# linux let otheres know what you  know about linux



## snehal_prabhu (Apr 3, 2004)

hi


let us make linux more simpler by pasting in here the simple tricks and tips of linux which will help it make more easier for user. you can tell about configuring a device... opening particular file with application. accessing windows from linux. the topics which have been mentioned are the ones which i have ;learnt through digit forum and i want others also to know them


i also expect others to post their difficulties which can be solved in this forum,this forum is fully devoted to linux and linux only.


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## snehal_prabhu (Apr 3, 2004)

What is Linux? 
Strictly speaking, Linux is the kernel of a computer operating system. A kernel is software that enables communications between computer applications and hardware, providing system services like file management, virtual memory, device I/O, and more. An Operating System needs more than just the kernel. The GNU organization ported, wrote and developed many of the software applications that combine with the Linux kernel to make a complete Operating System. This is why you will see the term GNU/Linux used when referring to Linux, to give credit for their contribution. Put all of this software together with some custom configuration and installation programs and you have what's referred to as a Distribution. Each distribution is created by a particular person or persons, be it a for-profit company like Redhat, or a group of like-minded individuals. Distributions vary in areas such as ease of installation, included software, and kernel versions.



Who Created/Wrote/Made Linux?

The Linux kernel was created by Linus Torvalds and first announced on the Internet in 1991. Before and during this period, Richard Stallman was creating the GNU organization, writing software like compilers and editors and such, and creating a software license called the General Public License, or GPL. All of this software, and a lot of other programs written, enhanced, and developed by many other volunteers became what is now, in its various flavors, called Linux or GNU/Linux. Since the Internet has been such an integral part of Linux since the beginning, it seems so very appropriate that this multiuser, multitasking, multiprocessor-supporting, multi-contributor operating system now runs so many of the systems that power today's Internet.



Which Distribution Is The Best?

Yeah, right. The best distribution is whichever one that You think is best. I suggest that you install and try as many different distributions as you can. Not only will you learn some things about Linux in general, you'll also discover some things about Linux in particular, like which one is best for you. 



Will Linux Run On My Computer?

Most likely, probably without a hitch, almost. The fact is, it depends on your system's hardware and whether or not the different 'pieces' that make up your computer are supported by a particular distribution. The best way to determine this is to go to the home page of whichever Linux distribution interests you and check your computer's hardware against that distribution's Hardware Compatibility List. You'll need to know what model of sound card or modem or ethernet card is in your system. You'll need to determine what, if any, hardware functions are done by your motherboard. Sound cards, modems, printers, scanners and video cards are some of the pieces on which to pay close attention. Spend some time looking through these lists, and determine which distribution at least has a chance of being installed on your computer, before you spend the time, effort and/or money trying to install Linux.



What Does It Cost?

The short answer is anywhere from $00.00 to hundreds of dollars. Linux is free as in 'free beer' and as in 'freedom'. The 'free beer' part deals with the monetary cost of Linx. You can download it for as little as the cost of an Internet connection. Someone can GIVE you a copy of Linux, legally. The 'freedom' part means you are legally alloweded to possess the source code, the actual programming code of Linux. You can inspect this code, line by line, even make changes to suit yourself. These free aspects of Linux, and other similarly licensed software, are at the heart of what Linux is about. The Linux kernel and most every other program that is part of a distribution are released under the GPL, or General Public License, also called a 'copyleft license'. ( Think about it. ) This license makes provisions for the distribution and modification of free software like Linux. Anyone may modify and/or distribute GPL software, as long as all subsequent modifications are released under this same GPL. The GPL allows money to be made from GPL'd software, while also ensuring that everyone can distribute and continue to have access to this same software without restrictions. GPL software is copyrighted to the author or authors, and is not public domain software or shareware. 



Is Linux Easy To Use?

