Holy Balls! PCLinuxOS
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Inspired by the Outlaw's post on his experiences with installing Ubuntu Linux, I decided to finally install PCLinuxOS on an old Pentium 3 450MHz machine I had laying around. I downloaded the ISO image of the LiveCD and finally succeeded in burning the image on a CD. Installation was an abolute piece of cake - absurdly simple to the extreme. I debated between PCLinuxOS and Ubuntu, and decided on PCLOS - a strictly arbritary decision, it just seemed "slicker" to me. I don't know much about Linux, but I understand that PCLOS uses the KD shell - very nice looking! Even on this old P3/450, operation is snappy and responsive. My first impression is that there really isn't anything missing from what I've got on my XP machine. Except of course for Visual Studio :). Not sure what I'm going to do with this box- I set it up more out of curiosity than out of necessity. If I can find the time, I'll try my best to play around with PCLOS and to post my impressions. For now, I'm impressed.
Abu Mami wrote:
I set it up more out of curiosity than out of necessity.
Abu Mami wrote:
For now, I'm impressed.
Uhhh... I guess that's the way of the world. It's easy to impress for curiosity items, and you get raked over the coals for stuff that meets real needs. Poor Microsoft. ;) Marc
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Abu Mami wrote:
I set it up more out of curiosity than out of necessity.
Abu Mami wrote:
For now, I'm impressed.
Uhhh... I guess that's the way of the world. It's easy to impress for curiosity items, and you get raked over the coals for stuff that meets real needs. Poor Microsoft. ;) Marc
Marc Clifton wrote:
and you get raked over the coals for stuff that meets real needs.
Really? I've had exactly the opposite experience. Then again, I've been using some distro of linux since RedHat released Workstation 6 (read: forever ago). I just set up a debian virtual private server over at rimuhosting.com[^] (fantastic company, super-responsive. Had my server set up in 10 minutes and sent me the most useful "Getting Started" document I've ever seen.) yesterday to host my subversion repositories, trac instances, ssh tunnel, apache installation, etc. Sure, you have to look up how to do certain things, but there's always a way to do stuff and there's always documentation. I've got a full Debian installation on a 4gb usb thumbdrive I have here. The main partition is encrypted (support for that is built into the filesystem, so the perf hit is negligible) and it's really fast. Really useful for when I'm on someone else's machine or in a hostile environment and I want to have my stuff with me.
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Inspired by the Outlaw's post on his experiences with installing Ubuntu Linux, I decided to finally install PCLinuxOS on an old Pentium 3 450MHz machine I had laying around. I downloaded the ISO image of the LiveCD and finally succeeded in burning the image on a CD. Installation was an abolute piece of cake - absurdly simple to the extreme. I debated between PCLinuxOS and Ubuntu, and decided on PCLOS - a strictly arbritary decision, it just seemed "slicker" to me. I don't know much about Linux, but I understand that PCLOS uses the KD shell - very nice looking! Even on this old P3/450, operation is snappy and responsive. My first impression is that there really isn't anything missing from what I've got on my XP machine. Except of course for Visual Studio :). Not sure what I'm going to do with this box- I set it up more out of curiosity than out of necessity. If I can find the time, I'll try my best to play around with PCLOS and to post my impressions. For now, I'm impressed.
Abu Mami wrote:
Not sure what I'm going to do with this box
Exactly :) Seriously, I mostly develop on OpenSUSE Linux nowdays, and pretty much the only GUI application I ever use is Firefox. For all office task, Windows is way ahead.
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Marc Clifton wrote:
and you get raked over the coals for stuff that meets real needs.
Really? I've had exactly the opposite experience. Then again, I've been using some distro of linux since RedHat released Workstation 6 (read: forever ago). I just set up a debian virtual private server over at rimuhosting.com[^] (fantastic company, super-responsive. Had my server set up in 10 minutes and sent me the most useful "Getting Started" document I've ever seen.) yesterday to host my subversion repositories, trac instances, ssh tunnel, apache installation, etc. Sure, you have to look up how to do certain things, but there's always a way to do stuff and there's always documentation. I've got a full Debian installation on a 4gb usb thumbdrive I have here. The main partition is encrypted (support for that is built into the filesystem, so the perf hit is negligible) and it's really fast. Really useful for when I'm on someone else's machine or in a hostile environment and I want to have my stuff with me.
David Stone wrote:
Really? I've had exactly the opposite experience.
:) David, your expertise is obvious. Marc
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David Stone wrote:
Really? I've had exactly the opposite experience.
:) David, your expertise is obvious. Marc
Sorry. I wasn't trying to come across like a jerk. I was in a bit of a rush when I wrote the post. Reading back over it, it sounds all wrong. I was just saying that I've found that linux does meet a lot of real-world requirements. (obviously one of the main ones is "a good web server", as that's mainly what I'm using it for right now...well...that and the thumb drive.) Is there anything specifically that you've tried using it for where it's not worked out?
