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215 lines
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<TITLE> Basic Linux </TITLE>
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<IMG SRC="./linux_95.gif">
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<H1> Basic Linux </H1>
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<H5>Copyright (c) 1995 John M. Fisk <I>fiskjm@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu</I><BR>
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For information regarding copying and distribution of this material see the
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<A HREF="../copying.html">COPYING</A> document.</H5>
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<HR>
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<P><IMG SRC="./linux_brick.gif">
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So... you've heard about Linux from your friends (who are <EM>raving</EM> about
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it :-), or maybe you've seen ads for "This CD ROM set lets you run UN*X on your home
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PC for the ultra-low price of$ 69.95 and if you act <EM>now</EM>...", or maybe
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you've used it at school, or you've stumbled into one of the numerous Linux
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Usenet groups...<BR>
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<P>In any case, you're asking yourself...
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<H2> So what is <EM>LINUX</EM> ? </H2>
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<P>Linux is a freely distributable "copylefted" UN*X for 386/486/Pentium PC's. Yup, that's right,
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it's <I>free</I>! It is a robust and dynamic true 32-bit, multiuser, multitasking OS that
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supports <EM>gigabytes</EM> of applications including EMACS, TCPIP, X Window, serial
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communications such as PPP, SLIP, and CSLIP, TeX, LaTeX, GCC, Open Look, NFS, and <I>much</I> more.
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The internet has been the primary vehicle for its development and continues to be a primary means
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of obtaining Linux, although a growing number of vendors are offering it on CD for
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$10 to $60 for a full installation.
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<H2>Curious? Interested? Keep reading...</H2>
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To get Linux up and running on your PC you'll need or want:
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<UL>
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<LI> 386, 486, or Pentium processor.
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<LI> 4 MB RAM, at least 8 MB to run X Window.
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<LI> 20 to 200+ MB of harddrive space.
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<LI> a graphics card and VGA or (preferably) SVGA monitor.
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<LI> Linux also supports a variety of pointing devices, network cards, modems, CDROM's, tape
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drives, and sound cards.
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</UL>
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<P><B>Linux</B> began life as a project of <B>Linus Torvalds</B> of Finland who had set out to write
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"a better Minix than Minix." Since its inception in the early 1990's Linux has gained
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tremendous support and momentum from around the world. While the basic kernel development
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continues to be coordinated by Linus, a <EM>lot</EM> of software from various sources
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has been added including <B>GNU, XFree86, the Free Software Foundation</B>, and many others.
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<P>For this reason, most people install Linux from one of a number of <B><EM>distributions</EM></B>
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which package the OS kernel with a varying amount of software. These range from small
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distributions with a modest amount of software to enormous packages such as Slackware
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which can take over 200 MB of space if it is installed in its entirety. <B> Cool, eh? </B>
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That's a boatload of software...
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<P>
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<HR>
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<P>
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<H2> Now let's go places... </H2>
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<B>Want to jump right in and get some software?</B> There are a number of well maintained
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and supported distributions that can be obtained via <B>anonymous ftp</B>. Keep in
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mind that the typical Linux distribution is quite large... on the order of ten's of MB
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worth of files. If you have a fast networked or PPP/SLIP connection, or want to download
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only a portion of a distribution (most will let you set up only those components that
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you really want which can mean a LOT of savings in terms of harddrive space) then
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anonymous ftp may be a good choice. Check out:
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<UL>
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<LI> <A HREF="ftp://ftp.cc.gatech.edu/pub/linux/distributions/slackware/"> Slackware</A>.
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<LI> <A HREF="ftp://ftp.cc.gatech.edu/pub/linux/distributions/MCC/"> MCC Interim</A>.
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<LI> <A HREF="ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/distributions/debian/"> Debian</A>.
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<LI> <A HREF="ftp://ftp.cc.gatech.edu/pub/linux/distributions/bogus/"> Bogus</A>.
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<LI> <A HREF="ftp://net.tamu.edu/pub/linux/"> TAMU</A>.
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</UL>
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<P>Can't get onto Sunsite? (Yeah, they're busier than the Garden State Parkway on the
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the 4th of July...) Check out one of it's many <A HREF="http://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/MIRRORS.html">
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mirrors</A>. They're generally a <EM> LOT </EM> less crowded and much faster.
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<P>If you've got a CDROM drive then getting one of the growing number of Linux
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<B>CD distributions</B> may be the best way to go. Why you ask?
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<UL>
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<LI><B>Cost</B>. Most are priced from a meager $9 for an unadorned Slackware distribution (which
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is <EM>still</EM> a LOT of software) to about $50 for GIGABYTES of stuff!
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<LI><B>Time</B>. You not only save a huge amount of time downloading files, but setting
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up a large Linux distribution from floppies can take 3 to 4 hours compared to
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about an hour for the usual CD installation.