Linux began as a programmer's operating system, written by and for those that like to get their hands dirty, so to speak, with the bits and bytes that make things happen on computers. Perhaps because of this beginning, ease of use has only recently become a consideration. Linux is not Windows, and there's good and not-so-good in that statement. Some of the good has already been mentioned (the freedom parts). One aspect of the not-so-good is that Linux is not easily installed on just any computer system. Depending on the hardware in a particular computer, Linux may not support certain hardware functions, particularly the modem. Many current modems, also called HSP or Winmodems, are designed to work primarily with Windows through proprietary drivers, and some of the manufacturers have chosen to not release their driver information in a way that would allow others to write Linux drivers for this hardware. Hardware support for Linux is growing, but is still a concern, and a reason why checking a distribution's Hardware Compatability List before installation is a must. Learning new software applications and learning enough about Linux to be able to use it at whatever level you desire will take time, just like learning anything new takes time. Challenging, yes. Difficult, sometimes. Impossible, hardly.



How Can I Get A Copy?

Linux can be obtained on CD or DVD media. You can download an ISO image, say, from LinuxISO, and then burn that .iso file to a cd. An iso image is an image of a CD-ROM disk saved in ISO-9660 format, an exact copy of a disk stored as a file. If you chose to download an ISO, you should use a program which can resume an interrupted download. ISO files are generally 640 megabytes in size, a lot to download. While there is generally some documentation included on downloadable iso images, there is no free technical support with a downloaded iso image. If you need technical support buy a boxed version of a distribution, with cdrom's and/or dvd's, printed documentation and technical support. If you don't or can't download an iso image, you can buy only the CD's, without printed material or tech support. There are other installation methods, but the ones I listed here are what I consider to be most practical for those new to Linux.



Can I Keep My Current OS?

Most users new to Linux are running Windows. No surprise there, it's the ubiquitous desktop computer operating system. Linux can 'play nice' with Windows, meaning you don't have to erase your current version of Windows to use Linux. There must be some unused/free space on your hard drive to install Linux, just how much or how little depends on the particular distribution. At least 1 gigabyte should be enough for most, more will be better. Installation methods are as different as the distributions themselves. Fortunately, you will find documentation on the cd itself; reading it before you do an install is recommended. Some Linux distributions will install on unused disk space within your current Windows system, using as little as 300 megabytes of your drive. A couple of distributions have the ability to run from the cd itself, creating only temporary files on your hard drive that are erased when you shut down your system, without making permanent changes to your hard drive. If you decide to do an on-the-drive installation, you can still keep your current OS. Linux can set up a dual-boot system using a Boot Loader program, such as LILO, which allows you to select which installed operating system to run shortly after your computer boots up. 



What's The Worst That Could Happen?

Installing Linux involves changes to your computer's hard drive, perhaps even repartitioning of the hard drive to create the room to install the Linux OS. How you create this space depends upon how your system's hard drive is setup. If you happen to have unpartitioned space on your drive, (not likely with a newer, bought-from-the-store system) you can partition and format this space for Linux. If your drive is just one big partition you will have to resize a current partition. This involves making changes to your system that could make the hard drive, and everything on it, no longer accessible, requiring a complete reinstall of your current operating system. Backing up your hard drive, or at the least whatever information and programs you would not want to lose is strongly recommended. If you determine this to be the case with your system, I recommend that you buy one of the boxed Linux distributions that includes instructions and software specifically written to handle this. If this hasn't scared you away, and it shouldn't have, you're ready to boot the installation program. 



I'm Sold. How Do I Start?

Check out the home pages of the various distributions, look at their Hardware Compatibility Lists, find those distributions that support and will install on your computer. If yIf you have questions or concerns about installing Linux, I suggest that you buy a boxed version. Not only will you get printed documentation, but retail distributions come with some form of technical support, just in case.


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## snehal_prabhu (Apr 3, 2004)

this is site from where you can download any version of linux, be it redhat or suse, you ask and get it here
*www.linuxiso.org/


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## ujjwal (Apr 3, 2004)

Hmm......

This is all i know ... 

1. Installing from RPM packages

type "rpm -ivh filename" at console as root
or, "rpm -Uvh filename"

2. Unpacking tarballs (.tar)

tar xvf filename.tar

or, tar xvzf filename.tar.gz for compressed

3. Installing from source code

Most sorce codes have  script to automatically configure the makefile for your os

In that case types "./configure" in the source directory

Then "make" to compile and "make install" to install. Readme file for details.

