Mageia Linux - New and Nice

[nihil]

So, in September of 1999, I got my very first Computer.

OMG.................you got your first computer 3 months after I first installed S.u.S.E. Linux? Still got the CD somewhere as it happens........................

I never really went into Linux that deeply as it was the "Millennium Panic" at the time, and I was using my home time on work projects helping out other guys. After all, I was working with a nicely balanced team, but with a preponderance of younger members................. I was one of the "grey hairs" who knew DOS, 3.X and Office 4.3. That meant that I knew Access 2, whereas we used Access 8................. trust me, converting "user mushrooms" from Access 2 to Access 8 isn't an easy task........ and there isn't any systems documentation of course, or even the template file. When I look back on it now, I must have been bloody mad

I delivered the last 2000 compliant application with 15 minutes to spare before our corporate deadline. we had 100% site Y2K compliance, and were the only site in the group to do so.

I was then asked to do the 3 day "Millennium Weekend" and I asked the boss if he didn't trust me.............I pointed to one of my test rigs and he saw it was running at 28 May 2000. "Why that date Johnno?" he asked.......so I explained that because a millennium year is also a leap year there might be a 29th February issue, so I had covered that as well, and 28th May happened to be my birthday, so he had better not forget a card!. He just told me to come in and help anyone else who had problems ............there was $6750 + expenses in it. Not bad for a weekend I thought?

I guess I am a Windows fanboi because it has provided me with one hell of a lot of beer vouchers over the years
I am very interested in Linux, and I have worked with Unix for quite a few years, but neither are "user facing", so it is hard to stand out from the crowd in most commercial environments. Unfortunately, that is how you get the money to pay the bills and
Don't worry gore, when you get to be an old fart like me you will be just as cynical.

Anyways, if you had immediately deleted Win95 and loaded Win98SE you would probably have never gotten into Linux and OSes in general.............. so Win95 and your uncle did you a big favour?

[gore]

OMG.................you got your first computer 3 months after I first installed S.u.S.E. Linux? Still got the CD somewhere as it happens........................

LOL yea, I did.

I never really went into Linux that deeply as it was the "Millennium Panic" at the time, and I was using my home time on work projects helping out other guys. After all, I was working with a nicely balanced team, but with a preponderance of younger members................. I was one of the "grey hairs" who knew DOS, 3.X and Office 4.3. That meant that I knew Access 2, whereas we used Access 8................. trust me, converting "user mushrooms" from Access 2 to Access 8 isn't an easy task........ and there isn't any systems documentation of course, or even the template file. When I look back on it now, I must have been bloody mad

Yea, as someone who can say they hate access and it would be mild compared to how I feel about it, I can understand. I don't like Access. I bought a real version of Office XP; The whole version including Front Page, as I needed that for a class, and it took me all of 5 minutes to think "SQL must mean stupid Queer Language...." lol.

I guess I am a Windows fanboi because it has provided me with one hell of a lot of beer vouchers over the years

Unix has provided a lot of Beer and stuff as well. I would love to be able to work on Unix and be paid for that. ****ing Michigan basing an entire economy on cars when the ones we build are gas hogs (up until the last few years when they finally pulled their heads out of their asses anyway) when before, we were mostly wood based; Logging was huge in the UP of Michigan.

I am very interested in Linux, and I have worked with Unix for quite a few years, but neither are "user facing",

User Facing; I don't know if I'd go that far anymore Nihil; After what I've seen on my Laptop in the last month, I can't say either anymore. Linux has SUSE, and Mandriva, and of course, Mageia now, and those truly are easy enough that anyone can use them.

My Mom, who knows little about Computers, can use those.

As for Unix, well, we've got Mac OS X, and PC-BSD, and though I don't own a Mac, and have only used OS X ONCE for a stupid Graphics class I took and never showed back up to, I DO have a lot of experience with PC-BSD.

I didn't think I'd EVER say this, but; There exists now, a BSD OS, that is actually easy enough for a normal basic user, to not only use, but actually understand. Now, the reason I thought I'd never say it, is purely and simply because the BSD people in general, care a WHOLE lot less about making something easy to use, as they do about stability and security.

