mirror of https://github.com/tLDP/LDP
712 lines
33 KiB
Plaintext
712 lines
33 KiB
Plaintext
<!doctype linuxdoc system>
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<article>
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<title>Linux Information Sheet
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<author>Michael K. Johnson <johnsonm@redhat.com>
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<date>v4.14, 1 September 1998
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<abstract>
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This document provides basic information about the Linux operating
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system, including an explanation of Linux, a list of features, some
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requirements, and some resources.
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</abstract>
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<toc>
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<sect>Introduction to Linux
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<p>Linux is a completely free reimplementation of the POSIX specification,
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with SYSV and BSD extensions (which means it looks like Unix, but does
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not come from the same source code base), which is available in both
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source code and binary form. Its copyright is owned by Linus Torvalds
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<torvalds@transmeta.com> and other contributors, and is freely
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redistributable under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL).
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A copy of the GPL is included with the Linux source; you can also get a
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copy from <url url="ftp://prep.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu/COPYING">
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<bf/Linux/, per se, is only the kernel of the operating system, the part
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that controls hardware, manages files, separates processes, and so forth.
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There are several combinations of Linux with sets of utilities and
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applications to form a complete operating system. Each of these
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combinations is called a <bf/distribution/ of Linux. The word <bf/Linux/,
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though it in its strictest form refers specifically to the kernel, is
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also widely and correctly to refer to an entire operating system built
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around the Linux kernel. For a list and brief discription of various
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distributions, see
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<url url="http://sunsite.unc.edu/LDP/HOWTO/Distribution-HOWTO.html">
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<bf/None/ of these distributions is ``the official Linux''.
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Linux is <bf/not/ public domain, nor is it `shareware'. It is `free'
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software, commonly called <bf/freeware/
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or <bf/Open Source Software[tm]/ (see <url url="http://www.opensource.org">),
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and you may give away or sell
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copies, but you must include the source code or make it available in
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the same way as any binaries you give or sell. If you distribute any
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modifications, you are legally bound to distribute the source for those
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modifications. See the GNU General Public License for details.
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Linux is still free as of version 2.0, and will continue to be free.
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Because of the nature of the GPL to which Linux is subject, it would be
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illegal for it to be made not free. Note carefully: the `free' part
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involves access to the source code rather than money; it is perfectly
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legal to charge money for distributing Linux, so long as you also
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distribute the source code. This is a generalization; if you want the
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fine points, read the GPL.
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Linux runs on 386/486/Pentium machines with ISA, EISA, PCI and VLB busses.
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MCA (IBM's proprietary bus) is not well-supported in 2.0.x and earlier versions,
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but support has been added to the current development tree, 2.1.x.
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If you are interested, see <url url="http://glycerine.itsmm.uni.edu/mca">
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There is a port to multiple Motorola 680x0 platforms
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(currently running on some Amigas, Ataris, and VME machines), which
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now works quite well. It requires a 68020 with an MMU, a 68030, 68040,
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or a 68060, and also requires an FPU. Networking and X now work.
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See <url url="news:comp.os.linux.m68k">
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Linux runs well on DEC's Alpha CPU, currently supporting the
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"Jensen", "NoName", "Cabriolet", "Universal Desktop Box" (better
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known as the Multia), and many other platforms. For more
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information, see <url url="http://www.azstarnet.com/~axplinux/FAQ.html">
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Linux runs well on Sun SPARCs; most sun4c, sun4m, and sun4u machines now
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run Linux, with support for sun4 in development.
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Red Hat Linux is (as of this writing) the only
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Linux distribution available for SPARCs; see
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<url url="http://www.redhat.com/support/docs/rhl-sparc/">
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Linux is being actively ported to the PowerPC architecture,
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including PowerMac (Nubus and PCI), Motorola, IBM, and Be
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machines. See <url url="http://www.cs.nmt.edu/~linuxppc/"> and
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<url url="http://www.linuxppc.org/">
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Ports to other machines, including MIPS (see
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<url url="http://linus.linux.sgi.com"> and <url url="http://lena.fnet.fr/">)
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and ARM,
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are under way and showing various amounts of progress. Don't hold
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your breath, but if you are interested and able to contribute, you may
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well find other developers who wish to work with you.