I guess best way to get specific help is to ask.


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## Deep (Apr 4, 2004)

you can get information regarding command usage and all from..

www.tldp.org

great site, very helpful..

Deep


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## ms_karthik (Apr 4, 2004)

when i was first introduced to computers, windows welcomed me with open hand with superb user-friendliness.

when i was first introduced to linux (red hat 9), i needed a tutorial to install even a small game and some commands and still it didn't work. i was frustrated.

anyway thanks for the wonderful article on linux. perhaps later i will begin a liking to linux but not now. the wounds are still fresh after getting hit by linux.


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## snehal_prabhu (Apr 4, 2004)

you cant pre conceive anything by its first experience. ms_karthik i think you should give one more chance. you dont get good things easily you have to work hard for it.


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## snehal_prabhu (Apr 4, 2004)

I am posting this article to help the newbies of linux. Actually i want to encourage people to use linux 

How to uninstall programs on your linux by creating packages! 

This article would be very helpful for people who rely on compiling softwares from sources in order to install them on their linux boxes, and have problems uninstalling those softwares. 
This is my case, since having slackware as your only distro, you got to compile almost every thing since there is leak of packages. 
Compiling software from source has its advantages, since u can tweak it for your hardware / needs. But in the other hand, unistalling software would be somehow very difficult. 
Few programmers add an uninstall option to the Makefile, such that a "make uninstall" rarely works, and besides, who'll keep the sources directory sticking for ever. 
In my opinion the best solution is the following: 
1. Get the sources of the program u want to install. 
2. Compile it to suit your needs. 
3. Make an "rpm", "deb" package, or a slackware "tgz" package depending on your distribution. 
4. Install the package u just did. 
This way you have compiled a program for your hardware, with options you want, you can use on other machine, publish it online, and what we care about must " it can be removed whenever we want" 
OK so now how to do these things. 
Get Checkinstall from here. Check install is a program to make slackware / debian / rpm packages out of compiled sources, a very easy and useful program. Untar / unzip then ./configure && make && make install ( check install will ask you if u want to make a package out of it own compiled binaries, choose yes since it is a good idea if u ever wanted to remove it). 
Now that you have checkinstall on your computer making a package will be a trivial thing. 
OK now suppose i want to make a slackware package for xchat-1.8.9, what shall i do ? 
a) Get xchat sources from xchat's site 
b) Untar/gunzip the xchat-1.8.9.tar.gz file with: tar -xzvf xchat-1.8.9.tar.gz 
c) Run the configure script with what ever option you want, i usually use ./configure --enable-panel --enable-python 
c) Now compile xchat with : make 
d) Now make a doc-pak directory, this is not necessary, copy there all the documentation files, those files will be installed to /usr/doc/xchat-1.8.9/ if u skip this step, default documentation files will be used, these are : README, INSTALL, COPYING, ChangeLog, TODO, CREDITS. 
e) Create a file called "description-pak", and put in it description about your package. 
f) Now su to root. 
g) type: checkinstall, it may ask you some questions, then it will ask you what packaging method to choose, 
"S" for Slackware, "D" for debian, or "R" for rpm, choose the one that you want. 
Then the program will automaticly install the made package. 
Et voila, you will get in your working directory an xchat package called: xchat-1.8.9-i386-1.tgz 
or .rpm or .deb depending on what you choosed. 
you can remove it when ever you want or install it on other machines or share it online. 