That's until PC-BSD came around; Imagine if you will; FreeBSD, with all that stability and power, but with a totally new paint job, a complete set of VERY nice and easy to use GUI tools for setting everything up, AND!!!!!!!! Out of the box support for your sound, video, and everything else.

Installing software is as easy as loading that app, and clicking on what you want. And, if you came from another BSD; pkg_add -r anypackage works too, as do the Ports Collection.

I can't say enough about PC-BSD; I'm truly impressed. Actually, impressed isn't enough; Shock is more like it. You download the CD, it's very small, and when you boot from it, it's got a nice GUI that asks if you want to install FreeBSD for a Server, or, PC-BSD for a Desktop System.

Right away, I like that; I can keep just one CD with me to install BOTH OSs!

Then, imagine that once you've installed PC-BSD, all your Windows stuff is available, and, you load up a default desktop, which is KDE 4, and customized in a manner that it works better and faster.

I know, I use it on the SAME Laptop, and it's not the same.

Now, John, I've known you a pretty damn long time, and we've always had a mutual respect for each other, and, you've basically ALWAYS downloaded any OS I happened to put my own stamp of approval on. I know because when I talked about a version of Mandriva a long time ago, you grabbed that too So let me make it VERY clear; DOWNLOAD PC-BSD!!! You won't be sorry, I promise you.

Grab the PC-BSD CD, burn it, and install it on something. I think you'll be VERY impressed that a BSD is on this Earth that's THAT easy to use and work with.

so it is hard to stand out from the crowd in most commercial environments. Unfortunately, that is how you get the money to pay the bills and
Don't worry gore, when you get to be an old fart like me you will be just as cynical.

Well in 4 days, I'll be 29 lol.

Anyways, if you had immediately deleted Win95 and loaded Win98SE you would probably have never gotten into Linux and OSes in general.............. so Win95 and your uncle did you a big favour?

Basically yes; I sat there as I was saying, basically every night, LATE into the night, working away on something. After 6 Months, I'd accidentally killed it lol. I then, the next day, went to Best Buy, and bought myself an HP Pavilion, which was NOT top of the Line, but, it was pretty damn close!

It came with Windows 98 SE, and 128 MBs of RAM, and a 43 GB HD, all of which are still in the machine, which, I might add, is STILL in operation. Now, the reason that's impressive, is THAT is the machine I learned MOST of what I know on; I've formatted that HD probably over 2,000 times, without exaggerating at all.

The Power Supply it came with, all 75 Watts, is still working and installed, as is the rest of the Hardware, except my little 16 MB Nvidia Video Card, which started to take a **** a few years ago; The GUI of any OS had lines everywhere, and menus would then have something follow the lines in some weird way; Basically it was telling me it was time for something new.

I still use it though; You can't tell really without a GUI, so, leaving X off, works fine.

Though the last time I actually turned on the Monitor, it did seem to blow on me. So it may now be dead lol, but I don't know if it's the monitor or the card; The Monitor is not exactly brand new.

I don't even use it though, I log into it over SSH to do all the admin stuff, and then, it sits there as my FTP Server.

[nihil]

Hmmm,

Well, I'll give it a try, but a 3.6GB download isn't favourite at the moment. It looks as if my ISP is doing some sort of major upgrade and I keep losing the connection. Obviously this happens in the evenings and Sundays as they look after their commercial cash cows very nicely thankyou

I must say that I was impressed with the Mageia site as I got d/l speeds of 1.2MBps whereas you usually only get around 300~600KBps from download sites due to the traffic throttling?

Time to develop a hardware strategy I think.................

[gore]

3.6 GBs? Nihil; grab the Net Install CD, it's only like 200 MBs. Not only is it small, but it's VERY small, even compared to some Net Installer Discs, and that's with TWO OSs on it.

When you boot from the Net Installer CD, it will ask if you want FreeBSD or PC-BSD, and then you install.