I remember this era. It was Slackware, Caldera, TurboLinux, Mandrake and lots of hours with `./configure; make && make install` executions, reading Linux magazines and big fat books on getting it up and running (losing "precious" data in the process as well). Seeing scary fsck messages when booting up a PC that wasn't properly shutdown. I also remember that there was WinLinux 2000 for those who where scared having a real linux installed. I can't recall the real reason nor how I heard about Linux at the time, but I'm immensely grateful that I did and with time switched permanently to the open source side.
> if I'm going to have to compile some things why not all the things?
Time? Compiling the kernel took 10m on a reasonable fast workstation-like PC. It could easily take three times as long on a more budget-friendly PC. And the kernel wasn't the largest package by any means. gcc (wants to be compiled three times) or, shudder, TeX? Very little benefit of compiling that oneself over and over again while a quite substantial cost.
We tried this out a middle schoolers at an installfest in Alabama in the 90s, but something was broken with the resulting install and had to wipe it and start over. Funny that 25+ years later I learn that the problem could have been that the locale was set to en_RN…
Good times. My first Linux distribution was a copy of RH 6.1 that my parents bought me from OfficeMax. They weren’t too thrilled when I nuked the MBR on our family’s Windows 98 box, but they’ve subsequently benefitted from nearly 30 years of free tech support haha. Took me another year or so before I finally got X working on our Dell laptop, because I had to install a patched X server to work with its Rage Mobility graphics card. I remember thinking that my keyboard was broken because `su` didn’t echo my password back out to the console. We all have to start somewhere, and the manuals that came with that install were priceless to me.
can I ask how it has changed the course of your life?
I've deen daily driving Ubuntu with KDE for about 2 years now. it's been great and I've had a lot of fun exploring things and learning the GNU tools in particular. I've been interested in contributing to some projects but that hasn't been very accessible so far.
I have never been paid to write code, and my formal CS education is limited to AP Computer Science, and a one-credit Java class in college. But like
2OEH8eoCRo0, I can say that Red Hat Linux changed my life. Experience running Linux from kernel 1.2.13/Red Hat Linux 2.1 onward at home, and contributing small bits of code to a project or two (and RPMs to community repos), got me into a career at Wall Street after college, covering hardware and software companies (including RHAT) as an equity analyst during and after the dotcom bubble.
I got my PC in 1996, replacing my 1990 Amstrad CPC. I was contributing to free software projects a little over a year or so later, working full time customizing free software in house by 2001, made a short film about GNU in 2007 and a consultant at the FSF by 2008.
Introduced me to Linux. Nobody on the school playground had even heard of it. Helped fuel my lifelong interest in computers. The Linux and tech experience contributed to my current role.
Not sure about the person you're directly asking but I have a similar sentiment for Red Hat Linux of the era.
I've been a Linux sysadmin since 1999. Every dollar I've paid for food and shelter since has been a direct result of what I learned getting Linux up and running on a PC and dialed up (later connected via Ethernet/Cable Modem) to the internet.
I have no clue what I would have done otherwise. I'd probably be working in Public Health or recently unemployed from the EPA by the Trumps Doge Squad.
First Linux I bought was Walnut Creek Linux CD-ROM. Second was Redhat. I would still be on Redhat if it were not for IBM and their bad faith source-available interpretation of the GPL. Then I bought Mandrake and used it as long as it was Mandrake and not the thing that became Conectiva. Then I heard about Ubuntu which would mail free CDs anywhere in the world. I was in education back then and my students would ask Ubuntu for CDs for a class I was teaching, and Canonical sent them a cardboard display, flyers, stickers, and about 50 CDs. They watched in class Revolution OS and contacted many of the people on it, which were kind enough to answer them. Those were the times; I'm old, yet still looking for a job because I love the industry.
I can't remember the name of the Linux CD set I would buy. It had a red background and a picture of the globe. The cds contained slackware/sunsite/gnu etc. I think it started with an "I"...
Hah, I downloaded floppy disk images from Walnut Creek CD-ROM's amazing FTP mirror site, wrote them to actual floppies in my university computer lab, and carried those home to try out SLS and later Slackware.
Starting with Linux in 1993, I was already using it productively for years before things like SSH and VMware existed!
I love those old project codenames. They were all connected to each other, but different. Manthattan -> Apollo (both were “Projects”). Apollo to Hedwig (both were characters), etc.
First time I installed linux was around 98, something went wrong and I could not boot and once able to boot could not get on the net. Went through all the information I had printed out and the books I had to no avail, called everyone I could think of. For the next week I had daily bus rides to the library where I would get on IRC to ask any question I could think of, download anything which might help, take lots of notes, make a new boot disk or two and then back home to spend the night trying to sort things out.
