Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

GNOME and Red Hat Linux eleven years ago (2009)

linuxgazette.net

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 83 posts

Re: GNOME and Red Hat Linux eleven years ago (2009)

#61

Post by 29athrowaway »

liendolucas wrote: post #10

I remember this era. It was Slackware, Caldera, TurboLinux, Mandrake and lots of hours with `./configure; make && make install` executions, reading Linux magazines and big fat books on getting it up and running (losing "precious" data in the process as well). Seeing scary fsck messages when booting up a PC that wasn't properly shutdown. I also remember that there was WinLinux 2000 for those who where scared having a…

The Red Hat CDs had HOWTOs in them, you could use them to get many things done step by step.

If there was a packaged version you would prefer that, but not a lot of stuff was packaged in RPMs at the time.

When Ubuntu came out and they started sending CDs for free worldwide (kudos to Mark Shuttleworth), that's when the Ubuntu/Debian started dominating.

Re: GNOME and Red Hat Linux eleven years ago (2009)

#64

Post by codr7 »

My Linux life started even earlier, with a borrowed Red Hat 4 CD around 1995/6.

But it took quite a few years before it ran well enough for me to consider using it full time.

I remember the first versions of GNOME being buggy as hell.

Then I spent a couple of years compiling Gentoo, can't remember actually using it much.

Re: GNOME and Red Hat Linux eleven years ago (2009)

#65

Post by 0x10ca1h0st »

Ahhh, what a lovely trip down memory lane. For me it was Mandrake. I ordered a copy of it from Linux Distros circa 2004 or so; once it arrived, immediately arranged for a sleep over with my buddy so we could hack together a machine to run it. Literally took _all night_ to get it running, and then when we did, realized the machine required a PS/2 keyboard and mouse, which ended up delaying our initial use by another day.

Re: GNOME and Red Hat Linux eleven years ago (2009)

#66

Post by pipeline_peak »

ok_dad wrote: post #50
bombcar wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> ./configure; make && make install This was what eventually lead me to Gentoo, if I'm going to have to compile some things why not all the things? And being able to install mpg123 without installing X, that was nice.

I wish I spent that time compiling Gentoo a decade and a half ago farming bitcoins instead. What a waste of time!

Would it be as fun though?

Re: GNOME and Red Hat Linux eleven years ago (2009)

#68

Post by anthk »

walterbell wrote: post #42

For more Linux history, see the "Free Software Business" mailing list, https://web.archive.org/web/20001219073400/http://www.crynwr... In 1999, RedHat acquired Cygnus for $674M, https://www.redhat.com/en/about/press-releases/press-cygnusa...

Or just the Linux Gazzete itself:

https://linuxgazette.net/archives.html

This Github repo has every issue. Lots of info it's outated, but stuff on FVWM, TWM, scripting, sh, sed, awk, Perl... will just work.

Re: GNOME and Red Hat Linux eleven years ago (2009)

#69

Post by guenthert »

bombcar wrote: post #38
liendolucas wrote: post #10

I remember this era. It was Slackware, Caldera, TurboLinux, Mandrake and lots of hours with `./configure; make && make install` executions, reading Linux magazines and big fat books on getting it up and running (losing "precious" data in the process as well). Seeing scary fsck messages when booting up a PC that wasn't properly shutdown. I also remember that there was WinLinux 2000 for those who where scared having a…

> ./configure; make && make install This was what eventually lead me to Gentoo, if I'm going to have to compile some things why not all the things? And being able to install mpg123 without installing X, that was nice.

> if I'm going to have to compile some things why not all the things?

Time? Compiling the kernel took 10m on a reasonable fast workstation-like PC. It could easily take three times as long on a more budget-friendly PC. And the kernel wasn't the largest package by any means. gcc (wants to be compiled three times) or, shudder, TeX? Very little benefit of compiling that oneself over and over again while a quite substantial cost.

Re: GNOME and Red Hat Linux eleven years ago (2009)

#70

Post by Levitating »

eadmund wrote: post #3

That brings back memories! As does running the desktop from one’s .xinitrc: panel & background-properties --init & keyboard-properties --init & mouse-properties --init & fvwm2 -f .fvwm2rc.gnome Honestly, I think that there was a lot to love about that straightforward, discoverable way of doing things.

> Honestly, I think that there was a lot to love about that straightforward, discoverable way of doing things.

Still common for ArchLinux users.

Post reply on HN