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Linux is no longer considered to be in beta testing, as version 1.0
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was released on March 14, 1994. There are still bugs in the system,
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and new bugs will creep up and be fixed as time goes on. Because
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Linux follows the ``open development model'', all new versions will
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be released to the public, whether or not they are considered
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``production quality''. However, in order to help people tell whether
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they are getting a stable version or not, the following scheme has
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been implemented: Versions n.x.y, where x is an even number, are
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stable versions, and only bug fixes will be applied as y is
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incremented. So from version 1.2.2 to 1.2.3, there were only bug
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fixes, and no new features. Versions n.x.y, where x is an odd number,
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are beta-quality releases for developers only, and may be unstable and
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may crash, and are having new features added to them all the time.
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>From time to time, as the currect development kernel stabilizes, it
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will be frozen as the new ``stable'' kernel, and development will
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continue on a new development version of the kernel. Note that most
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releases of the Linux kernel, beta or not, are relatively robust;
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``stable'' in this context means ``slow to change'' in addition
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to ``robust''.
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The current stable version is 2.0.35 (this will continue to change as
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new device drivers get added and bugs fixed), and development has also
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started on the experimental 2.1.x kernels. The Linux kernel source code
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contains a file, Documentation/Changes, which explains changes that
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you should be aware of when upgrading from one kernel version to another.
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However, the great majority of Linux users simply update their Linux
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distribution occasionally to get a new kernel version.
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Most versions of Linux, beta or not, are quite robust, and you
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can keep using those if they do what you need and you don't
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want to be on the bleeding edge. One site had a computer
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running version 0.97p1 (dating from the summer of
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1992) for over 136 days without an error or crash. (It would
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have been longer if the backhoe operator hadn't mistaken a main
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power transformer for a dumpster...) Others have posted uptimes
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in excess of a year. One site still had a computer running
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Linux 0.99p15s over 600 days at last report.
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One thing to be aware of is that Linux is developed using an
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open and distributed model, instead of a closed and
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centralized model like much other software. This means that
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the current development version is always public (with up to a
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week or two of delay) so that anybody can use it. The result
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is that whenever a version with new functionality is released,
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it almost always contains bugs, but it also results in a very
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rapid development so that the bugs are found and corrected
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quickly, often in hours, as many people work to fix them.
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In contrast, the closed and centralized model means that there is only
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one person or team working on the project, and they only release
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software that they think is working well. Often this leads to long
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intervals between releases, long waiting for bug fixes, and slower
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development. The latest release of such software to the
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public is sometimes of higher quality, but the development speed is
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generally much slower.
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For a discussion of these two models, read ``The Cathedral and the Bazaar''
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at <url url="http://sagan.earthspace.net/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/">
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by Eric Raymond.
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As of September 1, 1998, the current stable version of Linux is
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2.0.35, and the latest development version is 2.1.119.
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<sect>Linux Features
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<p>
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<itemize>
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<item>multitasking: several programs running at the same time.
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<item>multiuser: several users on the same machine at the same time
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(and <bf/no/ two-user licenses!).
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<item>multiplatform: runs on many different CPUs, not just Intel.
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<item>multiprocessor: SMP support is available on the Intel and
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SPARC platforms (with work currently in progress on other
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platforms), and Linux is used in several loosely-coupled MP
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applications, including Beowulf systems (see
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<url url="http://cesdis.gsfc.nasa.gov/linux-web/beowulf/beowulf.html">)
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and the Fujitsu AP1000+ SPARC-based supercomputer.
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<item>multithreading: has native kernel support for multiple independent
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threads of control within a single process memory space.
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<item>runs in protected mode on the 386.
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<item>has memory protection between processes, so that one program can't
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bring the whole system down.
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<item>demand loads executables: Linux only reads from disk those parts of a
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program that are actually used.
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<item>shared copy-on-write pages among executables. This means that
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multiple process can use the same memory to run in. When one
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tries to write to that memory, that page (4KB piece of memory)
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is copied somewhere else. Copy-on-write has two benefits:
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increasing speed and decreasing memory use.
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<item>virtual memory using paging (not swapping whole processes) to
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disk: to a separate partition or a file in the filesystem, or
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both, with the possibility of adding more swapping areas during
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runtime (yes, they're still called swapping areas). A total of 16
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of these 128 MB (2GB in recent kernels)
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swapping areas can be used at the same time, for a
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theoretical total of 2 GB of useable swap space. It is simple
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to increase this if necessary, by changing a few lines of source code.
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<item>a unified memory pool for user programs and disk cache, so
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that all free memory can be used for caching, and the cache
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can be reduced when running large programs.
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<item>dynamically linked shared libraries (DLL's), and static libraries
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too, of course.
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<item>does core dumps for post-mortem analysis, allowing
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the use of a debugger on a program not only while it is running
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but also after it has crashed.
