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Giving Linux a test drive.....
While I'm waiting for my project to rebuild, I think I'll mention my latest computer project: looking at Linux.
I've known about Linux for years. I have a copy of a book from the Linux Documentation Project that I bought in 1994. I also have some early distributions -- Slackware 2.3, and a couple of InfoMagic collections from 1995 and 1996. And somewhere, I have a copy of Mandrake 8.1 and Ubuntu 7.04. But I didn't do much with them, except collect them. I once had Mandrake running on a test system, but I kept forgetting my screen saver password, and so it didn't get a lot of use.
In the past few days, I downloaded the ISO images of the desktop versions of Ubuntu Linux 7.10 and Kubuntu Linux 7.10 and burned the images onto CDs. (Ubuntu uses GNOME as its user interface; Kubuntu uses KDE.) I can boot with either of these CDs and Linux will come up. I can also install from these discs if I desire, but I'd rather not mess with my production desktop.
The verdict so far: I'm liking GNOME better than KDE. While KDE has a lot of features similar to Windows, I can't help but feel a little lost in the navigation. Plus GNOME has some nifty games like Mah-Jongg Solitaire.
I've often said that if Linux was to take market share away from Windows, it would have to have a decent, robust, and intuitive user interface, and plenty of comparable applications. I think we're getting there, although it may be a few more years. Dell is offering PCs with Ubuntu pre-installed, and stores like Sears and Wal-Mart are selling PCs with Linspire pre-installed.
If I do get that hand-me-down PC from my workplace, I'll definitely consider installing Ubuntu on it, since I have to supply the hard drive and OS. If I find that XP Professional CD, I'll set it up as a dual-boot system.
Is there a market for older versions of Linux? Or am I stuck with what I got because it's been obsoleted? Am I the only one around here who collects old software?
I've known about Linux for years. I have a copy of a book from the Linux Documentation Project that I bought in 1994. I also have some early distributions -- Slackware 2.3, and a couple of InfoMagic collections from 1995 and 1996. And somewhere, I have a copy of Mandrake 8.1 and Ubuntu 7.04. But I didn't do much with them, except collect them. I once had Mandrake running on a test system, but I kept forgetting my screen saver password, and so it didn't get a lot of use.
In the past few days, I downloaded the ISO images of the desktop versions of Ubuntu Linux 7.10 and Kubuntu Linux 7.10 and burned the images onto CDs. (Ubuntu uses GNOME as its user interface; Kubuntu uses KDE.) I can boot with either of these CDs and Linux will come up. I can also install from these discs if I desire, but I'd rather not mess with my production desktop.
The verdict so far: I'm liking GNOME better than KDE. While KDE has a lot of features similar to Windows, I can't help but feel a little lost in the navigation. Plus GNOME has some nifty games like Mah-Jongg Solitaire.
I've often said that if Linux was to take market share away from Windows, it would have to have a decent, robust, and intuitive user interface, and plenty of comparable applications. I think we're getting there, although it may be a few more years. Dell is offering PCs with Ubuntu pre-installed, and stores like Sears and Wal-Mart are selling PCs with Linspire pre-installed.
If I do get that hand-me-down PC from my workplace, I'll definitely consider installing Ubuntu on it, since I have to supply the hard drive and OS. If I find that XP Professional CD, I'll set it up as a dual-boot system.
Is there a market for older versions of Linux? Or am I stuck with what I got because it's been obsoleted? Am I the only one around here who collects old software?