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Sorry. I wasn't trying to come across like a jerk. I was in a bit of a rush when I wrote the post. Reading back over it, it sounds all wrong. I was just saying that I've found that linux does meet a lot of real-world requirements. (obviously one of the main ones is "a good web server", as that's mainly what I'm using it for right now...well...that and the thumb drive.) Is there anything specifically that you've tried using it for where it's not worked out?
David Stone wrote:
Sorry. I wasn't trying to come across like a jerk.
You didn't. And I wasn't being sarcastic. I'm really impressed with what you write and rather envious, as I wish I knew more about Linux and setting up the things that you wrote about.
David Stone wrote:
I was just saying that I've found that linux does meet a lot of real-world requirements.
I wasn't implying that it doesn't, but rather that (what I think I said) that things that we find no practical use for we are oddly impressed with. Hmm. Ok., well, that doesn't mean that OTHERS don't find a practical use for them. Ah well, whatever I was trying to say didn't come across right. :)
David Stone wrote:
Is there anything specifically that you've tried using it for where it's not worked out?
Well, I've blogged a little bit about my attempt to use the Mono-Suse distro. I definitely gave up. Perhaps I should have started with something simpler. Not a VM, for example. Or maybe not from a developer perspective but perhaps more of a user perspective. Marc
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David Stone wrote:
Sorry. I wasn't trying to come across like a jerk.
You didn't. And I wasn't being sarcastic. I'm really impressed with what you write and rather envious, as I wish I knew more about Linux and setting up the things that you wrote about.
David Stone wrote:
I was just saying that I've found that linux does meet a lot of real-world requirements.
I wasn't implying that it doesn't, but rather that (what I think I said) that things that we find no practical use for we are oddly impressed with. Hmm. Ok., well, that doesn't mean that OTHERS don't find a practical use for them. Ah well, whatever I was trying to say didn't come across right. :)
David Stone wrote:
Is there anything specifically that you've tried using it for where it's not worked out?
Well, I've blogged a little bit about my attempt to use the Mono-Suse distro. I definitely gave up. Perhaps I should have started with something simpler. Not a VM, for example. Or maybe not from a developer perspective but perhaps more of a user perspective. Marc
Marc Clifton wrote:
my attempt to use the Mono-Suse distro
Yuck. I am not a fan of openSUSE. I'm a Debian user through and through. I suppose you could also use Ubuntu if you wanted. (Ubuntu is a Debian derivative). Just throw in the minimal network install CD, select the workstation installation and you have the most up-to-date Debian workstation you can have. The things that really impress me about Debian are things like apt-get (the package manager) where all I have to type in is
apt-get install subversionand I have the latest subversion client/server installed. Let's say I want to install openSSH:apt-get install ssh. And it walks you through setting up the proper RSA/DSA keys for your server, setting up the security, etc. Very cool stuff. Same with mono:apt-get install monoAnd since it keeps track of everything you've installed, updating everything on your system is as easy asapt-get updateI would definitely start with just using a workstation. You'll find that most of the things you do are the same on Linux as they are on Windows. Firefox is the same. (CPhog works on Linux! :-D) You can use Thunderbird or Evolution or even pine or mutt for your e-mail client. MonoDevelop isn't the most fantastic IDE on the planet, but they're getting there. But yeah. I definitely recommend starting with a Debian workstation install. Then apt-get your way from there. :) -
Marc Clifton wrote:
and you get raked over the coals for stuff that meets real needs.
Really? I've had exactly the opposite experience. Then again, I've been using some distro of linux since RedHat released Workstation 6 (read: forever ago). I just set up a debian virtual private server over at rimuhosting.com[^] (fantastic company, super-responsive. Had my server set up in 10 minutes and sent me the most useful "Getting Started" document I've ever seen.) yesterday to host my subversion repositories, trac instances, ssh tunnel, apache installation, etc. Sure, you have to look up how to do certain things, but there's always a way to do stuff and there's always documentation. I've got a full Debian installation on a 4gb usb thumbdrive I have here. The main partition is encrypted (support for that is built into the filesystem, so the perf hit is negligible) and it's really fast. Really useful for when I'm on someone else's machine or in a hostile environment and I want to have my stuff with me.
David Stone wrote:
I just set up a debian virtual private server over at rimuhosting.com[^] (fantastic company, super-responsive.
Yep these guys rock. I've also had a really good experience with slicehost[^]. Although I don't know if the have the same breath of offerings that rimuhosting has.
My Blog A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. - -Lazarus Long
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David Stone wrote:
I just set up a debian virtual private server over at rimuhosting.com[^] (fantastic company, super-responsive.
Yep these guys rock. I've also had a really good experience with slicehost[^]. Although I don't know if the have the same breath of offerings that rimuhosting has.