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<LI><B>Value added stuff</B>. Yup, there are a growing number of vendors who are providing
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a good deal of value added software. Everything from better installation scripts
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to administrative programs that make configuration a lot easier. Don't underestimate
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how much easier things can be with a bit of help :-)
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<LI><B>Space</B>. Several of these CD distributions will let you run almost the entire
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software package from your CDROM drive, which can save you a lot of harddrive
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space! Some of these are admittedly still in the Plug-and-Pray camp, but they're
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getting better :-)
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</UL>
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If you're interested in getting Linux on CD there are several good places to start
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looking. These include:
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<UL>
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<LI><A HREF="http://www.infomagic.com/">InfoMagic</A>
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<LI><A HREF="http://www.cdrom.com/">Walnut Creek CDROM</A>
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<LI><A HREF="http://www.pht.com/">Pacific HiTech</A>
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<LI><A HREF="http://www.caldera.com/">The Caldera Network Desktop</A>
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<LI><A HREF="http://www.best.com/~ucr/">Universal CD-ROM</A>
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<LI><A HREF="http://www.suse.de/">S.u.S.E. Linux</A>
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</UL>
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For e-mail or phone orders try:
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<UL>
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<LI>Trans-Ameritech Systems order@trans-am.com phone: (408) 727-3883
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<LI>Yggdrasil Plug-and-Play Linux info@yggdrasil.com phone: (800) 261-6630
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<LI>Linux from Nascent CDROM nascent@netcom.com phone: (408)737-9500
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<LI>Red Hat Software Linux info@redhat.com phone: (919) 309-9560
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<LI>InfoMagic Orders@InfoMagic.com phone: (800) 800-6613
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<LI>Lasermoon Ltd. (UK) info@lasermoon.co.uk
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<LI>Morse Telecommunications Linux@morse.net phone: (800) 60-MORSE
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<LI>Linux Systems Labs info@lsl.com phone: (800) 432-0556
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<LI>Spheric Microsystems info@spheric.com phone: (800) 869-8649
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<LI>Spire Technologies info@spiretech.com phone: (503) 222-3086
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</UL>
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There are, I'm sure, many other folks selling Linux on CD... but these will
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at least give you an idea about where to start. If you need some information
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about the various distributions, read <B> Erik Troan's Linux Distribution HOWTO</B>
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which can be found amongst the other helpful HOWTO's (see below) collected by
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Matt Welsh.
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<P><B>You've gotten Linux but are having problems</B> with installation, your sound card,
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or getting the CDROM configured? A great place to get some answers are the
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numerous <A HREF="http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/linux.html#howtos"> HOWTO documents</A>
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collected and organized by Matt Welsh.
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<P><B>Finally, want to cruise <EM>LinuxSpace</EM></B> and see what's out there... Here's a
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couple excellent places:
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<DL>
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<DT><A HREF="http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/linux.html"> Linux Documentation Project (LDP) </A>
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<DD><EM>The</EM> definitive site, the Linux Documentation Project (LDP) Home Page is
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maintained by Matt Walsh, Coordinator of the LDP. It is a treasure trove
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of information on all aspects of Linux including: HOWTO's, FAQ's, LDP
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documents, vendors and products, ftp'ing Linux software, User-Groups, the
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Linux Journal, books and publications, and a slew of links around the globe.
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<P>
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<DT><A HREF="http://www.linux.org/"> Linux Organization </A>
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<DD>The Linux Organization Home Page. Another <EM>great</EM> site for the support
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and maintenance of a Linux system. <EM>LOTS-o-linkz</EM> to a variety of
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spots around the 'Web.
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<P>
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<DT><A HREF="http://harvest.cs.colorado.edu/brokers/lsm/query.html"> Harvest Broker </A>
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<DD>Looking for a certain program... can't find a certain type of editor... use
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the Harvest broker to search the <EM>Linux Software Map (LSM)</EM>: a
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database of over 1,200 programs written for, ported to, or supported by
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Linux. This search engine is a powerful means of finding specific pieces
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of software or those in a given category.
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<P>
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</DL>
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<HR>
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This document was prepared using <EM>xhtml</EM> (ASHE, <EM> A Simple HTML Editor </EM>)
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under X Window (X11R6) on an AMD 486/66 PC running Linux from the Slackware 2.2.0 distribution.
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Interested in writing HTML documents?
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<UL>
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<LI>Ftp a copy of <A HREF="ftp://ftp.cc.gatech.edu/pub/linux/X11/xapps/editors/xhtml.tar.gz">
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xhtml</A> for yourself.
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<LI>Check out NCSA's <A HREF="http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/General/Internet/WWW/HTMLPrimer.html">
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<EM>Beginner's Guide to HTML</EM> </A> at UIUC.
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<LI>There's advice for <A HREF="http://www.willamette.edu/html-composition/strict-html.html">
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<EM>Composing Good HTML</EM>. </A>
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<LI>Dan Connolly, one of the developers of HTML, offers his own reference in the
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<A HREF="http://www.hal.com/~connolly/drafts/html-design.html"> <EM> HTML
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Design Notebook</EM>. </A>
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<LI>For a comprehensive listing of HTML codes check out <A HREF="http://kuhttp.cc.ukans.edu/lynx_help/HTML_quick.html">
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<EM>The HTML Quick Reference Guide</EM>. </A>
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<LI>Want to go crazy and do fill-out forms! Then get a little help from the folks
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at NCSA on how to do <A HREF="http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/Mosaic/Docs/fill-out-forms/overview.html">
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fill-out forms. </A>
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</UL>
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<HR>
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<H4>Got any <I>great</I> ideas for improvements! Send your
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<A HREF="mailto:fiskjm@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu">comments, criticisms, suggestions, and ideas.
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</A></H4>
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<BR>
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<A HREF="./linux.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM SRC="../../gx/back.gif">Back up to Linux
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HomeBoy WebPage</A> <BR>
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<BR>
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<I>This page written and maintained by:</I><BR>
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<ADDRESS>
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<A HREF="../jmf.html">John M. Fisk</A> at
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<A HREF="mailto: fiskjm@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu"> fiskjm@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu</A>
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</ADDRESS>
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