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<item>mostly compatible with POSIX, System V, and BSD at the source
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level.
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<item>through an iBCS2-compliant emulation module, mostly compatible with SCO,
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SVR3, and SVR4 at the binary level.
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<item>all source code is available, including the whole kernel and
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all drivers, the development tools and all user programs;
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also, all of it is freely distributable. Plenty of
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commercial programs are being provided for Linux without
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source, but everything that has been free, including the
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entire base operating system, is still free.
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<item>POSIX job control.
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<item>pseudoterminals (pty's).
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<item>387-emulation in the kernel so that programs don't need to
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do their own math emulation. Every computer running Linux
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appears to have a math coprocessor. Of course, if your
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computer already contains an FPU, it will be used instead
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of the emulation, and you can even compile your own kernel
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with math emulation removed, for a small memory gain.
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<item>support for many national or customized keyboards, and it is
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fairly easy to add new ones dynamically.
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<item>multiple virtual consoles: several independent login sessions
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through the console, you switch by pressing a hot-key
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combination (not dependent on video hardware). These are
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dynamically allocated; you can use up to 64.
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<item>Supports several common filesystems, including minix,
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Xenix, and all the common system V filesystems, and has an advanced
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filesystem of its own, which offers filesystems of up to 4 TB,
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and names up to 255 characters long.
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<item>transparent access to MS-DOS partitions (or OS/2 FAT
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partitions) via a special filesystem: you don't need any
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special commands to use the MS-DOS partition, it looks just
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like a normal Unix filesystem (except for funny restrictions
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on filenames, permissions, and so on). MS-DOS 6 compressed
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partitions do not work at this time without a patch (dmsdosfs).
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VFAT (WNT, Windows 95) support and FAT-32 is available in Linux 2.0
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<item>special filesystem called UMSDOS which allows Linux to be
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installed on a DOS filesystem.
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<item>read-only HPFS-2 support for OS/2 2.1
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<item>HFS (Macintosh) file system support is available separately as
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a module.
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<item>CD-ROM filesystem which reads all standard formats of CD-ROMs.
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<item>TCP/IP networking, including ftp, telnet, NFS, etc.
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<item>Appletalk server
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<item>Netware client and server
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<item>Lan Manager/Windows Native (SMB) client and server
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<item>Many networking protocols: the base protocols available in the
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latest development kernels include TCP, IPv4, IPv6, AX.25, X.25,
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IPX, DDP (Appletalk), Netrom, and others. Stable network
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protocols included in the stable kernels currently include TCP, IPv4,
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IPX, DDP, and AX.25.
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</itemize>
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<sect>Hardware Issues
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<sect1>Minimal configuration
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<p>
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The following is probably the smallest possible configuration that
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Linux will work on: 386SX/16, 1 MB RAM, 1.44 MB or 1.2 MB floppy, any
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supported video card (+ keyboards, monitors, and so on of course).
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This should allow you to boot and test whether it works at all on the
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machine, but you won't be able to do anything useful.
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See
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<url url="http://rsphy1.anu.edu.au/~gpg109/mem.html"> for minimal
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Linux configurations
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In order to do something, you will want some hard disk space as well,
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5 to 10 MB should suffice for a very minimal setup (with only the most
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important commands and perhaps one or two small applications
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installed, like, say, a terminal program). This is still very, very
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limited, and very uncomfortable, as it doesn't leave enough room to do
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just about anything, unless your applications are quite limited. It's
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generally not recommended for anything but testing if things work, and
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of course to be able to brag about small resource requirements.
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<sect1>Usable configuration
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<p>
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If you are going to run computationally intensive programs, such as
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gcc, X, and TeX, you will probably want a faster processor than a
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386SX/16, but even that should suffice if you are patient.
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In practice, you will want at least 4 MB of RAM if you don't use X, and 8
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MB if you do. Also, if you want to have several users at a time, or
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run several large programs (compilations for example) at a time, you
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may want more than 4 MB of memory. It may still work with a smaller
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amount of memory, but it will use virtual
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memory (using the hard drive as <bf/slow/ memory) and that will be so
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slow as to be unusable. If you use many programs at the same time, 16 MB will
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reduce swapping considerably. If you don't want to swap appreciably
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under normal load, 32 MB will probably suffice for a single user.
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If you run lots of memory-intensive applications at once, 64 MB may
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be necessary to avoid lots of swapping. Of course, if
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you run memory-hungry applications, you may want more.
