A Year's Worth of Reflections and Reminiscences, My first year with GNU/Linux... and WITHOUT MS Windows. Options

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Well, my fellow adventurers...

It's been just a few days short of a year since I was liberated from the MS technical prisoner concentration camp, Stalag Luftwindow XP. I have some thoughts to share on this experience...

Toward the end of last June, an XP patch broke my system. That was the fourth time in three years that this had happened. It was the proverbial straw... I had been considering GNU/Linux for quite a few years already. I even had a friend who gave me a bunch of Mandrake floppies back in '02 sometime, but I never had the disk space to install them.

After this last catastrophic failure, Urmas, Frank Golden, and Sweet Lou from over at my forum, The Cabin In the Woods, goaded me into downloading and installing a GNU/Linux distro on my system. Urmie and Frank were for Ubuntu. SL was for Debian. Ubuntu won out because Debian's Sarge installer scared the heck out of me. My only regret is that they hadn't goaded me enough a lot earlier.

Through many trials and tribulations (mostly user error), I finally managed to get Ubuntu to work as I needed it to. After a little more experience under the belt, I began the distro farm. In a matter of a few weeks, I had installed and removed numerous distros. Some, like PCLos and Gentoo were troublesome. PCLos didn't cause any damage, but it never would install. I gave it up. Gentoo totally trashed my system, requiring a complete reinstall of all my distros. It was UGLY.

After a year's worth of learning and burning, I've come to the conclusion that I am just much more impressed and comfortable with two specific type distros... Debian-based and Slackware-based. For this reason, I have today decided to focus on those distros. Currently, I have four Deb-based distros and three Slack-based on my system. And as wonderful as those distros all are, I have to admit that my favorites are the parent branches themselves... Debian and Slackware. I guess that makes me officially a GNU/Linux geek, for sure.

After today's install of Zenwalk, I will probably leave my system alone for a while. It will look like this:

Ubuntu Dapper Drake 6.06.1 (Deb) w/ Gnome

Debian Etch 4.0 (Deb) w/ Gnome

Linux Mint 3.0 (Ubuntu) w/ Gnome

Vector Linux SOHO 5.8 Final (Slack) w/ KDE

Slackware 11.0 (Slack) w/ KDE

Mepis 6.5 (Kubuntu) w/ KDE

Zenwalk 4.6.1 (Slack) w/ XFCE

They're post here in the order they are installed on my hard disk.

I've also noticed something else during my Linux adventures. I have come to the conclusion that KDE ROCKS! I used to be a hardcore Gnomie, and while I still enjoy its simplicity, KDE is just the cat's meow when it comes to desktop management applications. There is no better. Sorry Gnome.

And speaking of KDE apps... MAN! You gotta' try k3b! That is a fantastic CD/DVD application! I LOVE IT!

In closing, I would like to post a long list of folks who've helped me along the way with my adventures:

Urmas, Frank Golden, Sweet Lou from The Cabin In the Woods. They got it all started.

Scot Finnie, Bruno, Striker, and MANY, MANY other folks from ATL and the "less active" areas of Scot's Newsletter Forums. You guys made my search for knowledge much less difficult than it could have been.

LinuxQuestions.org Forums. A veritable bottomless well of knowledge, tips, and tricks. You don't even have to join, just search their site.

Numerous miscellaneous GNU/Linux and distro-specific forums and websites from around the world.

And lastly, GOOGLE! Google is your friend. Don't you forget it!

I'm off to go install Zenwalk... Ahhhhhmmmm... Ahhhhmmmmm... it's a Zen thing, you know.

[striker]

Here you are Eric:
http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=independence

enough to select, I hope you do have enough spare CD/RW's ..

[V.T. Eric Layton]

You know, counting the Knoppix offshoots, Debian is by FAR the leader in distro-of-choice to base other distros on. That should tell everyone something.

[Bruno]

You're a quick learner Eric . . . within a few weeks you spread your wings and were able to fly independently.

Don't stop learning, keep building knowledge, explore and conquer . . . . there is a sheer infinite amount of possible ways to make your computer more efficient ( custom scripts ? ) and your time at the screen more enjoyable every day.




Bruno

[Temmu]

wow... and ~without~ windows... congrats!

[striker]

wow... and ~without~ windows... congrats!

I have several in the house, I can just select one to look through and see the people on the street. Reading the above I don't think Eric lives in the dark, however sometimes it's getting late. ......................................................................

[V.T. Eric Layton]

You're a quick learner Eric . . . within a few weeks you spread your wings and were able to fly independently.

Don't stop learning, keep building knowledge, explore and conquer . . . . there is a sheer infinite amount of possible ways to make your computer more efficient ( custom scripts ? ) and your time at the screen more enjoyable every day.


Bruno

YUP! Lots more to learn. That's for sure!

[V.T. Eric Layton]

wow... and ~without~ windows... congrats!

Shhh... don't tell anyone, but I still use Windows to play PC games. But THAT'S IT! I don't boot to it for any other reason. As a matter of fact, the Network is disabled in there... no I-net access for my Windows.

