Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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What was Linux like in the 90s (lemmy.dbzer0.com)

submitted 2 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I really wish that I was born early so I've could witness the early years of Linux. What was it like being there when a kernel was released that would power multiple OSes and, best of all, for free?

I want know about everything: software, hardware, games, early community, etc.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 day ago (2 children)

it was garbage.

servers already worked well for the time, but desktop was rough.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 day ago

I tried to use Slackware in the mid 90s. After two solid days trying to get my ppp dialup connection to come up after a reboot - it would come up in the first boot after install, run for days like that, but after any reboot it was dead and gone and nobody on the internet seemed to know how to deal with it. "Real men" didn't use dialup, and people on dialup (self included) had no clue.

I declared it "not ready for prime time" due to that, and issues with sound drivers, and ignored it until 2003. In 2003 I tried some Cygwin and was impressed with its performance, so very close to "bare metal" Ubuntu. In 2004-5 the 64 bit AMD chips were coming out and I used Gentoo to build a true 64 bit system addressing 8GB of RAM - there wasn't really any other option.

I got tired of compiling every little part of the system from source for days on end and migrated to various flavors of Ubuntu / Debian, which by 2006-7 was becoming a viable desktop alternative. Before that you ALWAYS had to have a Windows machine for something, usually several somethings. At this point I only use my company issued Windows laptop when I need to connect to the company VPN, which can be months between needs depending on what I'm doing. My wife and I use Ubuntu full time now.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You had to really want it, but once you got it, it was more than worth it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

you also had to have precisely the right hardware.