Re: Linux

[mike shupp ms44278@xxxxxxxx]

Nathan Sivin wrote:

> 1. Is it possible to set Linux up without the network files
> (keeping only those needed for modem access to the Internet)? Is
> there any guidance available for doing it? I have looked
> unsystematically at a number of books and web sites, but none of
> them mention the possibility.

Certain possible with the Debian GNU/Linux distribution. Debian
is not quite the easiest system to install, let's admit, but
part of the installation involves selecting which particular sort
of thing you want on your hard disk (the most recent distribution
had 2400 seperate programs on two CD-ROMs, which is beyond the
need of most folks). There is an on-line installation manual you
look at on the Debian site: http://www.debian.org.

Several outfits sell Debian disks on line; I'd recommend CheapBytes
or Linux Central. The cost would be about ten bucks.

If you are a real Linux newcomer, you might consider the CD-ROM /
book combination O'Reilly is selling for 19.95. It's not a full
Debian installation but it's probably enough for people who aren't
software developers. See the press release at
http://www.debian.org/news/1999/19991012

There's also a Debian-based Linux distribution from Corel (the
WordPerfect people) which is supposed to be easy to install; I
don't know the details off hand, but you can check the news at
the Corel site.

The most recent major release of Debian (2.1) was in April of this
year; another major release (2.2) should be out in February or so;
Corel and O'reilly are using the 2.1.3 release if memory serves.
(The number scheme has nothing to do with the Linux kernal numbers;
it just happens to look as if it does.)

You could also buy a computer system with Debian preinstalled;
this costs about as much as comparable machine with Windows
installed, but won't have any hardware problems (see below).

>
> 2. How would XyDOS and XyWin work on such an installation? I will
> need to continue using both. How stable is Linux using non-Linux
> hardware? If there is a difference between versions, which is the
> best for the purpose?
>

There's a Linux program called DosEmu which will let you use
XyDOS, perhaps with some fiddling of your keyboard file. With
XyWin you're going to have problems-- there's an ongoing effort
to create a Windows emulator called WINE; it doesn't seem ready
for Prime Time as yet.

There's a document called the Linux Hardware HOW-TO which discusses
Linux and hardware compatability issues. It's updated frequently and
found in a lot of places; you might track it down by a web search, but
the most recent version should be at the University of North Carolina
website, one of many files in ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/docs/LDP
(UNC changed things recently, so it's not the sunsite server anymore,
but that ought to go through).

As a rule, Linux seems to be running about a year behind Microsoft
on hardware issues. If your computer gear is brand new you MIGHT
have to settle for using your super fancy video card as a mere
SVGA card, for example. Some equipment works with Linux right out
of the box-- most external modems, for example-- and some doesn't
work with Linux and probably never will because it was deliberately
aimed at the Windows market. Most internal modems, for instance,
and most of those under-$100 printers. (The manufacturer saved
money by pulling out electronic circuits and letting software do
the equivalent signal processing; the software assumes a Windows
environment. Some manufacturers are willing to release technical
specs that let drivers be written for Linux, some aren't.)

You will run into some problems surfing the Web as a Linux user.
This isn't limited to Linux, of course, as most of us Netscape
users are seeing the same thing-- a lot of special purpose Java
applets that look spiffy under Internet Explorer 5 but don't work
for Netscape or other non-Microsoft browsers. Given time, plugins
can be written to extend the functionality of Netscape, Mozilla,
Opera, etc., but it hasn't happened yet, and when it does happen
Microsoft will prohably be up to IE 7 and the rest of the world
will still be behind the eight ball. This has no cure, as long
as Microsoft's browser is the market leader and web programmers
want to show off their technical skills for the largest possible
audience.

As a general rule, a piece of computer gear that works with ms-dos
will work with Linux. 

As for stability, any Linux system will be more stable than
Windows. Debian has a specially good reputation and is cheap;
it has a number of e-lists and an ICQ channel where one can ask
for more advice than any ten people would want. SUSE has a good
reputation, especially in Europe. Red Hat and Caldera have good
systems and are quite easy to install. New distributions appear
about every two weeks from firms entering the Linux market, so
I can't make any solid recommendations. (However, I went with
Debian, if that's not clear.)

My final suggestion is that you consider running multiple
operating systems. Use Linux for statistical processing,
balancing your checkbook, sending email, and everything else
you possibly can. Use Windows for XyWin and games which
push the limits of your hardware or haven't been ported to
Linux. Consider keeping DOS on your system for XyDOS (and
those games which haven't been ported to Windows). Boot
Mangers which will let you do this are available; the one
I use (the Ranish Partition Manager) I downloaded from the
the SimTel.net site for the cost of a postcard.

Of course, if you're going to run any variant of UNIX on your
computer, I suppose you ought to remember that word processing
is part of the package. (Debian has THREE versions of Emacs,
and another three or four almost-Emacs clones; you can also
download free versions of WordPerfect 8 and the MS Office-clone
Smart Office.) Wait'll you meet vi!

----------------------------------------------------------

Mike Shupp
Graduate Student, Dept of Anthropology
California State University, Northridge
ms44278@xxxxxxxx
http://www.csun.edu/~ms44278/index.htm