X-Apparently-From: Message-ID: <011101c042dd$31534400$3d1e0404@dbcooper> From: "Patrick Moran" To: References: <20001029 DOT 211112 DOT -3972137 DOT 1 DOT domanspc AT juno DOT com> <39FD0A77 DOT 6D5C4313 AT internet1 DOT net> Subject: Re: A little history Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2000 17:16:36 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.3018.1300 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.3018.1300 Reply-To: opendos AT delorie DOT com ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Sunday, October 29, 2000 10:43 PM Subject: Re: A little history > Robert, > > Robert W Moss wrote: > > > > What's to like? You did not buy "Linux" or DR DOS from Caldera. > > Yes I did. I bought DRDOS from Caldera before they split the company. > I also bought OpenLinux 2.3, but haven't been able to install it. It > hangs on all my machines. Both could be downloaded for free. You must not have bothered to check it out thoroughly. I downloaded 7.01, 7.02 and 7.02 to 7.03 updates from Caldera before Lineo took over. I did not bother to get Open Linux. Of course I just go to the FTP site and download what I want. I don't bother trying get stuff from WEB pages if I can get access to the FTP sites. As far as installing OpenLinux, you are probably doing something wrong. Have you describe the problem and where it hangs. Most of the time it's simply LILO that hangs and you did not install something correctly or LILO need more information to boot. For example, my Sound Blaster card's SCSI controller does not have a ROM, so when LILO pops up I had to tell it how to find the controller. I could also tell LILO what the parameters were and to remember them so I did not have to tell it the information each time I booted to Linux. RTFM. > The part that I don't like is SCO selling what they are know for... > Unix. Also they seem to be wanting to combine Linux and Unix. From > what I have read in Usenet Unix is still the heavy hitter, Linux is > making progress, but still has its flaws compared to Unix. you must be a little behind time. Quite some time ago SCO revamped their kernel to work with Linux apps. They were losing business because people wanted the Linux packages. So they were more or less forced to make this move or go out of business. they have had what is called the LKP kernel for some time now. LKP stands for Linux Kernel Properties! As far as flaws go, I think you had better check that out. It is just the opposite. Most experts will tell you that Linux is much more stable. Of course if you are one of those people that has to try out the latest things to come out before they have been thoroughly tested then you can get into trouble. I always keep track of the new kernels to see what problems are. Remember they change the kernel to add more and more capabilities to it. They are trying to develop a 64 bit OS and will probably be the first to do it with a stable version. If you read the Linux DOCs you will find that even numbered kernels are experimental and that the odd numbered ones are the good ones. If you look at what versions of the kernels are being used by RedHat, Slackware, Debian, Turbo Linux, Open Linux, and a host of other distributions, you can be pretty certain these are very stable. The same goes for new versions of apps. Some are in alpha test and some are in beta test and some are final releases. The same goes for new libraries and Xservers. the reason these are available is so that people can test them out and e-mail authors of the package to what problems you have encountered. These packages are clearly labled as Alpha, or Beta. They will have an a or b at the end of the version number. I have used Linux for over five years and have found very little to complain about. I don't have BIG BAD BLUE screens with it. I don't have to reload it every three months or less. It never crashed on me. Best of all, it works and does something useful without hogging tons of resources and it is very,very fast. Experts say it is the most stable OS currently available. As for SCO, you must not have heard of the many horror stories about it and people were forced to upgrade to get rid of those bugs and pay big, big bucks to upgrade. Much like MS crap and Novell Netware. Linux just keeps on trucking and leaves all others in it's dust! Why? BECAUSE it is FREE and the authors (over 500) of the packages and kernels get paid nothing for their work, they take pride in their work. They don't have a F*&^#(^ CEO looking at the "BOTTOM LINE" that's why! There are thousands of people around the world contibuting to Linux and alpha testing and beta testing software for it. Most of these people are true hackers (not what most people today consider a hacker, but what it used to mean.) Last and very far from least is the fact that Linux belongs to the public. That means every person living in this world owns it (and any aliens that may happen to stop by!) Pat _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com