Installing Software 


Gzipped/Bzipped Tape Archives 
Decompress them. 
For: *.tar.gz, *.tgz, *.z, *.Z, *.taz, *.tar.Z 
tar -zxf filename.tgz 
is the same as: 
gunzip filename.tgz 
tar -xf filename.tar 
For: *.bz, *.bz2, *.tbz, *.tbz2, *.bzip2 
tar -Itf filename.bz 
is the same as: 
bunzip filename.bz 
tar -xf filename.bz 
README/INSTALL 
Look in the decompressed directory for a README, or INSTALL file or similar. There will almost always be one. It's very helpful to read it. If it contains instructions that differ from these, assume they are correct, 
. /configure 
Look for a ./configure script. If you have that than run it. Running ./configure should produce a Makefile. 
Makefile 
If there is only a Makefile, then type make and it will compile it. If there are multiple make files like Make-DOS, Make-Amiga, Make-Linux then type 'make Make-Linux'. If there is no Make-Linux just use the default Makefile (make or make Makefile). 
Errors 
There are too many things that can go wrong during the ./configure or make processes to describe. If you know c, or c++ you can usually fix them yourself. If not try e-mailing the author or asking. 
RedHat's RPM (Redhat Package Manager) 
If your system uses RPM (Mandrake, Redhat, SuSe, Turbolinux, Caldera) you can install binary or source rpms with the rpm command. The general syntax is 'rpm -i packagename'. If you 'less' an rpm file it will give you the headers and file list. .srpms are source packages. See the man page for more details. 
Debian's APT-GET 
Debian uses a package manager called APT-GET. It's supposed to be much better than RPM at handling dependencies. Read the man page for instruction. 

What is the best distro? 

A Distro is a package of the Linux kernel, and whatever software the company adds on. Minimally, it should have the kernel, an installer, some basic system init software, and a 
shell. An X server, and a desktop isn't asking much either. The 
top 10 distros (according to DistroWatch.com) are Beehive, Caldera, Debian, Lycoris, Linpus, Mandrake, RedHat, SuSe, 
Slackware, and TurboLinux. Those are 10 of probably hundreds of distros. 
None of the major distributions is really any better than the others. They all have positives and negatives. Some are more secure, some are easier to install, some are easier to upgrade,s ome are more true to the open source theme than others, etc. 
If you're new to Linux, you'll want a distribution that's easy to install, and weens you slowly away from your other-OS dependencies. RedHat, Mandrake, and SuSe are generally regarded as the best newbie distributions. That doesn't mean they aren't as powerful as the others. You can make a SuSe machine do anything a Slackware machine can do. 
Slackware is generally regarded as the best Linux distribution by Linux hackers. So you might think it's a good distribution to start out on. It's not. It doesn't hold your hand like other distributions. There's a lot to learn and you don't want it all at the same time. 
For a more in depth comparison's on the distributions go to 
distrowatch.com. 
If you're feeling adventerous and want to make 
YourOwnDistro Linux, go to LinuxFromScratch.org. 

this content has been copied from one of the linux forums


To be continued.....


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## snehal_prabhu (Apr 4, 2004)

First of all, Linux, unlike Microsoft Operating Systems are available in many different flavors. 
No one Linux is the same. 

Since Linux is free (as in beer) to obtain and modify, its development has progressed in the form of multiple â€œdistributionsâ€? A distribution is the packing of an application and support base with the Linux Kernel, usually to make Linux as powerful for the end user as possible. Some popular distributions includeâ€¦ 


Debian GNU/Linux 
*www.debian.org 

Debian Linux is a different kind of Linux distribution. Rather than being developed by one isolated individual or group, Debian is being developed openly in the full spirit of Linux development. 

Fundamental to Debian are its package management tools. This allows users to maintain their computer systems with ease. It is so powerful that many people have been known to switch to Debian solely because of it. It orientates itself however towards more experienced users and developers. For that audience, it represents the leading edge of Linux and open source development. 

Linux Mandrake 
*www.linux-mandrake.com 

Mandrake is at present one of the industry leaders in Linux distros and is well known for its good looks, ease of installation, well rounded package selection and customized wizards and setup tools. The installation program, DrakX is colorful and attractive and patiently walks you through the required steps to install mandrake Linux. Mandrake comes with an impressive list of third party software. Mandrake is produced by MandrakeSoft and is available from major software retailers and directly from their website. As of writing, they are up to version 9.2 

Red hat Linux - Fedora Core 
*www.redhat.com 

Presently at build 9.0 Red hat is one of the most popular distributions. The release of Red Hat 8.0 has seen an enormous growth in Linux as well as the deployment of a world wide support network, the Red Hat Network. 
Red Hat is useful for new users insecure in their knowledge of computing. It has also proven itself as a reliable, and powerful Linux distribution for mission critical serving environments. 
RedHat recently announced that they were ceasing retail development of the Redhat Linux line and are instead moving towards a more Open Source and community orientated project. The Fedora Project was introduced in late 2003. Built for and with the help of the open source community, the Fedora Project is for developers and early high-tech enthusiasts using Linux in non-critical computing environments. 