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The amount of hard disk you need depends on what software you want to
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install. The normal basic set of Unix utilities, shells, and
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administrative programs should be comfortable in less than 10 MB, with
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a bit of room to spare for user files. For a more complete system,
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get Red Hat, Debian, or another distribution, and assume
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that you will need 60 to 600 MB, depending on what you choose to install
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and what distribution you get. Add whatever space you want to
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reserve for user files to these totals. With today's prices on hard
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drives, if you are buying a new system, it makes no sense to buy a
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drive that is too small. Get at least 2 GB, preferably 4 GB
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or more, and you will not regret it. Linux will happily handle
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very large hard drive such as the recently popular 11 GB IDE hard
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drives or 18 GB SCSI hard drives.
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Add more memory, more hard disk, a faster processor and other
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stuff depending on your needs, wishes and budget to go beyond
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the merely usable. In general, one big difference from DOS is
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that with Linux, adding memory makes a large difference,
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whereas with DOS, extra memory doesn't make that much
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difference. This of course has something to do with DOS's
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640KB limit, which is completely nonexistent under Linux.
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<sect1>Supported hardware
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<p>
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<descrip>
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<tag/CPU:/ Anything that runs 386 protected mode programs. All
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models of 386s 486s, Pentiums, Pentium Pros, Pentium IIs,
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and clones of these chips should work. (286s and
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below may someday be supported on a smaller kernel called ELKS
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(Embeddable Linux Kernel Subset), but don't expect the same
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capabilities).
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A version for the 680x0 CPU (for
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<em/x/ = 2 with external MMU, 3, 4, and 6) which runs on Amigas
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and Ataris can be found at
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tsx-11.mit.edu in the 680x0 directory. Many DEC Alphas, SPARCs,
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and PowerPC machines are supported. Ports are also being
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done to the ARM, StrongARM, and MIPS architectures. More details
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are available elsewhere.
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<tag/Architecture:/ PCI, ISA, EISA, and VLB busses. MCA (mostly true
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blue PS/2s) support is incomplete but improving (see above).
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Linux puts higher demands on hardware than DOS, Windows, and
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in fact most operating systems. This means that some marginal hardware
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that doesn't fail when running less demanding operating system may fail
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when running Linux. Linux is an excellent memory tester...
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<tag/RAM:/ Up to 1 GB on Intel; more on 64-bit platforms.
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Some people (including Linus) have noted that adding ram
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without adding more cache at the same time has slowed down
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their machine extremely, so if you add memory and find your
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machine slower, try adding more cache. Some machines can
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only cache certain amounts of memory regardless of how much
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RAM is installed (64 MB is the most one popular chipset can
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cache). Over 64 MB of memory will require
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a boot-time parameter with kernels 2.0.35 and earlier, as the
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BIOS was originally designed to be unable to report more than
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64MB. Recent 2.1.x kernels and later are able to detect more
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memory in a system.
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<tag/Data storage:/ Generic AT drives (EIDE, IDE, 16 bit HD
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controllers with MFM or RLL, or ESDI) are supported, as are
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SCSI hard disks and CD-ROMs, with a supported SCSI adaptor.
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Generic XT controllers (8 bit controllers with MFM or RLL) are
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also supported. Supported SCSI adaptors: Advansys, Adaptec 1542, 1522,
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1740, 27xx, and 29xx (with some exceptions) series, Buslogic MultiMaster
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and Flashpoint, NCR53c8xx-based
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controllers, DPT controllers, Qlogic ISP and FAS controllers,
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Seagate ST-01 and ST-02, Future Domain TMC-88x
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series (or any board based on the TMC950 chip) and
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TMC1660/1680, Ultrastor 14F, 24F and 34F, Western Digital
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wd7000, and others. SCSI, QIC-02, and some QIC-80 tapes are
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also supported. Besides IDE and SCSU cdroms, several proprietary
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CD-ROM devices are also supported,
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including Matsushita/Panasonic, Mitsumi, Sony, Soundblaster,
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Toshiba, ATAPI (EIDE), SCSI, and others. For exact models, check the hardware
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compatibility HOWTO. <bf/N.B./ These lists are incomplete, and
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always will be. Distribution vendors maintain more up-to-date lists.
