-=> PHIL MARLOWE wrote to WAYNE CHIRNSIDE <=-

 PM>  === I just wrote Maurice that I wouldn't ask any
 PM>  dumb questions before reading up on Linux for
 PM>  some basic background info, but here's a few
 PM>  questions for you, not too dumb, I hope.

There are no dumb questions.

 > I've Knoppix Linux here which can run entirely in RAM
 > if you've enough or be installed to the hard drive.

 PM>  === Various versions are available in the
 PM>  library here - Knoppix, Redhat, Slackware,
 PM>  Debian, and a few others - with manuals and CDs.
 PM>  Do you mean your Knoppix can load from a floppy?
 PM>  Or a CD? 
 
Bootable CD.
Nice way to get familiar with it before committing it to hard 
drive space..

 PM> How much RAM would I need? And what
 PM>  size is Knoppix anyway? Sounds tiny.

Recommended minimum install partition is 3 Gig
for the release I've got here, plus a swap drive of 
128 Meg which is 1/2 my available RAM.                     

This is for the GUI tools and I believe 96 Meg is fine
for command line only but I believe you'd find that's
where the steep learning curve sets in.

128 Meg of RAM was the minimum for my release but I went right up
to 256 due to a great deal someone here in fido offered me.
I believe later releases may require more than 128 but am not sure.

I installed on an H.P. Pavilion circa 1998 maxed out
on RAM.
I took out the 64 Meg and 32 Meg RAM chips and put in two
128's

Check out www.undercoverdesign.com/dosghost
I believe it is, enter, find Linux link and more information 
is revealed about different releases including Knoppix.
There's a link to Knoppix home page where yo can purchase the CD or 
download your connection speed dependent.

Oddly enough I can now download ANY size file on dialup
as I can resume a download where I left off with Knoppix
though it would take me about ten days a few hours
a day to download Knoppix.

I partitioned my drive after defragging it using tools
I was familiar with on a mini-Linux that can boot from 2 floppies
or the hard drive in DOS.
The mini-linux creates a RAMDRIVE of 16 Meg and I split my
partition beyond where Windows left off.

There's also FIPS 2.0 and a limited capability partition magic 
that's free with a free Linux release I've used to carve up the
drive without stomping on Windows.

Booting from the Knoppix CD appears to offer it's own
more than adaquate tools for carving up a drive more simply
but hey I was familiar and comfortable with other options.

Prepartitioned Knoppix merely asked me to which I wanted it installed.
Most advocate keeping it on a separate drive but I run across that 
current.
Just don't install it to /dev/hda1 if you've already 
got Windows installed on your first partition of your first physical 
drive.
I selected /dev hda2,3,4 which began well after my Win 98 install.
Don't know about later Windows releases that may use swap partitions 
themselves... or not.

 > Installed it in an hour then with a few tips
 > from the gurus setup a user account which is
 > VERY important lest someone use the power of
 > this O.S. against you operating as root user
 > while online.

 PM>  === Now I'm dredging my memory from way back,
 PM>  but does that mean that someone with a knowlege
 PM>  of UNIX can gain access to your system?  If so,
 PM>  how likely is that to happen? Seems pretty remote.

 They use something called rootkit, gives them full access to your system
 and it's not at all a remote threat as my system was constantly informing
 me of attacks. ( failed as I was a user online and NOT root)
 You really need to setup a user account first off and I retain
 the simple notes here on how to do so though I'd have to look them up.

 There are nefarious reasons why someone might want to hide
 behind your address either profiting or sending malicious software
 posing as coming from YOU.

 Or they could just browse your system then delete and crash it :-(

 > Had K-Mail, multiple browsers, newsgroups and
 > dialer setup in no time at all. Knoppix comes with
 > a nice word processor as well as autodetects most except
 > bleeding edge hardware and winprinters, winmodems.

 PM>  === Multiple browsers?  Meaning?

 Clone of a freeware Windows mail client the name of which escapes
 just now.
 Konquror a fine Linux native browser, Mozzilla which I
 like as well, others.
 
 They all load pages faster than Windows even running identical
 releases of Mozilla for the different O.S. platforms.
 I had Mozilla in 98 and same version  in Knoppix.

 > My hard drive crashed and burned before I could
 > get past the last two obsticles to setting up an
 > OLR and ztelnet to use fidonet from Linux offline.