Slackware 
*www.slackware.com 

Slackware is one of the oldest distributions and is produced by Walnut Creek CD-ROM. It does not possess all the user friendly attributes of its brethren and is best suited to those who have a thorough understanding of UNIX & Linux. 
Slackware tries to maintain its link with the UNIX heritage of Linux by conforming strictly to UNIX conventions and not overwhelming experienced users with commercial functionality. In this way it is very similar to Debian GNU/Linux â€“ the two have a related history.
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SUSE Linux 
*www.suse.com 
Suse is a popular European distribution based in Germany. SuSE Linux has been best noted for its slick installation courtesy of YaST ( yet another setup tool) which closely resembles that of Calderas OpenLinux. SuSE Linux has been RPM compliant since release 5. The default window manager is KDE, which has been redesigned by SuSE to sport a number of enhancements. 

Turbo Linux 
*www.turbolinux.com/ 

Turbolinux is the leading supplier of Linux operating systems in Asia Pacific. The product portfolio also includes multiplatform clustering and distributed computing software to bring high-availability and high throughput to the enterprise. Turbolinux is now part of UnitedLinuxTM, a global, uniform distribution of Linux for business supported by a majority of enterprise system and software vendors. 


Gentoo Linux 
*www.gentoo.org/ 

Gentoo Linux is a versatile and fast, completely free Linux distribution for x86, PowerPC, Sparc and Sparc64 that's geared towards Linux power users. Unlike other distros, Gentoo Linux has an advanced package management system called Portage. Portage is a true ports system in the tradition of BSD ports, but is Python-based and sports a number of advanced features including dependencies, fine-grained package management, "fake" (OpenBSD-style) installs, path sandboxing, safe unmerging, system profiles, virtual packages, config file management, and more. 

Portage allows you to set up Gentoo Linux the way you like it -- with the optimization settings that you want, and with optional build-time functionality (like GNOME, KDE, mysql, ALSA, LDAP support, etc.) enabled or disabled as you desire. If you don't want GNOME on your system, your apps won't have optional GNOME support enabled, and if you do, then they will. That's why we prefer thinking of Gentoo Linux as a meta-distribution or Linux technology engine. You decide what kind of system you want, and Portage will create it for you. 

Lycoris Desktop/LX 
*www.lycoris.com/ 

Desktop/LX is an operating system designed with your ease of use in mind. Desktop/LX loads ready for Internet access, office productivity, multimedia, entertainment, and more. 

Desktop/LX presents you with a clean slate on which to work. A simple and familiar layout will help you start working right away. Desktop/LX uses drag and drop, so linking to and working from the desktop is a breeze. 

Everytime you boot Desktop/LX or if you add a USB device, My Linux System automatically detects new supported drives. You can also use the Rescan Hardware link in the left pane to list new devices. 

Linux Live Systems (Knoppix, Gentoo LiveCD) 
*www.knoppix.net , *www.gentoo.org 

This kind of distro will completely run from CD, so you don't need to install it and maybe waste your partitions or something. It's a great way to see linux running on your system. There are many different distros, each with different goals. If you just want to "see linux in action", i'd suggest you go for a full-featured distro like Knoppix. The main advantage is that these distros are Debian based meaning building and updating your system is VERY easy. If you are a fan of Debian than you will be right at home. 

Many people also use these distros for recovering data from PCs or repairing their Linux/Windows installation. 
Here's a big list of these CD-based distros: *www.distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=cd 
There are even complete games on Linux live-CDs for free: *www.gentoogames.com/ 

SmoothWall Linux 
*www.smoothwall.org 

A very lightweight and easy to install linux distro aimed soley for router boxes. It's only a small download (~20megs) and yet can be configured as a DHCP server, transparent cache, dialup server (automatically dialup when any PC on the network requests a net connection), broadband server (supports many ADSL modems and ISDN), has a firewall and is easy to configue after the initial install via SSH or it's web interface. Definately recommended for serving a net connection for a LAN.  