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<tag/Video:/ VGA, EGA, CGA, or Hercules (and compatibles) work
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in text mode. For graphics and X, there is support for (at
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least) normal VGA, some super-VGA cards (most of the cards
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based on Tseng, Paradise, and some Trident chipsets),
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S3, 8514/A, ATI, Matrox, and Hercules. (Linux uses
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the XFree86 X server, so that determines what cards are
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supported. A full list of supported chipsets alone takes over
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a page. See <url url="http://www.XFree86.org/">)
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<tag/Networking:/
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Ethernet support includes 3COM 503/509/579/589/595/905 (501/505/507 are
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supported but not recomended), AT&T GIS (neé NCR) WaveLAN, most
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WD8390-based cards, most WD80x3-based cards, NE1000/2000 and most clones,
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AC3200, Apricot 82596, AT1700, ATP, DE425/434/435/500, D-Link DE-600/620,
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DEPCA, DE100/101, DE200/201/202 Turbo, DE210, DE422, Cabletron E2100
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(not recommended), Intel EtherExpress (not recommended), EtherExpress Pro,
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EtherExpress 100, DEC EtherWORKS
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3, HP LAN, HP PCLAN/plus, most AMD LANCE-based cards, NI5210, ni6510,
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SMC Ultra, DEC 21040 (tulip), Zenith Z-Note ethernet, All Zircom cards
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and all Cabletron cards other than the E2100 are unsupported, due to
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the manufacturers unwillingness to release programming information freely.
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FDDI support currently includes the DEF<it>xx</it> cards from
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DEC.
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Point-to-Point networking support include PPP, SLIP, CSLIP, and PLIP.
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PPP support is available for both standard asyncronous devices like
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modems, and syncronous connections like ISDN.
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Limited Token Ring support is available.
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<tag/Serial:/ Most 16450 and 16550 UART-based boards, including
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AST Fourport, the Usenet Serial Card II, and others.
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Intelligent boards supported include Cyclades
|
|
Cyclom series (supported by the manufacturer), Comtrol
|
|
Rocketport series (supported by the manufacturer), Stallion
|
|
(most boards; supported by the manufacturer), and Digi (some
|
|
boards; supported by the manufacturer). Some ISDN, frame
|
|
relay, and leased line hardware is supported.
|
|
|
|
<tag/Other hardware:/ SoundBlaster, ProAudio Spectrum 16,
|
|
Gravis Ultrasound, most other sound cards, most (all?)
|
|
flavours of bus mice (Microsoft, Logitech, PS/2), etc.
|
|
</descrip>
|
|
|
|
<sect>An Incomplete List of Ported Programs and Other Software
|
|
|
|
<p> Most of the common Unix tools and programs have been ported
|
|
to Linux, including almost all GNU software and many X
|
|
clients from various sources. Actually, ported is often too
|
|
strong a word, since many programs compile out of the box
|
|
without modifications, or only small modifications, because
|
|
Linux tracks POSIX quite closely. There are never enough
|
|
applications for any operating system, but Linux is gaining
|
|
both end-user applications and server applications.
|
|
Contact the vendor of your favorite
|
|
commercial Unix application and ask if they have ported it to Linux.
|
|
|
|
Here is an incomplete list of
|
|
software that is known to work under Linux:
|
|
|
|
<descrip>
|
|
<tag/Basic Unix commands:/ <tt/ls/, <tt/tr/, <tt/sed/, <tt/awk/ and so
|
|
on (you name it, Linux probably has it).
|
|
|
|
<tag/Development tools:/ <tt/gcc/, <tt/gdb/, <tt/make/, <tt/bison/,
|
|
<tt/flex/, <tt/perl/, <tt/rcs/, <tt/cvs/, <tt/prof/.
|
|
|
|
<tag/Languages and Environments:/ C, C++, Objective C, Java, Modula-3,
|
|
Modula-2, Oberon, Ada95, Pascal, Fortran, ML, scheme, Tcl/tk, Perl, Python,
|
|
Common Lisp, and many others.
|
|
|
|
<tag/Graphical environments:/ GNOME and KDE (desktops),
|
|
X11R6 (XFree86 3.x),
|
|
X11R5 (XFree86 2.x), MGR.
|
|
|
|
<tag/Editors:/ GNU Emacs, XEmacs, MicroEmacs, <tt/jove/, ez,
|
|
<tt/epoch/, <tt/elvis/ (GNU vi), <tt/vim/, <tt/vile/, <tt/joe/,
|
|
<tt/pico/, <tt/jed/, and others.
|
|
|
|
<tag/Shells:/ <tt/bash/ (POSIX sh-compatible), <tt/zsh/ (includes <tt/ksh/
|
|
compatiblity mode), <tt/pdksh/, <tt/tcsh/, <tt/csh/, <tt/rc/,
|
|
<tt/es/, <tt/ash/
|
|
(mostly sh-compatible shell used as <tt>/bin/sh</tt> by BSD), and
|
|
many more.
