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From [EMAIL PROTECTED]  Sat Apr  3 23:03:54 2004
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (justin joseph)
Date: Sat Apr  3 23:04:06 2004
Subject: [Mailinglist] Debian GNU/Linux
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

hi all,

I installed and configured Debian GNU/linux, at least
to a "usable" state.  Thought i did share my
experience with you all,

I bought my computer around three years back, an
assembled P-iii.  the vendor had installed
windows 98 on it.  I don't know exatly why, but soon i
got fed up with the OS, 'think, because it was like
living in a cage. the thing never let me know what its
doing, i ckick here and something happens, i
cliked there and something else happened, how this
something happens was never meant to be understood.
well may be microsoft sees all its users are dumb
enough to not let them know these things.:-(

i soon formated my hard disk and used only a dos disk
to do the simple things i did then, write c
program or use edit.

it was then that i heard of Linux, i had first
installed Red Hat 6.2 i believe, but did not know how
to go around the system, with time i learnt some small
things.  I heard of the debian distribution then
and tried it, but all i could manage to get was the
shell, no sound, no X.  well that sort of bored me,
not that i used the X too often but all the same its
absence was felt.  It was then that i got a single
CD installation media for Caldera Open linux 3.1, well
i don't think there was any controversy invloving
caldera then.  To be frank caldera turned out to be
good at first.  I got good graphics and the sound ,
ASUS CUPLE-VM motherboard with VIA onboard sound.  I
also got the driver for my modem d-link dfm 560is. i
could install and configure the modem to dial up. 
Thus things seemed going great when slowly i began to
understand the the Caldra too was a cage a large one
though, a spacious and comfortable cage, but still a
cage.

It was then i came to notice that there were LUG's and
that the mailing list was helpfull in resolving issues
being faced with installation and configuring of pure
free software distrubutions.  i subscribed and went
after Debian once again.  I choose Woody r0, the only
cd's i could get.  

I had tried installing the same some time back and
ended up with X crashing every time I switched from
graphics to text and back.This I now understand is an
issue with 4.1 release of XFree86.  I have partially
resolved this issue by changing the driver from
Trident to the generic Vesa.  Though this reduces the
video quality in X, the X server is working fine.  

I hope to install the latest version of X and switch
over to my specific driver soon.

After the initial install i did'nt have sound.  I got
sound after i used the modconf to install the
required modules. 

The big issue was the modem, I found out that the
modem is ony supported by kernel version 4.2.2.  So i
went on to install the kernel 4.2.2.  this is a bit of
an inconvenience, but i believe this has to do.

Can some one please enlighten me the draw backs of
using this kernel if there are any, is it necessary
to boot the latest 2.4 series kernel on Woody.  at
present i boot to this kernel only for browsing the
net.

The installtion and configuration of Debian would have
been impossible with out the help of Ballakrishnan
sir.  My casual post on the mailing list informing my
interest in  moveing to Debian was more than welcomed
by him, the issues with the modem were actually
resolved at his house where i took the modem.

I hope to learn more of Debian/GNU linux. And
sincerely hope all your suppport.  And please do
inform if I could be of any help.

Regards
Justin

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