232 lines
9.0 KiB
HTML
232 lines
9.0 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
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<HTML>
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<HEAD>
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<title>Philosophy of Change Issue 14</title>
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</HEAD>
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<BODY >
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<H4>
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"Linux Gazette...<I>making Linux just a little more lovable!</I>"
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<IMG ALIGN=MIDDLE SRC="../gx/heart.gif"> </H4>
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<!--===================================================================-->
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<center>
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<H1>A Philosophy for Change from DOS to Linux</H1>
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<H4>By R. Frank Louden
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<a href="mailto:flouden@netusa1.net">flouden@netusa1.net</a></H4>
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</center>
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<center><H2>
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Unavoidable Confusion
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</H2> </center>
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<P>
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On the surface, changing from a MS DOS/MS Windows user to a Linux user
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is not such a major change. After all, to change directories in
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Linux, you use the ``cd'' command and that is the same as DOS. Linux
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provides X windows as a GUI and there are a number of similarities
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with MS Windows.
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<P>
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So maybe all that is necessary is to learn a few different commands
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and you are off and running. Well, right and wrong.
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<P>
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You might find yourself in the situation I was in when I first decided
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to install Linux. I had never had any experience with Unix or Linux or
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much of anything else outside of the realm of Microsoft.
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<P>
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The Intel/Microsoft consortium had given me a false sense of command
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over my PC. I had no idea of the ``behind the scenes'' activity that
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went on when DOS booted and Windows came up with it's attractive
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colors and cute little icons. I began to learn a bit when I tried to
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setup some software that wasn't MS applications. At work I learned
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that it was necessary to occasionally contact an equipment
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manufacturer to get the appropriate drivers for MS Windows. But
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all-in-all I was successful in almost every attempt. Little did I
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know...
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<center><H2>
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Fools Rush IN...
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</H2> </center>
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<P>
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As you may have deduced, I work with computers and less obvious (but
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it'll get even less obvious as we go along, I'm sure!) I have some
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schooling in the computer field. So it won't be too surprising to
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find that I was beginning to feel somewhat stifled by the MS environment.
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I knew there were more colors, more sounds, more ways of
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doing things than I saw on the shelf (at a rather high $$ amount, I
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might add) in my local computer store and in the pages of my favorite
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computer magazines.
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<P>
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One day, a friend mentioned Linux to me. She was quite an Internet
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fan. She spent hours in IRC channels and had heard about some of the
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Unix applications from the I-net dinosaurs (Unix users). So one day,
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while browsing through the computer books shelves at my favorite
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bookseller's, I noticed a copy of ``Linux Unleashed'' published by Sam's
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Publishing. I bought it thinking I'd just see what all the fuss was
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about.
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<center><H2>
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Time Wounds All Heels
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</H2> </center>
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<P>
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I couldn't wait. When I opened the pages and began reading I was
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intrigued. The complexity and yet the continuous assurances that it
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*could* be done had me all fired up to try out this ``experimental'' OS.
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<P>
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Lucky me! A CD was glued inside the back cover of the book. My
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problem was, all I owned was a 386SX with 2 MB of memory and a 65 MB
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hard-drive. Not enough! So I bought a new PC.
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<P>
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I ordered a Micron with 16 MB of memory and a 1.6 GB hard drive and a
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CD-ROM drive. A heck of a lot of machine to my way of thinking! When
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it arrived, it came pre-loaded with MS Win95 (doesn't everything?)
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<P>
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I decided to use FIPS to do a ``non-destructive'' repartition of my new
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hard-drive. Well, it worked but the problem is the FIPS program took
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every bit of empty space on the drive, I couldn't write a single file
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in Win95 and I wasn't ready to completely forsake my old OS. So,
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having already made a backup (yeah, right!) I did a complete reformat
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of my C drive. I split the drive into 4 logical partitions and saved
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one of them for Linux exclusively.
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<P>
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Even for someone with a fair amount of PC experience, there is room
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for mistakes, doing what I was doing, and I made 'em. One thing I
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didn't do (I didn't know about this at the time) was to also create a
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small partition to use as Linux swap space. I did this a couple of
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months later when I re-installed to upgrade to Slackware 3.1.
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<P>
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So here is a warning...
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<blockquote>
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IF YOU JUST GOT THAT PC FOR CHRISTMAS AND YOU'VE NOT
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EVER SET ONE UP BEFORE AND YOU ARE JUST LEARNING MS
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WINDOWS -- DO NOT INSTALL LINUX!