|
|
|
|
<tag/Telecommunication:/ PPP, UUCP, SLIP, CSLIP, full TCP/IP
|
|
communication toolset,
|
|
<tt/kermit/, <tt/szrz/, <tt/minicom/, <tt/pcomm/,
|
|
<tt/xcomm/, <tt/term/ (runs multiple shells, redirects network
|
|
activity, and allows remote X, all over one modem line), Seyon
|
|
(popular X-windows communications program), and several fax and
|
|
voice-mail (using ZyXEL and other modems) packages are
|
|
available. Of course, remote serial and network logins are supported.
|
|
|
|
<tag/News and mail:/ C-news, <tt/innd/, <tt/trn/, <tt/nn/, <tt/tin/,
|
|
<tt/smail/, <tt/elm/, <tt/mh/, <tt/exmh/, <tt/pine/, <tt/mutt/, etc.
|
|
|
|
<tag/Textprocessing:/ TeX, <tt/groff/, <tt/doc/, <tt/ez/, LyX, Lout,
|
|
Linuxdoc-SGML, and others.
|
|
|
|
<tag/Games:/ Nethack, several Muds and X games, and lots of
|
|
others. One of those games is looking through all the games available
|
|
at tsx-11 and sunsite.
|
|
</descrip>
|
|
|
|
All of these programs (and this isn't even a hundredth of what
|
|
is available) are freely available. Commercial software is
|
|
becoming widely available; ask the vendor of your favorite
|
|
commercial software if they support Linux.
|
|
|
|
<sect>Who uses Linux?
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Linux is freely available, and no one is required to register their
|
|
copies with any central authority, so it is difficult to know how many
|
|
people use Linux. Several businesses now survive solely on
|
|
selling and supporting Linux, and the Linux newsgroups are some
|
|
of the most heavily read on the internet, so the number is likely in
|
|
the millions, but firm numbers are hard to come by. The best
|
|
market research currently indicates between 7.5 and 11 million
|
|
users.
|
|
|
|
<p>One brave soul, Harald T. Alvestrand
|
|
<Harald.T.Alvestrand@uninett.no>, has decided to try to count
|
|
Linux users the hard way: one by one. If you
|
|
are willing to be counted as a Linux user, please use the web forms
|
|
available at <url url="http://counter.li.org/"> Alternatively, you can
|
|
send a message to linux-counter@uninett.no with one of the following
|
|
subjects: `I use Linux at home', `I use Linux at work', or `I use Linux
|
|
at home and at work'. He will also accept `third-party' registrations;
|
|
ask him for details.
|
|
|
|
<p>He posts his counts to <url url="news:comp.os.linux.misc"> each month;
|
|
they are also available from <url url="http://counter.li.org/">.
|
|
|
|
<sect>Getting Linux
|
|
|
|
<sect1>Anonymous FTP
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
For freely-redistributable Linux documentation, see the Linux
|
|
Documentation Project sites at
|
|
<url url="ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/docs/LDP/"> and
|
|
<url url="http://sunsite.unc.edu/LDP/">
|
|
|
|
<p>Stay tuned to the
|
|
<url url="news:comp.os.linux.announce"> newsgroup for further developments.
|
|
|
|
At least the following anonymous ftp sites carry Linux.
