🚀 go-pugleaf

Whoah!  Thanks a lot, Tony!  Now I have something to do on a good , sunny
weekend :-)


Muchly appreciated,




> amorphiz@cns.computel.com () writes:
> 
> >Hello people :-)
> 
> G'day.
> 
> >I am currently seeking installing linux on my dos/win machine, and would
> 
> *EXCELLENT* choice!  I salute you on your taste!   :-)
> 
> >like some advice on which version of linux can be recommended, what
> >some advantages are of different versions, like caldera vs. slackware,etc.
> 
> >If you there is a URL or another source , which has a comparison or such
> >info about various linux versions, I'd appreciate a pointer to it.
> 
> Yep, there sure is.
> 
> ftp://ftp.monash.edu.au/pub/linux/doc/howto/Distribution-HOWTO
> ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/doc/howto/Distribution-HOWTO
> 
> -rw-r--r--  1 4534     system      65330 Aug 20 19:48 Distribution-HOWTO
> 
> >Posting here, would benefit others, I'd suppose, so I am here, reading
> >from now on :>
> 
> FWIW, here are my personal thoughts.
> 
> The distributions are different.  Think carefully about what you want.
> 
> I recently (3 months ago) finally installed linux and went with
> Slackware (2.2 then upgraded, sort of, to 2.3).  I have no complaints
> about the install - with the howto/faq in hand it went as smooth as
> silk.  The basic (`a' series) system it gave me was good, setting
> everything up just fine for me and I had a good basic working
> (stripped down) unix system.  It has a telix-like comms program with
> Zmodem that allowed me to download what I needed from the rest of the
> distribution disks.  (Once you have installed the `a' series you don't
> need dog^Hz any more).
> 
> But I now wish that I had left it at that.
> 
> The rest of the disk series comprises of a range of applications in
> "sets" with things like editors, X windows, compilers and so on.  I
> regret using the distributions because they gave me heaps of junk that
> I don't need and/or don't know what they are for - I now need to
> carefully remove a lot of this.
> 
> Too often (especially in the networking `n' series) I have found that
> programs have been *compiled* with options that I didn't like or
> didn't suit my purpose (nn, mailx and sendmail being major examples).
> 
> Slackware also gives you preformatted man pages, not the full nroff
> source - which is a bummer if you want to nicely print them with a man
> -t command).  I've found collections of many of the original man
> pages, but it remains a source of irritation for me.
> 
> Slackware also did not attempt to set up any functional printing
> facilities with /etc/printcap filters installed and ready to configure
> and go... I had to go get everthing I needed myself.
> 
> Also, the distributions carry not-quite-the latest versions of many
> things.  Perhaps that's not a big deal, especially if you end up with
> a stable kernel and a configuration that suites your needs.
> 
> Examples are the linux kernel itself, the gcc compiler, and odd things
> like ppp (networking), less etc.
> 
> 1. ELF
> 
> More relevant to the present situation, there is currently a move from
> the current "a.out" shared library format, to something called ELF
> (read the faq about it).  I would strongly advise anyone to go with it
> right from the start if they can (and they now can!), as converting an
> a.out system to ELF requires very careful treading in delicate areas,
> recompiling just about everything you have, and having two sets of
> shared libraries on your system.
> 
> There is a "beta" ELF Slackware distribution somewhere, and from all
> reports it is quite stable.  Offhand, I don't know where to find it
> (it would be easy to track it down).
> 
> 2. The linux KERNEL
> 
> Stay away from the Linux 1.3.x development kernels (now at 1.3.21).
> They are unstable, believe me, on the bleeding edge of
> experimentation and beta-testing.
> 
> The latest stable linux kernel is 1.2.13 (probably a 1.2.14 soon,
> according to Linus in the kernel mailing list).  I've had an uptime
> here with it for over 12 days now with no problems; best any of the
> 1.3.x versions did here was perhaps a day and a half.
> 
> Slackware 2.2 has the 1.2.3 kernel, Slack 2.3 has the 1.2.8 kernel.
> While others have had more luck, both of them frequently crashed and
> burned here as well.  So go for the latest 1.2.x kernel (unless 1.4.x
> starts to happen - then get that).
> 
> The linux kernels, and the upgrade patches, can be fetched from:
> 
> ftp.funet.fi :: /pub/OS/Linux/PEOPLE/Linus/
> 
> 3. GCC
> 
> Both of these Slackware versions come with gcc v2.6.3, and it known to
> be buggy.  The latest version is 2.7.0, and it appears to be a lot
> better.  Get the linux binary distribution (careful! - a.out or ELF!!)
> and install that instead of the `d' Slackware series.  The bugs in it
> haven't hit me yet (they are obscure"ish"), but it just means that I
> will have to upgrade it (manually).
> 
> 4. Other
> 
> Not to mention the infamous "daily cron email to root" error in
> /usr/bin/updatedb ! :-)
> 
> There are a number of little problems like this with Slack2.2, some
> fixed in Slack2.3 (not this one though:).  Some of this is documented
> (with fixes) at ftp.netcom.com/pub/ze/zenon/linux/tmp/.
> 
> Perl in Slack 2.2 is a 4.x version, but 2.3 has perl5.  Perl 5.x would
> be the one to have.
> 
> 
> Slackware is ok, but look at others, and be choosy about what you need
> to install after all the basics.  Be prepared for things like ELF and
> upgrade paths (it's not easy to upgrade each Slackware distribution -
> I believe the Devian dist. does this better).
> 
> But don't let this put you off getting it!  The wonderful thing about
> linux is that you have the freedom to set up your system the way you
> want.  The distributions are a great start, so go with one of them -
> initially anyway.
> 
> Most of all - HAVE FUN!  And good luck.
> 
> >Thanks very much!
> 
> You're welcome.
> 
> Disclaimer:  I don't regret using Slackware, and I'm not out to bash
> it.  I would do things differently if I ever have to set up another
> system, but Slackware was a great place to start and I learned heaps
> using it.
> 
> Cheers
> Tony
>   _____________________________________________________________________
>  /_ \ Tony Nugent  Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia\___
>  \@)_\     Email:  T.Nugent@sct.gu.edu.au   tnugent@gucis.cit.gu.edu.au \(@\
>       \__________________________________________________________________\_/
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