 PM>  === Obstacles?  What do you mean by obstacles?

 I had not setup the paths to my zip compression and uncompression
 routines in my OLR before the drive crashed nor set user
 permissions from root.
 Operating from the command line those were the only two
 obsticals before the drive caved from age and previous owner abuse.

 > I could telnet into BBS's easily and post or
 > reply online however.
 > Even without the larger font Maurice mentioned I
 > found Linux easier on these tired eyes.

 PM>  === Hmm. So the larger font option isn't
 PM>  available in Knoppix Linux?

 Never checked the command line option Maurice mentioned
 but there's a WIDE variety of selections to chioose from
 in the VERY easily mastered GUI. 
 
 Konquror comes up with hard drive installation instructions
 right out of CD boot ( click and go) and once installed defaults 
 to a home page for Debian Linux upon which Knoppix is based.

 Knoppix walks you through all the GUI stuff, dirt simple.

 Do what I did, spend a few hours over two days getting familiar with
 the RAMDRIVE version then commit to installing it if you like
 it.
 Usual disclaimer is to backup everything first and have a clean
 formatted floppy or two handy as installing Knoppix to
 the hard drive asks if you want a Knoppix bootable disk
 in case the loader fails.

 Even though my drive died I recursively archived my work with
 my OLR and Ztelnet to floppy so I can start where I left off
 when I replace the hard drive.

 You can telnet from GUI as well but only read and write online
 with that utility.

 > Much cleaner look than Windows (but similar in
 > many respects), and loads web pages faster.

 PM>  === How about the icons? To visually impaired
 PM>  folk, icons look like nothing more than  tiny
 PM>  smudges on the screen.

 Vast selection of screen resolutions and large icon option.

 Knoppix can be downloaded free if you've a cable or DSL 
 connection and burn a bootable image to CD.
 Charles Angelich did this for me as I lack a burner and sent
 it to me snailmail.
 The dosghost URL in this reply is HIS web page.

 PM> From what I've heard Linux's is a -steep- learning curve.

 > Most versions ARE and the complex powerful
 > functions available are a steep learning curve
 > as well as being dangerous operating as root as
 > well.

 > Knoppix gives you an easy to setup familiar GUI
 > operating system that you can learn as you go
 > while still being productive with the tools that
 > load up onto the desktop.

 PM>  === Well. I'm interested, just from the talk
 PM>  I've heard about it, but no hands on knowledge yet,
 PM>  and only the vaguest idea about it being Unix
 PM>  based and thus more controllable.  
 
Knoppix is faster, infinately more powerful than Windows yet
if you stick with the standard GUI install and Mozilla
you'll think you're running Windows with Netscape only faster, 
better and cleaner.

 PM> However, like
 PM>  I said to Maurice, I may be dreaming in
 PM>  technicolor considering the backed up stuff I
 PM>  have to deal with and the investment in time
 PM>  that I understand Linux requires. 
 
The basic Knoppix GUI install bypasses all this in a
walk through.
I'll look up my notes for creating access for users to modem
and such to give security.

Just about three short obscure commands need be entered in a command
window to create a user account with the neccessary accesses
to go internet as user.
Can be done in GUI too but as root I was scared to play there
and asked a "dumb" question or two.

User account setup in about two minutes and far, far safer than root.

 PM> I once owned
 PM>  one of those massive Unix tomes with 1000 or so
 PM>  pages of small print that, despite good
 PM>  intentions, I never got around to - and this
 PM>  Linux idea may end up the same way. 
 
Everthing you need to know about Linux can be found 
on the web and downloaded or you can invoke "man"  "command"
for whatever command you're looking for in Knoppix
from the command line.
There's also "info" "command".

 PM> Nevertheless
 PM>  thanks for taking the time to write up your
 PM>  experience with it. Hands on experience is I
 PM>  suppose the final test, and you seem to sound
 PM>  pretty positive about it. At any rate, it's much
 PM>  appreciated.

I'm positive I got stuck in the mud in much of the other releases
but Knoppix was a snap.

I've no books at all on Knoppix.
CD arrived in the mail.
I played for two days for a total of perhaps 5 hours in ramdrive
than installed it to my hard drive.

After that on boot I had the option of selecting either Win 98,
Knoppix or just letting it time out booting Knoppix Linux
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