panel &
background-properties --init &
keyboard-properties --init &
mouse-properties --init &
fvwm2 -f .fvwm2rc.gnome
Still common for ArchLinux users.
I'm slightly surprised it's using TWM, rather than something like FVWM95, I'm sure I used an ancient version of Red Hat that used that, but it might be the author's preference.
(Edit: another poster says FVWM95 was the release after this...)
I bought Redhawks 5.2 or .3 in the big box, bought the Linux Bible and went to town.
Was running Sgi IRIX full time back then. When Linux booted, I had two thoughts!
(Glances at spiffy Sgi Indigo Magic Desktop)
1) Hoo Boy, we have a long way to go
, and
2) YES, a lot is possible today!
Good times.
This was what eventually lead me to Gentoo, if I'm going to have to compile some things why not all the things?
And being able to install mpg123 without installing X, that was nice.
Time? Compiling the kernel took 10m on a reasonable fast workstation-like PC. It could easily take three times as long on a more budget-friendly PC. And the kernel wasn't the largest package by any means. gcc (wants to be compiled three times) or, shudder, TeX? Very little benefit of compiling that oneself over and over again while a quite substantial cost.
If there was a packaged version you would prefer that, but not a lot of stuff was packaged in RPMs at the time.
When Ubuntu came out and they started sending CDs for free worldwide (kudos to Mark Shuttleworth), that's when the Ubuntu/Debian started dominating.
EDIT:
Found it, wild nostalgia! It was infomagic. This was my first Linux install: https://archive.org/details/ldr_0895_4cd
Starting with Linux in 1993, I was already using it productively for years before things like SSH and VMware existed!
Would appreciate if anyone remembers it!
Would appreciate if anyone remembers it!
> Scavenger is a cool arcade/thinking game very much like Lode Runner. You've got to run around and collect objects while avoiding enemies. Some objects are buried and you've got to dig down to get at them. It's an addictive game and some of the levels are devilishly (cruelly) complicated to solve.
>From switching on, I can get to the 1998 GNOME desktop in two to three seconds, whereas with a recent kernel and KDE it takes thirty
This is what I miss. I remember installing my first SSD and thinking thank goodness I am back down to 6s boot times, but it didnt last long. Although Asahi on my M1 is feels just about fast enough that I do a complete shutdown after each use.
You can build similar GUI apps with FLTK today
I made a comment above and it's worth repeating again, the manual was indispensable.
In 1999, RedHat acquired Cygnus for $674M, https://www.redhat.com/en/about/press-releases/press-cygnusa...
https://linuxgazette.net/archives.html
This Github repo has every issue. Lots of info it's outated, but stuff on FVWM, TWM, scripting, sh, sed, awk, Perl... will just work.
Some of the information is out-dated yes, you'd expect that. Especially when people were asking for help about dial-up modems, for example.
But I bet if you were to try some of the other stuff on there, it would still work today...
First thing I did when I got everything working was sign on to a couple local BBS's so I could play LORD, had to catch up on all that lost time. Felt pretty great to play LORD from console.
But in hindsight very expected. When I switched to Linux full time around 2010 I started realizing how disadvantaged I was at the time and forgave myself :-)
Frankly I'm amazed I got as far as I did despite it was mostly uninformed blundering about and bashing my head against the wall. I managed to figure out the specific AT codes to make my modem connect, and even managed to download and compile KDE 1.1 (the default UI was so ugly and clunky). KDE took about a day to compile from memory.
But most importantly, if you messed up the Windows installation for any reason (Linux was unusable after all in those days for mere mortals...), you broke the machine for everyone else in the household. I remember getting into trouble for this several times, and tinkering with Linux was always a rush because of it. I finally got my own _personal_ computer a few years later, which was a huge relief.
-Gnome
And now it's a landfill.
But it took quite a few years before it ran well enough for me to consider using it full time.
I remember the first versions of GNOME being buggy as hell.
Then I spent a couple of years compiling Gentoo, can't remember actually using it much.
Yes, we thought twm and Win 95 sucked. Now we have Material design which sucks many li. /s
2OEH8eoCRo0•7mo ago
mattl•7mo ago
innerHTML•7mo ago
I've deen daily driving Ubuntu with KDE for about 2 years now. it's been great and I've had a lot of fun exploring things and learning the GNU tools in particular. I've been interested in contributing to some projects but that hasn't been very accessible so far.
natebc•7mo ago
I've been a Linux sysadmin since 1999. Every dollar I've paid for food and shelter since has been a direct result of what I learned getting Linux up and running on a PC and dialed up (later connected via Ethernet/Cable Modem) to the internet.
I have no clue what I would have done otherwise. I'd probably be working in Public Health or recently unemployed from the EPA by the Trumps Doge Squad.
mattl•7mo ago
2OEH8eoCRo0•7mo ago
ghaff•7mo ago
ylee•7mo ago