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DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!
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</blockquote>
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Take your time and learn about that machine and the wondrous things
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it is capable of doing for you. If later (and probably MUCH later)
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you find it is boring doing the Microsoft Word cut-and-paste shuffle,
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and Doom starts putting you to sleep, and you've invested in a class
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or two in Computer Science at your local community college, Linux
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might be just the thing.
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<center><H2>
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A Coincidence?
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</H2> </center>
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<P>
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While I was typing away on this article, the phone rang. It was my
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friend Ben and he had just hooked up his brand new P166 last
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evening. First thing he said was, ``I got this new computer last night
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and I need help before I throw it out the window.'' I got up and drove
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over to his place. (Coldest day of the year so far! Brrrrr!) I looked
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at his machine. Pre-loaded with Win95 (aren't they all?) He didn't
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know what to do once the system booted and displayed the new GUI. I
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showed him a couple of things and then told him not to install
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Linux. He's definitely not ready!
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<center><H2>
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Who Is Ready?
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</H2> </center>
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<P>
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None of us who are migrating from MS dominance. It's that simple.
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But don't let that discourage you. If you know a bit more about PCs
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than the occasional, at work, or gaming user and if you are as
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fascinated by computing concepts and advances (Java, SMP, Graphics
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rendering, etc.) as I am. If you LIKE to program or if you want to
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set up as an ISP, then Linux is for you. And be prepared, Linux is a
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whole different animal!
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<center><H2>
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Time Heals All Wounds
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</H2> </center>
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<P>
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Learning takes time and in time you will learn. I started with Linux
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in March of 1996. In the last ten months, I have installed Linux
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(Slackware at home and Debian at work) about eight times. I have
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learned something every day. I will say that while Linux is priced
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right, I have spent more on books in the last ten months than I had in
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the last 5 years.
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<P>
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Here are some of the things I have accomplished...
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<P>
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I have setup...
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<ul>
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<li>PPP Link to my ISP
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<li>X11R6
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<li>GNAT Ada Compiler
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<li>TkDesk
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<li>TclTutor
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<li>TkMan
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<li>Netscape
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<li>Mosaic
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</ul>
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I am learning...
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<ul>
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<li>GNU C/C++
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<li>Perl
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<li>Tcl/Tk
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<li>Pov-Ray
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<li>HTML Document Design
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</ul>
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And there are many, many other places to go.
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<P>
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Let me say that ``setup'' is not truly the best word to use. In many
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instances the setups I mentioned above required only that I tweak a
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configuration file or adjust a Makefile. In some instances the program
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refused to work and I had to read and study and yes, I had to ask a
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couple of questions from the newsgroups too.
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<P>
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Out of the box, my printer didn't function so I had to read the
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Printing HOWTO. Of course, it might have worked but how would I know
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since I didn't have any idea about how lpr was used to queue up a
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print job. Then I needed to get a SLIP or PPP connection functioning
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so I could ask those questions on the newsgroups. I had been taught
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some Ada when in school and when I saw GNAT was available, I wanted to
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have it so I might refresh my skills there. I had to wait for
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InfoMagic's September ``Linux Developer's Resource'' before I was able
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to get a GNAT installed that would compile anything.
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<P>
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Just last week I got Pov-Ray up and running and I have been
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enthusiastic about ray-traced images since I first saw a ringed
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planet scene created with it. But I had to wait...and tinker...and
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wait...and read...and make mistakes...and start all over again. There
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are times when, like my friend Ben, I feel like throwing the PC out the
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window and I have learned to move on to something else. And whenever
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I move on, I learn more.
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<center><H2>
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Linux Yes!
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</H2> </center>
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<P>
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So I am sold! I have not as yet taken the MS partitions off of my
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machine but 95% of the time I am working within the Linux
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environment. Although sometimes my frustrations run high, I can
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honestly say that I have not had as much fun with a computer since I
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first started my Pascal classes back a few years ago.
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<P>
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So here I am, somewhere between a novice and a guru, lost in the Linux
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OS Wonderland. I'm having a great time...why don't you join me?
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<!--===================================================================-->
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<P> <hr> <P>
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<center><H5>Copyright © 1997, R. Frank Louden <BR>
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Published in Issue 14 of the Linux Gazette</H5></center>
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<!--===================================================================-->
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<P> <hr> <P>
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