First thing I did when I got everything working was sign on to a couple local BBS's so I could play LORD, had to catch up on all that lost time. Felt pretty great to play LORD from console.
Wish I'd been that successful. I tried to install Red Hat in '98 with absolutely no support or help. Got the disks from a friend of mine whose dad was a SWE. I ended up (figuratively) crawling on my belly back to the computer shop where I bought the hardware to reinstall Windows. Not my proudest moment!
But in hindsight very expected. When I switched to Linux full time around 2010 I started realizing how disadvantaged I was at the time and forgave myself :-)
I don't think I can say that I was successful, various people on IRC were the ones who were successful and I was just lucky they were willing to compile kernels and make disk images for me since the library computers lacked the required software to do all that stuff.
I also first tried Linux (with zero unix knowledge) about 98 or 99 with RH5.1 which I think was the 2.0.3x kernel.
Frankly I'm amazed I got as far as I did despite it was mostly uninformed blundering about and bashing my head against the wall. I managed to figure out the specific AT codes to make my modem connect, and even managed to download and compile KDE 1.1 (the default UI was so ugly and clunky). KDE took about a day to compile from memory.
:) It's difficult to imagine this today, but back then most households had a single ("the") computer shared by everyone. This was a challenge for adventurous geeks interested in Linux for two reasons. First, you couldn't get help with setting up Linux from the internet if the computer was out of service or you couldn't get online (getting your "winmodem" recognized and working was an endeavor all by itself). So I totally relate to your trips to the library. I used to print all the possible manuals and tutorials up front before attempting an installation, and have all the drivers I might need on floppies ready to go.
But most importantly, if you messed up the Windows installation for any reason (Linux was unusable after all in those days for mere mortals...), you broke the machine for everyone else in the household. I remember getting into trouble for this several times, and tinkering with Linux was always a rush because of it. I finally got my own _personal_ computer a few years later, which was a huge relief.
Readit News
I bought Redhawks 5.2 or .3 in the big box, bought the Linux Bible and went to town.
Was running Sgi IRIX full time back then. When Linux booted, I had two thoughts!
(Glances at spiffy Sgi Indigo Magic Desktop)
1) Hoo Boy, we have a long way to go
, and
2) YES, a lot is possible today!
Good times.
This was what eventually lead me to Gentoo, if I'm going to have to compile some things why not all the things?
And being able to install mpg123 without installing X, that was nice.
Time? Compiling the kernel took 10m on a reasonable fast workstation-like PC. It could easily take three times as long on a more budget-friendly PC. And the kernel wasn't the largest package by any means. gcc (wants to be compiled three times) or, shudder, TeX? Very little benefit of compiling that oneself over and over again while a quite substantial cost.
If there was a packaged version you would prefer that, but not a lot of stuff was packaged in RPMs at the time.
When Ubuntu came out and they started sending CDs for free worldwide (kudos to Mark Shuttleworth), that's when the Ubuntu/Debian started dominating.
Deleted Comment
Still common for ArchLinux users.
I made a comment above and it's worth repeating again, the manual was indispensable.
I've deen daily driving Ubuntu with KDE for about 2 years now. it's been great and I've had a lot of fun exploring things and learning the GNU tools in particular. I've been interested in contributing to some projects but that hasn't been very accessible so far.
I've been a Linux sysadmin since 1999. Every dollar I've paid for food and shelter since has been a direct result of what I learned getting Linux up and running on a PC and dialed up (later connected via Ethernet/Cable Modem) to the internet.
I have no clue what I would have done otherwise. I'd probably be working in Public Health or recently unemployed from the EPA by the Trumps Doge Squad.
EDIT:
Found it, wild nostalgia! It was infomagic. This was my first Linux install: https://archive.org/details/ldr_0895_4cd
Starting with Linux in 1993, I was already using it productively for years before things like SSH and VMware existed!
https://beefymiracle.org/
First thing I did when I got everything working was sign on to a couple local BBS's so I could play LORD, had to catch up on all that lost time. Felt pretty great to play LORD from console.
But in hindsight very expected. When I switched to Linux full time around 2010 I started realizing how disadvantaged I was at the time and forgave myself :-)
Frankly I'm amazed I got as far as I did despite it was mostly uninformed blundering about and bashing my head against the wall. I managed to figure out the specific AT codes to make my modem connect, and even managed to download and compile KDE 1.1 (the default UI was so ugly and clunky). KDE took about a day to compile from memory.
But most importantly, if you messed up the Windows installation for any reason (Linux was unusable after all in those days for mere mortals...), you broke the machine for everyone else in the household. I remember getting into trouble for this several times, and tinkering with Linux was always a rush because of it. I finally got my own _personal_ computer a few years later, which was a huge relief.