PClinuxOS 
*www.pclinuxonline.com 

PCLinuxOS is a Mandrake based distro that runs off of a CD. It is very good looking and easy to configure. PCLinuxOS has a Control Center which allows you to configure most settings. It has Mozilla Firebird, Java, Flash, and nVidia drivers all by default. It also doesn't have more than one program to do one task, so it is cleaner to navigate. "I use it whenever I install Gentoo so that at least I can listen to music and surf the web while everything is compiling. By the way, it uses ALSA, unlike Knoppix. It is the most advanced, yet easy to use live-cd that I have ever used." 

Which distribution is the right one for me? 
Linux distributions can vary significantly in their focus and application base. They all have one thing in common however. The Linux kernel powers each Linux distribution and choosing the right one for you will depend on how you like to use your computer. 

If you intend to use Linux for desktop productivity, Red Hat, mandrake, Caldera, & SuSE are probably for you. If you intend to deploy Linux into a non graphical, server type environment than Red hat, Debian and Slackware make good choices. For those who want to accelerate to the realm of Linux hackerdom, you will need Debian or Slackware to get you there!  

Some quick URL's: 
www.linuxdoc.org - HOW-TO's... gotta love em'. 
www.rpmfind.net - finds RPM for your distribution. 
www.linuxnewbie.org - general "newbie" tips and how-to 
www.distrowatch.com - provides a package comparison table. 
www.linuxiso.org - Want to download Linux distribution ISO? No need to look furthur, LinuxISO has it all
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## svenkat83 (Apr 5, 2004)

I see no reason for shifting to Linux when Windows is around.No way.
Thats just my opinion.Without Windows OS PC penetration would never have come this far.
I use PCQ Linux 2004 in my second PC but I was never attracted towords using it.Linux will always play a second fiddle to Windows in my Computers.
Snehal,Do you use Windows or not?


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## firewall (Apr 5, 2004)

*well....*

i donot use windows. i am using gnu/linux since it comes in lots of floppys.

i have tried windows too, and found that it lacks some quality tools.


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## aditya2u4u (Apr 5, 2004)

i do not like the linux accept its security


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## firewall (Apr 5, 2004)

*well....*

i use GNU/Linux because it gives me lots of choices and Freedom.


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## snehal_prabhu (Apr 5, 2004)

please call it gnu/linux. i use win2003 server and linux. i am using win os simple for testing and it is pirated copy.the amount of tools and things you can do with gnu/linux is uncomparable to windows.


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## Ricky (Apr 6, 2004)

BTW..  I had been already on a Linux Forum. See my sig.. so THis forum doesn't changed anything for me.. but ya.. i like this forum..


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## black_knight (Apr 6, 2004)

i use GNU/Linux not only cause it gives me all the options I'd need to tweak my system, it also forces me to learn about things I never thot abt in the windows world

That and ofcourse i am stuck with compiling programs on GNU/Linux and GCC in my college


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## akshayc (Apr 6, 2004)

*Lin or Win*

To be quick, well... basically, Linux ....

or in other words ...


in detail, well,

I have the following to say 

I use Windows XP (purchased) to -> surf the net, gaming, a/v editing (ya, better utils on win), audio editing and composing (roland), more kinky video stuff(YEAH). Gaming is always better on XP (modded).

I use Linux RH9 (CustomKernelled) to -> make my n/w based apps, program, web devel and deploys, be a geek. Usage is limited to writing my own kernels (kiddie stuff that). I actually had to join a forum on sourceforge.net that was developing ntfs r/w capabilities for linux, so that i could use a few less o/s switches (other option was buying VmWare!). Then i joined another opensource proj to have ext2/3 r/w access in winXP (still on this).

guess its a draw.


whaddya say mates?


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## theKonqueror (Jul 29, 2005)

I would like all guys to think abt this:

===========================
This forum runs on phpBB
              and
phpBB was tested on mainly linux when it was being developed in its early days.

===========================


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