|
|
|
|
<tscreen><verb>
|
|
Textual name Numeric address Linux directory
|
|
============================= =============== ===============
|
|
tsx-11.mit.edu 18.172.1.2 /pub/linux
|
|
sunsite.unc.edu 152.2.22.81 /pub/Linux
|
|
ftp.funet.fi 128.214.248.6 /pub/Linux
|
|
net.tamu.edu 128.194.177.1 /pub/linux
|
|
ftp.mcc.ac.uk 130.88.203.12 /pub/linux
|
|
src.doc.ic.ac.uk 146.169.2.1 /packages/linux
|
|
fgb1.fgb.mw.tu-muenchen.de 129.187.200.1 /pub/linux
|
|
ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de 131.159.0.110 /pub/comp/os/linux
|
|
ftp.dfv.rwth-aachen.de 137.226.4.111 /pub/linux
|
|
ftp.informatik.rwth-aachen.de 137.226.225.3 /pub/Linux
|
|
ftp.Germany.EU.net 192.76.144.75 /pub/os/Linux
|
|
ftp.lip6.fr 132.227.77.2 /pub/linux
|
|
ftp.uu.net 137.39.1.9 /systems/unix/linux
|
|
wuarchive.wustl.edu 128.252.135.4 mirrors/linux
|
|
ftp.win.tue.nl 131.155.70.100 /pub/linux
|
|
ftp.stack.urc.tue.nl 131.155.2.71 /pub/linux
|
|
srawgw.sra.co.jp 133.137.4.3 /pub/os/linux
|
|
cair.kaist.ac.kr /pub/Linux
|
|
ftp.denet.dk 129.142.6.74 /pub/OS/linux
|
|
NCTUCCCA.edu.tw 140.111.1.10 /Operating-Systems/Linux
|
|
nic.switch.ch 130.59.1.40 /mirror/linux
|
|
sunsite.cnlab-switch.ch 193.5.24.1 /mirror/linux
|
|
cnuce_arch.cnr.it 131.114.1.10 /pub/Linux
|
|
ftp.monash.edu.au 130.194.11.8 /pub/linux
|
|
ftp.dstc.edu.au 130.102.181.31 /pub/linux
|
|
ftp.sydutech.usyd.edu.au 129.78.192.2 /pub/linux
|
|
</verb></tscreen>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
tsx-11.mit.edu and fgb1.fgb.mw.tu-muenchen.de are the official sites
|
|
for Linux's GCC. Some sites mirror other sites. Please use the site
|
|
closest (network-wise) to you whenever possible.
|
|
|
|
At least sunsite.unc.edu and ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de offer
|
|
ftpmail services. Mail ftpmail@sunsite.unc.edu or
|
|
ftp@informatik.tu-muenchen.de for help.
|
|
|
|
If you are lost, try looking at
|
|
<url url="http://sunsite.unc.edu/LDP/HOWTO/Distribution-HOWTO.html">,
|
|
where several distributions are enumerated. Red Hat Linux and Debian
|
|
appear to be the most popular distributions at the moment, at
|
|
least in the U.S.
|
|
|
|
<sect1>CDROM
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Most people now install Linux from CDROM's. The distributions
|
|
have grown to hundreds of MBs of Linux software, and downloading
|
|
that over even a 28.8 modem or an ISDN connection takes a
|
|
<bf>long</bf> time.
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
There are essentially two ways to purchase a Linux distribution
|
|
on CDROM: as part of an archive of FTP sites, or directly from
|
|
the manufacturer. If you purchase an archive, you will often
|
|
get several different distributions to choose from, but
|
|
support is generally not included. When you purchase a
|
|
distribution directly from the vendor, you usually only get one
|
|
distribution, but you usually get some form of support, usually
|
|
installation support.
|
|
|
|
<sect1>Other methods of obtaining Linux
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
There are many BBSs that have Linux files. A list of them
|
|
is occasionally posted to comp.os.linux.announce. Ask friends and
|
|
user groups, or order one of the commmercial distributions. A list of
|
|
these is contained in the Linux distribution HOWTO, available as
|
|
<url url="http://sunsite.unc.edu/LDP/HOWTO/Distribution-HOWTO.html">,
|
|
and posted regularily to the <url url="news:comp.os.linux.announce"> newsgroup.
|
|
|
|
|
|
<sect>Legal Status of Linux
|
|
|
|
<p> Although Linux is supplied with the complete source code,
|
|
it is copyrighted software, not public domain. However, it is
|
|
available for free under the GNU General Public License, sometimes
|
|
referred to as the ``copyleft''. See the GPL for more
|
|
information. The programs that run under Linux each have their
|
|
own copyright, although many of them use the GPL as well. X
|
|
uses the MIT X copyright, and some utilities are under the BSD
|
|
copyright. In any case, all of the software on the FTP site is
|
|
freely distributable (or else it shouldn't be there).
|
|
|
|
<sect>News About Linux
|
|
|
|
<p> A monthly magazine, called <em/Linux Journal/, was launched over
|
|
four years ago. It includes articles intended for almost all skill
|
|
levels, and is intended to be helpful to all Linux users.
|
|
One-year subscriptions are $22 in the U.S., $27
|
|
in Canada and Mexico, and $32 elsewhere, payable in US
|
|
currency. Subscription inquiries can be sent via email to
|
|
subs@ssc.com, or faxed to +1-206-782-7191, or phoned to
|
|
+1-206-782-7733, or mailed to Linux Journal, PO Box 85867,
|
|
Seattle, WA 98145-1867 USA. SSC has a PGP public key available
|
|
for encrypting your mail to protect your credit card number;
|
|
finger info@ssc.com to get the key.
