APPLEVISION Monitor

From: Sean 'Captain Napalm' Conner <spc_at_conman.org>
Date: Mon May 6 21:45:33 2002

It was thus said that the Great Richard Erlacher once stated:
>
> I don't see how that could be any less easy than putting the Windows CD in the
> drive and then hitting <enter>.

  For RedHat Linux 5.x (and 6.x) if the PC can boot from CD, then you just
drop in the CD and boot from there. You will then be asked some questions
(keyboard type, mouse type, video card (although it's been pretty good about
finding the right type and all I'm doing is just confirming its guess) and
network setup) and then it starts installing. Depending upon the speed of
the system (CD-ROM, CPU, etc) you may have anywhere from 15 minutes to two
hours to do something else.

  When you come back, you reboot the machine and now you can use it.

  I could only wish that Windows would ask for all the questions up front
and then go ahead but no, in my experience you have to babysit a Windows
installation as it will ask a question, copy files, ask another question,
copy more files, reboot, ask a question, copy files, ask a question, reboot,
ask another question, copy more files ...

  I've found RedHat Linux, Debian Linux and FreeBSD to be very easy to
install (in that order).

  The IRIX installations I've done were just as easy---bring the machine up
to the system monitor, type ``install'' or ``upgrade'' and feed in the
tapes (if I had a CD-ROM, then I could leave the machine unattended). Then
reboot.

  I recall Solaris being somewhere between Linux and Windows for ease of
use/annoyance factor. SCO is a total nightmare, if only for keeping track
of all the licenses you need to have a slightly usable system (but it still
doesn't have the number of reboots that a Windows install has).

  And of course, MS-DOS has been pretty much the easiest to install:

        FORMAT drive /S

  -spc (Oh, but that's a command and some people may feel
        intimidated ... )
Received on Mon May 06 2002 - 21:45:33 BST