1237e1ff9219
tech



Hello Wayne - 

--8<--cut 

WC> Well ultimately I intend to move to Linux as my primary OS
WC> so I'm looking for secure and stable. 

Secure is one part the setup/install of the OS, the other part
avoiding contact with weirdos. Fringe groups in IRC and
"cracks/warez" etc. websites are not unlike being in the wrong
part of town in the wrong bar at midnight. ;-) 

Stable is one part the hardware/setup/install of the OS and the
other part is not installing/uninstally continuously without
image copy backups. The other not so obvious mistake is
_thinking_ an errant application has been successfully
uninstalled and not _using_ the previous image copy to restore
a fully functional (untweaked/molested) OS for the hardware to
use. 

CA>> Hobbyists enjoy reinstalls, pros do not. 

WC> I've heard rumor some sys-admins deliberately sabotage
WC> computers under their care from time to time for job
WC> security if they do too good a job of making that system
WC> stable. 

Trust me they do. :-) 

Working for a company that is trying to 'computerize' and
automate as much as possible when that is your job is like
trying to replace yourself with a robot. At some point your
'success' becomes your greatest weakness. In the past, owners
were aware of this pitfall and didn't just get rid of people
who succeeded at making the owner's company more profitable if
for no other reason than to not discourage all the other
employees. With short term profits in mind and the get rich
quick and run philosophy of business the past two decades it is
very doable to "work yourself out of a job". 

WC> I'm only looking to reinstall Linux this once because I
WC> allocated too little space first go-round. 

One of the many problems trying to maintain a working system is
the lack of recent experience at doing a fresh install. I guess
the easiest solution is to practice installs on a second
machine? There has to be some way to be confident that you
_can_ do it if need be without messing up your 'main' system
from time to time practicing. ;-) 

CA>>> Oddly enough no one really notices. 

WC>> I'll be too taken up with learning the system's full
WC>> capabilities for the foreseeable future to get bored. 

Learning can be boring when it's "necessary" but not
particularly interesting. Math and music are that way at the
begining. Not enough to do much with it but "necessary" to get
to the more useful stuff. :-) 

CA>> The really creative uses for any OS come about while
CA>> trying to produce output of some sort. If there is no need
CA>> for any output there are aspects of the OS that are not
CA>> obvious or present themselves as other than what they
CA>> really are. 

WC> I wrote an interactive resterant menu and billing program
WC> in C and compiled it to run on Linux years ago. 

Having goals not only helps to focus it also is a yardstick to
measure 'progress' even if the goals change from time to time. 

--8<--cut 

WC> Next save of this material will be on an overformatted
WC> floppy and I expect I'll not only have the backup settings
WC> but may get a working setup of ztelnet and MultiMail on
WC> that same floppy :-) 

Keep in mind that when put to use in another floppy drive there
is a possibility the overformatted diskette will not read. 

WC> Came VERY close to the mark on a standard Linux formatted
WC> floppy diskette. 

Not sure if it's worth bothering with but I recall reading that
many Linux users used the MINIX floppy file system on floppy
disks because it could hold more data (less wasted space or
something)? 

>
>        ,                          ,
>      o/      Charles.Angelich      \o       ,
>       __o/
>     / >          USA, MI           < \   __\__
 

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