My Blog A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. - -Lazarus Long
The reason I went with Rimu over Slice was the fact that Slice has a waiting list right now. They set up virtual servers. That's not that hard. To me, that screams "Oh crap, we didn't have enough physical servers to meet the demand we're experiencing!" and that's not something I want to deal with.
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Abu Mami wrote:
I set it up more out of curiosity than out of necessity.
Abu Mami wrote:
For now, I'm impressed.
Uhhh... I guess that's the way of the world. It's easy to impress for curiosity items, and you get raked over the coals for stuff that meets real needs. Poor Microsoft. ;) Marc
Marc Clifton wrote:
I guess that's the way of the world. It's easy to impress for curiosity items, and you get raked over the coals for stuff that meets real needs.
Since getting rid of my S-100 box with MPM-86, I've been firmly in the Microsoft world. However, I've worked with other platforms when the need arises. I've got a dedicated server running CentOS (repackaged RedHat) and figured I'd try out a "desktop Linux". I don't see it replacing my XP machine at home since I'm too tied into Windows, but after looking at PCLOS, I can see how it could become a "main" home platform.
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I've been using PCLinuxOS on my second machine for over a year, and since then I've tried several other Linux distros but I always come back to PCLOS, it just works! The Livecd does not contain non-free stuff like libdvdcss2 or win codecs, but they are available in the repositories after installing. PCLinuxOS is the fastest and most complete Linux distro I've found, I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to explore the world of Desktop Linux. It truly deserves its slogan of "The distro-hopper-stopper"!
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Marc Clifton wrote:
my attempt to use the Mono-Suse distro
Yuck. I am not a fan of openSUSE. I'm a Debian user through and through. I suppose you could also use Ubuntu if you wanted. (Ubuntu is a Debian derivative). Just throw in the minimal network install CD, select the workstation installation and you have the most up-to-date Debian workstation you can have. The things that really impress me about Debian are things like apt-get (the package manager) where all I have to type in is
apt-get install subversionand I have the latest subversion client/server installed. Let's say I want to install openSSH:apt-get install ssh. And it walks you through setting up the proper RSA/DSA keys for your server, setting up the security, etc. Very cool stuff. Same with mono:apt-get install monoAnd since it keeps track of everything you've installed, updating everything on your system is as easy asapt-get updateI would definitely start with just using a workstation. You'll find that most of the things you do are the same on Linux as they are on Windows. Firefox is the same. (CPhog works on Linux! :-D) You can use Thunderbird or Evolution or even pine or mutt for your e-mail client. MonoDevelop isn't the most fantastic IDE on the planet, but they're getting there. But yeah. I definitely recommend starting with a Debian workstation install. Then apt-get your way from there. :)likewise here ... love debian and apt-get :)
"there is no spoon" {me}
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Inspired by the Outlaw's post on his experiences with installing Ubuntu Linux, I decided to finally install PCLinuxOS on an old Pentium 3 450MHz machine I had laying around. I downloaded the ISO image of the LiveCD and finally succeeded in burning the image on a CD. Installation was an abolute piece of cake - absurdly simple to the extreme. I debated between PCLinuxOS and Ubuntu, and decided on PCLOS - a strictly arbritary decision, it just seemed "slicker" to me. I don't know much about Linux, but I understand that PCLOS uses the KD shell - very nice looking! Even on this old P3/450, operation is snappy and responsive. My first impression is that there really isn't anything missing from what I've got on my XP machine. Except of course for Visual Studio :). Not sure what I'm going to do with this box- I set it up more out of curiosity than out of necessity. If I can find the time, I'll try my best to play around with PCLOS and to post my impressions. For now, I'm impressed.
So, do they have a legal way to play a DVD yet? I know for years it was not legal..
Rocky <>< Latest Code Blog Post: Linq - One-to-One issues? Latest Tech Blog Post: ESnailer... Send postal mail for free!
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Inspired by the Outlaw's post on his experiences with installing Ubuntu Linux, I decided to finally install PCLinuxOS on an old Pentium 3 450MHz machine I had laying around. I downloaded the ISO image of the LiveCD and finally succeeded in burning the image on a CD. Installation was an abolute piece of cake - absurdly simple to the extreme. I debated between PCLinuxOS and Ubuntu, and decided on PCLOS - a strictly arbritary decision, it just seemed "slicker" to me. I don't know much about Linux, but I understand that PCLOS uses the KD shell - very nice looking! Even on this old P3/450, operation is snappy and responsive. My first impression is that there really isn't anything missing from what I've got on my XP machine. Except of course for Visual Studio :). Not sure what I'm going to do with this box- I set it up more out of curiosity than out of necessity. If I can find the time, I'll try my best to play around with PCLOS and to post my impressions. For now, I'm impressed.
If you like something more barebones and fast, try ArchLinux :)
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