[PLUG] Moving from CP/M to Linux

Richard Owlett rowlett at pcnetinc.com
Sat Jan 14 14:36:13 UTC 2012


Richard Owlett wrote:
> I'm not literally moving in one step from CP/M to Linux.
> BUT, I think that may describe a needed change in mindset.
>
> I've spent a year lurking on several Linux related groups
> and browsing untold Linux related sites with emphasis on
> Debian and Ubuntu related pages. I have a 6 year old copy of
> _A Practical Guide to Red Hat Linux_ by Sobel and have just
> downloaded a pdf of _Slackware Linux Essentials_ .
>
> What has all this accomplished?
> Demonstrate that I'm missing some underlying concept(s)
> common to all UNIX variants/derivatives.
>
> I suspect that what I'm looking for would run 3,000 to
> 30,000 words.
>
> I started to get more specific an found I'd just muddy the
> waters.
>
> TIA
>


This will be a response to the points raised in the replies 
so far.

Command line usage and the number of tools available is no 
particular problem. As far as mindset it's just CP/M or DOS 
with a different vocabulary/syntax.

I think the key thing I'm missing is understanding just what 
are distributions and dependencies. In the old days you 
wrote a program that compiled/linked/loaded ALL needed code 
into a single executable that the OS fetched and loaded. 
Later came precompiled libraries that could be loaded during 
execution e.g. DLL's. Now Linux has Something _Better(tm). 
Just what Something _Better is remains undefined.

Another question (related???); "What is a LIVE edition?" Not 
why needed or how to use, but how is it constructed? There 
must be something "standard" as I've noticed references to 
tools that can make a "Live CD" from a running configuration.

I've downloaded a bunch of Live CDs and gathered an idea of 
what I like. I'm leaning towards Debian or Slackware. They 
both have software I want and I like what I see in a couple 
of Slacware based Live distros. Ubuntu (as a specific distro 
or perhaps as an an example of a class) loses as it crams 
down my throat what it thinks I must use and does not give 
some that is an absolute necessity - eg connect to internet 
via dial up modem.






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