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Anyone here a UNIX/Linux/other non Windows/Max OS user?

Thanatopsis

Thanatopsis

I guess I'll put this here since there's no Computer/Technology subforum.

But like the thread title says are there any of you here?

I've never been able to confine myself to 1 OS at a time. After first beginning to learn UNIX in 94 while I was working for an ISP. I was 14 and after a few paychecks built a new machine. A 486DX2/66 with 32MB of RAM, a 850MB hard drive, and a video card with 1MB of memory, it kicked ass. So since I was getting into UNIX and it would be a few more years before Sun made Solaris x86, I decided to try out this still relatively unknown UNIX-like OS with binaries for a wide range of architechtures called Linux on the machine the 486 replaced, a 386SX/16 w MB of RAM and an 82MB HD.

I did a little research and first learned of what's in the Linux world referred to as a distribution. To those that aren't familiar, a distribution is a version of Linux with various varieties of applications, configuration tools, and other utilities/software bundled with the OS. Other small variations such as some configuration files and other minor things also vary, but at the core the OS is the same.

I've always liked to do things on a computer the hard way at first to learn more, so my browsing made me decide on a distribution called Slackware. It was, and still is, a ditribution aimed more towards the power user and certainly someone with some prior Linux and/or UNIX experience. I was already learning UNIX and love a technological challenge, so Slackware it was, which ended up being my distro of choice until recently when it's been lacking in updates compared to other current ones.

Since then I've always had at minimum two operating systems on my main machine, the two being one form of Linux and Windows. I've managed to all but eliminate the need for Windows lately using either alternate applications, Wine(which stands for Windows Emulator, allowing you to run native Windows apps), or using a virtual machine(VMWare being my personal choice).

In addition to Windows and Linux, I also typically have a drive with Solaris, and an old 30gb drive that I use to experiment and play around with all sorts of alternative OS's.


Wow, I planned on this post being a couple lines, sometimes when I get sotned I go off on a tangent emptying my mind through my hands without even thinking. So anyways, any other people here that love operating systems? Using obscure ones, playing around with all of them like me, etc.???

And if anyone wants to try experimenting, or already has and needs any help, I'm more than happy to help, and in fact enjoy helping people learn UNIX since I'm such a big advocate of it and like to spread the knowledge.


EDIT: There should be a Computer/Technology/anything electronic related subforum here. If it were to happen, I volunteer my services as both a moderator as well as a helpful and knowledgeable contributor.
 
Hmm, my first computer useage was in '83 ...lol!

Apple II's/TI-44a and such back then, then the PC-XT, etc.

Loved DOS, hated windows....well, sorta. I liked 98se...even worked as a tech support flunky on it for a bit, until win2k anyways.

Yeah, I still like the idea of alt OS's, but I still run Windows XP as my daily box mainly because I'm lazy...oh, and I can't run Photoshop CS in Vm on a P3-1ghz....teheee.

Ya, all my gear is antique stuff...but it works.

I hava truly old Pentium II with 96M ram running IPcop that's been perfect for like yeears now.

First *nix I used was prolly a login i got at a uni off of a BBS telnet gateway back when 9600 Baud was fast...:lol:

In the 90's, along with the usual M$ stuff I played with mostly Redhat adn Slack, ran a rethat 8/9 VPS, used Peanut for awhile. Lately though, I'm more of a Debian guy. Got a nother p3-800 running Xubuntu 8.10 just dandy.

I still wish OS/2 woulda made it better after Warp...lovvved that..it destroyed anything Redmond could do at teh time. Still have the .iso's fro it too tucked away.

Oh, I still hava fully working Mac LC-575...just in case.

Ironically, I just d/l and burnt a tarball of my website's daily backup a few minutes ago....heheh.
 
You got me beat my a couple years. My very first machine was a Commodore 64 in '85. I was only 5, but I was all over it. My first PC was an old 8088 HP laptop my grandfather brought home for me(he worked for HP his whole life until he retired a few years ago). I got an 8MHz 286 not long thereafter.

In 87 or 88 I got a Commodore 128, which I thought was going to be so awesome. But never was. They never really made too much software that took advantage of the extra memory and power so I still ran 90% software made for the 64.

I had one more 286, a blazing 12MHz model before my first Windows machine in 90, which was a Packard Bell 386SX/16(which was the last prebuilt machine I've owned, since I always build my own). It came with Windows 3.0 and had a massive 82MB HD.

Did you ever get into the local BBS scene? I was huge into it in the early to mid 90s and ran my own for a while. I used Wildcat and WWIV at first but eventually settled on Renegade, which I ran on for the life of the board. I miss logging into all the local boards every day for my LORD and Tradewars characters.

Thinking about that makes me want to set up a telnet board for people to play old door games and host it on an extra machine. I think I might even set that up tonight for something fun to do.

I'm such a geek, I can go on and on about old computer stuff.
 
I have a macbook, I quite like osx after a few months of getting used to it at least.

I run a hosting company and play with different OS's all the time. Mostly centos though.

I used to be cosysop of a bbs, BRE and LORD ruled. I don't have much time for games anymore though. Hosting is pretty much 24/7.
 
Ya don't work for Idologic do ya?

Just curious as ya be in their neck of the woods and I've been with them for several years now...they rock.
 
I started off back in 1977 with a Trash 80 (TRS-80 I) from radio shack. Gramps went all out and even got me the external device (uhh tape player) add-on! Life was good and I was writing programs in days. Picked up a copy of Madness and the Minatour and played the game forever. Took classes in high school and got a job at 16 as a Jr admin until I went off to college. Ended up getting a job working with AS400's and VAX/VMS boxes until a good friend pushed me toward the a new company that will be taking over the industry Microsoft. Went back to school for a couple of years and picked up a CNE and a MCSE in the mid 90's and haven't had the need to look at nix, or any other OS in a LONG time. However I still miss the good old days of S.A.T.A.N., IRC. and LAN parties playing duke nukem!

trs80-i.jpg
 
I've tinkered with Linux, tried Fedora, Ubuntu and PCLinux. PC Linux was my favourite. I ended up giving up on them all, could never get it to talk with my other home network PC's properly.

I love my Vista Premium though.

My first PC was a Commodore 64 using BASIC, don't miss those days at all.
 
PCLinux is one that I haven't tried and Fedora I ran briefly. But I'm writing this on Ubuntu now.

How could you not miss the C64? Personally what I miss the most is the dial-up BBS days.
 
QuadShotz said:
Ya don't work for Idologic do ya?

Just curious as ya be in their neck of the woods and I've been with them for several years now...they rock.
Click to expand...

Nope, run my own hosting company for the past 9 years. EZP.net.
 
XP runs fine IMO, but Internet Explorer is terrible. I use Firefox with Adblock and No Script add-ons and it is sweet. Vista scares me though.
 
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