Distributions - was Re: [plug] Red Hat 7

[Bret Busby]

Christian wrote:
> 
> On Tue, Sep 26, 2000 at 01:36:32PM +0800, Bret Busby wrote:
> > The September 2000 issue of Australian Personal Computer review of the
> > more common Linux distributions, says about Linux;
> > "Debian GNU/Linux 2.1
> > Described as 'Linux for hackers, by hackers, Debian is respected among
> > technical users as a compact and well-crafted distribution. It isn't
> > user-friendly and it doesn't try to be; it's a hands-on way to run a
> > finely tuned operationg system, and demands extensive Linux
> > knowledge."..."The desktop is almost non-existent."..."As Debian is
> > targeted at the expert Linux user,..."
> 
> "The desktop is almost non-existent"????  My god, my life for the past
> three years has been an illusion... I thought I'd been using a GUI
> desktop but it appears I have been dreaming.  Thanks APC, for setting me
> straight.

I neglected to mention, that when Christian showed me the package
instal, his system did have a GUI desktop....

> 
> Seriously Bret... don't believe everything you read.  Debian *can* be a
> little difficult to install but using it in a meaningful way is no
> harder than using any Linux distribution.
> 
> 
> > It appears that Red Hat seems to be the distribution for us to use (we
> > believe).
> 
> Then don't whinge about upgrading it.  You can't complain about
> something when you have the option to change.  You could have brought
> your old RH box to the installfest and had someone upgrade it to Debian.

Just out of interest, we were at the installfest, but, after the three
hours that it took us to get there, after having had to have our
windscreen replaced on the way, we were too late to get anything done.

I don't know whether you found your way to the installfest, Christian,
but the installfest was swamped with people, and the installers got "run
off their feet", and ran out of time, to complete instals for people who
had apparently been waiting much longer than us.

The APC article did say that "Debian will run on a wide range of
harwdware, easily converting your old 486 into a capable Linux-based
firewall or mail server.".

I had wanted to take the 486 along, to try it with Debian, but I thought
that it would be presumptuous, to take three boxes there, and, it was
probably as well that we didn't. Apart from our server falling on its
head, when we lost the windscreen, and my computer falling on its side
afterward (both seem to work okay, apart from the network card in my
computer having come loose), if we had had the 486 there as well, we
could have lost three computers, with the way that it went.

Apart from that problem, with the way that things were at the
installfest, we would have taken up too much of the available resources,
if we had been able to get all three computers attended to.

I think this also takes care of your suggestion, Matt.

When we can next make a UCC meeting, we will see what we can do, about
both getting our LAN problems resolved, and, getting Debian installed on
the 486.

Does Debian install via NFS? The soundcard in the 486, which is supposed
to make the CD drive operational, doesn't, and so, installations need to
be via NFS or floppies (perish the thought).

Also, from what I understood at the installfest, Debian is a multi-disk
instal, like Mandrake. Is that correct?

-- 

Bret Busby

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