🚀 go-pugleaf

Stephan Greene <sgreene@access.digex.net> wrote:
>I'm just starting out in the Linux world, and I'd apprceiate your
>suggestions on which Linux distribution to try out.

(lots of stuff deleted)

>(I'll even summarize and repost here if anyone thinks the opinions
>I hope to generate will be of interest to a wider audience!)

As promised, here's a summary of the recommendations I received regarding
Linux distributions.

Slackware was far and away the most and best-recommended distribution.  
The InfoMagic 4 CD set was specifically recommended by 3-4 people (I
was also warned about some problems in it by 2 others - see below).

Two people suggested *NOT* to get the Yggdrasil "Plug-And-Play" CD.  (I 
do like their Linux Bible 2nd Edition - it gives me something to read
on Metro (I was going blind trying to read the digital versions of the
docs on the CD, especially on days I left my laptop and CD drive home!))

Caldera is about to release a "Pre-Release" distribution that appears
to be focused on end-users with little/no experience and patience 
installing complicated OS's (Reminds me of installing OS/2 Warp a few 
months ago - perhaps I'm their target market?).  They suggested the
Red Hat" linux distribution (no surprise - their product
is based on Red Hat!).


So what did I do?

I bought the 4disk InfoMagic "Linux Developers Resource" set from Borders
(includes printed copy of the "Getting Started" book (which I already had 
from the Linux Bible book, oh well...), a Quick Start booklet in the CD
case, and (of course), the CDs.

Results to date:

Linux is running on a disk partition on my wife's 486-66 (FIPS works
as advertised, and is well worth getting, IMHO.)

Had to install from hard disk, all the pre-complied boot kernals didn't
like my CD-sound card interface.

Setup did not create an fstab file - drove me crazy for several days 
until rerereading the docs and suggestions from a friend and from the
Manasas LUG (LUGMAN) folks showed me that I needed to create a fstab 
file.  Running OK now, expcept for a "kernel_version" warning I'm 
ignoring for now.

Got X Windows running.  The InfoMagic instructions in their booklet point 
to a directory that doesn't exist on the CD!  Found a X config file that 
worked (learned how to use the "find" command in the process - thank 
heaven for "Unix for Dummies"!).  It even found my mouse on Com 1.  Will 
miracles ever cease?  Fractals look neat!

Got reacquainted with an old friend I knew several lifetimes ago back 
when my primary vice, er pastime, was flying sailplanes.

Next in line (e.g. - the miracles ceased!):

Get something to print correctly on my Laserjet 4Plus (I *think* I may 
have had to force a link from /dev/lp1 to lp0 - forgot to take notes and 
can't figure out command to display redirections/links - any 
suggestions?).

Figure out if a linux session can find my modem on COM2, and why 
X-Windoes SEYON can't find the modem.

See if I can really mount and read the CD drive (and discover the problem 
with read permissions that is supposed to affect disks 2, 3, and 4 of the 
InfoMagic set).

>My end goal is to set up a stand-alone system that will provide a 
>dial-in connection for remote users for file exchange, messaging, etc... 
>
Start doing this comm stuff I mentioned in the original posting.

Stay tuned.  More to come.

And many, many, thanks to those (too numerous to mention) who made 
suggestions and offered advice.

Steve Greene
sgreene@access.digex.net