🚀 go-pugleaf

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
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