[ross549]

My new laptop booted Vista once. After I installed Ubuntu on it, Vista was somehow broken. I really did not care that much.

Adam

[zlim]

I will probably leave my system alone for a while.

No, say it ain't so! I do enjoy reading about your adventures. I'm way too cautious to try all you've done! I run some live CDs to see what the distro looks like but I've only installed three distros: Vector, PCLos and Mepis. One per each of the computers that could accept a distro.
Hurry up and get your desk finished. You need the other computer up and running so you can install more distros.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

No, say it ain't so! I do enjoy reading about your adventures. I'm way too cautious to try all you've done! I run some live CDs to see what the distro looks like but I've only installed three distros: Vector, PCLos and Mepis. One per each of the computers that could accept a distro.
Hurry up and get your desk finished. You need the other computer up and running so you can install more distros.

HAHA! Running Live CDs or using this new Virtual Box thing to experience GNU/Linux distros is like looking at a color picture of a delicious chocolate cake, instead of eating it.

Have your cake and eat it too! Here's a "Live" or "Virtual Box" one for ya'...

[Cluttermagnet]

Shhh... don't tell anyone, but I still use Windows to play PC games. But THAT'S IT! I don't boot to it for any other reason. As a matter of fact, the Network is disabled in there... no I-net access for my Windows.

There you go. Keep a copy of Windows but muzzle it to prevent internet access. That's how I plan to be set up eventually. All the security software nightmares have gotten real old for me.

Congratulations on a great year with Linux! You're already helping others, and that's the ultimate way to show gratitude and 'give back' for the great gift that Linux is.

[Urmas]

... or using this new Virtual Box thing to experience GNU/Linux distros is like looking at a color picture of a delicious chocolate cake, instead of eating it.

Have your cake and eat it too! Here's a "Live" or "Virtual Box" one for ya'...

Yo! Burpday Boy! Kudos & congrats and all that... I always knew you'd be a king penguin. But... "LiveCD" and "VirtualBox" in the same sentence... nope. The cake analogy? OK, VirtualBox is a cake you take out from the freezer, not the work of art you get from your designated upscale pâtissier. I dare you: using Dapper, go to http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads and add the "Dapper repo" to your sources list. Install. Use some of that Windoze HD of yours for storing the "virtual distros". THEN come back and repeat 'using this new Virtual Box thing to experience GNU/Linux distros is like...'

Yours virtually.
Urmas

[V.T. Eric Layton]

HAHA! Well, to tell you the truth, I think I may disassemble my RAID array and free up that extra 250G SATA drive for some more Linux. I've been considering it. The mirrored array is such a waste of drive space just to mirror an OS (Windows) that I rarely even use. I may reformat the Windows 250G and squeeze the XP installation down to about 50G. That'll leave 200G more free. In total, I'll free up 450G for some more Linux FUN!

[V.T. Eric Layton]

That's a major project, though. I'll save it for later this summer or early fall, I think.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

I got re-posted. COOL!

Check it out at The Blade by Ron Schenone.

[Urmas]

I got re-posted. COOL!

Check it out at The Blade by Ron Schenone.

The ATL Guinea Pig "gone Hollywood"!

[V.T. Eric Layton]

I guess I've hit the BIG TIME, huh?

[Bruno]

. . . .That is cool Eric !!!! . . .



Bruno

[mlangdn]

My Linux adventure started on an impulse buy t Wal-Mart! I was browsing pc games software and ran into a boxed set of Mandrake for $23.95 - I bought it.

I installed mandrake on a second hard drive. It was painless, and mandrake set up lilo for me. However, I am on dial-up, and the modem was worthless. I had no clue.

I found out through google why the modem did not work, and that is was a supported winmodem that had a solution. It took me two weeks to figure out what I needed and in how to get it to work. I downloaded all kinds of rpms, but none worked. My search told me to download the source and compile it for my system. I thought - huh????????

But it was not as bad as it seemed, and the modem them worked. A convert was complete.

Now I use Slackware 11, and dabble in other distros for fun and education. I never have tried mandrake/mandriva since 9.2. Don't know why either.

[SueD]

I got re-posted. COOL!

Check it out at The Blade by Ron Schenone.

How cool is that? WTG Eric!

[Temmu]

nice! congrats vt!

[steel]

Awesome job Eric i remembered a time when you were starting out you were getting a little frustrated, i am glad that you didnt give up, you come along way and should be an example for alot of people starting with linux.. all they have to do is look at you and see how well your doing and how knowledgeable you are ......keep up the great work

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Awesome job Eric i remembered a time when you were starting out you were getting a little frustrated, i am glad that you didnt give up, you come along way and should be an example for alot of people starting with linux.. all they have to do is look at you and see how well your doing and how knowledgeable you are ......keep up the great work

Thank you, Louis!

Sadly, I doubt that the majority would "endeavor to persevere" as I did. I'm glad I hung in there, though... with a little help from my friends!