|
|
|
|
There are several Usenet newsgroups for Linux
|
|
discussion, and also several mailing lists. See the Linux FAQ
|
|
for more information about the mailing lists (you should be able
|
|
to find the FAQ either in the newsgroup or on the FTP sites).
|
|
|
|
The newsgroup <url url="news:comp.os.linux.announce"> is a moderated newsgroup
|
|
for announcements about Linux (new programs, bug fixes, etc).
|
|
|
|
The newsgroup <url url="news:comp.os.linux.answers"> is a moderated newsgroup to
|
|
which the Linux FAQ, HOWTO documents, and other documentation
|
|
postings are made.
|
|
|
|
The newsgroup <url url="news:comp.os.linux.admin"> is an unmoderated newsgroup for
|
|
discussion of administration of Linux systems.
|
|
|
|
The newsgroup <url url="news:comp.os.linux.development.system"> is an unmoderated newsgroup
|
|
specifically for discussion of Linux <bf/kernel/ development. The
|
|
only application development questions that should be discussed here
|
|
are those that are intimately associated with the kernel. All other
|
|
development questions are probably generic Unix development questions
|
|
and should be directed to a comp.unix group instead, unless
|
|
they are very Linux-specific applications questions, in which
|
|
case they should be directed at comp.os.linux.development.apps.
|
|
|
|
The newsgroup <url url="news:comp.os.linux.development.apps"> is an unmoderated
|
|
newsgroup specifically for discussion of Linux-related
|
|
applications development. It is not for discussion of where to
|
|
get applications for Linux, nor a discussion forum for those
|
|
who would like to see applications for Linux.
|
|
|
|
The newsgroup <url url="news:comp.os.linux.hardware"> is for Linux-specific
|
|
hardware questions.
|
|
|
|
The newsgroup <url url="news:comp.os.linux.networking"> is for Linux-specific
|
|
networking development and setup questions.
|
|
|
|
The newsgroup <url url="news:comp.os.linux.x"> is for Linux-specific X Windows
|
|
questions.
|
|
|
|
The newsgroup <url url="news:comp.os.linux.misc"> is the replacement for comp.os.linux,
|
|
and is meant for any discussion that doesn't belong elsewhere.
|
|
|
|
In general, <bf/do not/ crosspost between the Linux newsgroups.
|
|
The <bf/only/ crossposting that is appropriate is an occasional posting
|
|
between one unmoderated group and <url url="news:comp.os.linux.announce">.
|
|
The whole point of splitting the old comp.os.linux group into many groups
|
|
is to reduce traffic in each group. Those that do not follow this rule
|
|
will be flamed without mercy...
|
|
|
|
Linux is on the web at the URL
|
|
<url url="http://sunsite.unc.edu/LDP/">
|
|
|
|
<sect>The Future
|
|
|
|
<p> After Linux 1.0 was released, work was done on several
|
|
enhancements. Linux 1.2 included disk access speedups, TTY improvements,
|
|
virtual memory enhancements, multiple platform
|
|
support, quotas, and more. Linux 2.0, the current stable version, has
|
|
even more enhancements, including many performance
|
|
improvements, several new networking protocols, one of the
|
|
fastest TCP/IP implementations in the world, and far, far more.
|
|
Even higher performance, more networking protocols, and more device
|
|
drivers will be available in Linux 2.2.
|
|
|
|
Even with over 3/4 million lines of code in the kernel,
|
|
there is plenty of code left to write, and even more documentation.
|
|
Please join the linux-doc@vger.rutgers.edu mailing list if you would
|
|
like to contribute to the documentation. Send mail to
|
|
majordomo@vger.rutgers.edu with a single line containing the word
|
|
``help'' in the body (<bf/NOT/ the subject) of the message.
|
|
|
|
<sect>This document
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
This document is maintained by Michael K. Johnson
|
|
<johnsonm@redhat.com>. Please mail me with any comments, no matter
|
|
how small. I can't do a good job of maintaining this document without
|
|
your help. A more-or-less current copy of this document can always be
|
|
found at
|
|
<url url="http://sunsite.unc.edu/LDP/">
|
|
|
|
<sect>Legalese
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Trademarks are owned by their owners. There is no warranty
|
|
about the information in this document. Use and distribute at your
|
|
own risk. The content of this document is in the public domain, but
|
|
please be polite and attribute any quotes.
|
|
|
|
</article>
|