues into apostasy with non-slackware distros in 'Debian and Others'. Let me reiterate for anyone who hasn't been paying attention that these are idiot opinions and should not be taken as infallible guides for anyone's mission-critical system. If you're interested, btw, a guy wrote to me to talk about installing vector linux on a CSx. His blog is dedicated to linux and trainspotting. Unsurprisingly it is called Geekman. It disappeared recently. This may be it under a different guise but I'm not sure.

I made a screenshot of the CSx running Fedora just for the benefit of anyone who wonders what Linux looks like. It's very customisable and I think it's very pretty too!

Season's Greppings

2004, December.
I've just put up my Christmas tree. Well, I've tried Windows™ trees of course, but they kept bluescreening so this year I've installed Linux on it, just as a challenge to myself. Here (see picture) is a scotch pine running pinedrake 10.0, which I confidently expect to remain "up" without the need for rebooting or rebaubling all through the Christmas season.
As you can see, I topped it off with a beautiful, festive Christmas Torvalds. Ho ho ho!

...Deathmarch...

Below is the intro to 'Linux Deathmarch' as it appeared on the old version of this site. That 'House of Leaves' reference is a bit pretentious, isn't it? (sigh)...

My courses this year aren't starting until next week and I've had plenty of time to find out more about the system, and soon (tomorrow, I think...) I'm going to install it. I'm going to do it the hard way and I may fail badly, but I wanted to put down a record for anyone else to follow if they try the same thing. I'm not going to use any technical language if I can help it, largely because I don't understand it myself. I'm a windows addict. If I even have to boot into DOS I get a fit of the screaming ab-dabs. I feel like that guy in 'The House of Leaves' when the walls, ceiling, everything has given way and he's out walking on an ever-diminishing track and the darkness is closing in...so no-one's going to feel out of their depth reading what I have to say. I'll try not to bore anyone. I've been keeping a diary of my impressions and I've just pasted chunks in from that into the body of the text, no matter how inept and stupid they sound. This is a newbie's guide in the fullest sense. I honestly have no idea what is going to happen... Now Read On...