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Ok dumb question can a PPC Mac HDD be moved to a PC and work

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  Ok dumb question can a PPC Mac HDD be moved to a PC and work ddwr@hotmail.com - 2013-08-26 09:20 -0700
    Re: Ok dumb question can a PPC Mac HDD be moved to a PC and work root <NoEMail@home.org> - 2013-08-26 16:37 +0000
    Re: Ok dumb question can a PPC Mac HDD be moved to a PC and work Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2013-08-26 12:39 -0400
    Re: Ok dumb question can a PPC Mac HDD be moved to a PC and work Aragorn <thorongil@telenet.be.invalid> - 2013-08-26 18:40 +0200
    Re: Ok dumb question can a PPC Mac HDD be moved to a PC and work Kirk_Von_Rockstein <Kirk_Von_Rockstein@nowhere.invalid> - 2013-08-26 23:10 +0000
    Re: Ok dumb question can a PPC Mac HDD be moved to a PC and work David Brown <david@westcontrol.removethisbit.com> - 2013-08-27 09:06 +0200
      Re: Ok dumb question can a PPC Mac HDD be moved to a PC and work ddwr@hotmail.com - 2013-08-27 07:55 -0700
        Re: Ok dumb question can a PPC Mac HDD be moved to a PC and work Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2013-08-27 17:17 -0400
        Re: Ok dumb question can a PPC Mac HDD be moved to a PC and work David Brown <david@westcontrol.removethisbit.com> - 2013-08-27 23:36 +0200
      Re: Ok dumb question can a PPC Mac HDD be moved to a PC and work Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2013-08-27 17:12 -0400
        Re: Ok dumb question can a PPC Mac HDD be moved to a PC and work David Brown <david@westcontrol.removethisbit.com> - 2013-08-27 23:39 +0200
          Re: Ok dumb question can a PPC Mac HDD be moved to a PC and work JEDIDIAH <jedi@nomad.mishnet> - 2013-08-27 17:20 -0500
            Re: Ok dumb question can a PPC Mac HDD be moved to a PC and work Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> - 2013-08-27 16:43 -0700
            Re: Ok dumb question can a PPC Mac HDD be moved to a PC and work David Brown <david@westcontrol.removethisbit.com> - 2013-08-28 09:22 +0200
              Re: Ok dumb question can a PPC Mac HDD be moved to a PC and work JEDIDIAH <jedi@nomad.mishnet> - 2013-08-28 10:17 -0500
              Re: Ok dumb question can a PPC Mac HDD be moved to a PC and work ddwr@hotmail.com - 2013-08-28 10:11 -0700
                Re: Ok dumb question can a PPC Mac HDD be moved to a PC and work ddwr@hotmail.com - 2013-08-28 10:20 -0700

#1972 — Ok dumb question can a PPC Mac HDD be moved to a PC and work

If I was to install Debian on a PPC mac could I remove the HDD and put it into a PC and it work

I thought I bought a live copy of Debian on ebay on CDs not dvds but should I be able to boot into a desktop right away all I get is installer text. Can Debian come on a set of Cds and run live from just one cd or does it swap cds as it is getting up running. Is it running on a Ram disk when it does work?

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#1973

ddwr@hotmail.com <ddwr@hotmail.com> wrote:
> If I was to install Debian on a PPC mac could I remove the HDD and put it into a PC and it work
> 
> I thought I bought a live copy of Debian on ebay on CDs not dvds but should I be able to boot into a desktop right away all I get is installer text. Can Debian come on a set of Cds and run live from just one cd or does it swap cds as it is getting up running. Is it running on a Ram disk when it does work?

There are lots of live linux cds:
http://livecdlist.com/

Linux can read Apple Macintosh and HFS file systems. Your HDD
would probably be readable as data, but not executable in
any way.

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#1974

On Mon, 26 Aug 2013, ddwr@hotmail.com wrote:

> If I was to install Debian on a PPC mac could I remove the HDD and put 
> it into a PC and it work
>
No.  The powerpc is a different processor, you have to have a distribution 
specifically made for it.  Time was you were limited to a relative few 
(that often had restrictions on what Mac you could install it on) 
dstributions, often a distribution that only worked on the Mac.  They 
tended to lag behind Linux intended for Intel CPUs.  And given the Mac has 
moved to Intel, I'm not sure if the distributions that did run on the 
PowerPC (or for the 68xxx for that matter) have been kept up.  There was a 
tiime when I still finding some powerpc Macs about  2005 and there wasn't 
that much in the way of Linux to install.

> I thought I bought a live copy of Debian on ebay on CDs not dvds but 
> should I be able to boot into a desktop right away all I get is 
> installer text. Can Debian come on a set of Cds and run live from just 
> one cd or does it swap cds as it is getting up running. Is it running on 
> a Ram disk when it does work?
>
Again, unless you get a release intended for the powerpc you won't be able 
to run it.

The split is usually for installing or live, though some can be tried as 
live and then installed.  Unless there's a specific release of Debian that 
is live, then you can't run it live, you'll have to install.

And back when I was intending to install on a powerpc, I don't remember 
much in the way of livecds for the powerpc.

   Michael

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#1975

On Monday 26 August 2013 18:20, ddwr@hotmail.com conveyed the following 
to comp.os.linux.hardware...

> If I was to install Debian on a PPC mac could I remove the HDD and put
> it into a PC and it work

Negative.  The binary code on the PPC system is compiled for the PPC 
instruction set, not for the x86-32/x86-64 instruction set.

> I thought I bought a live copy of Debian on ebay on CDs not dvds but
> should I be able to boot into a desktop right away all I get is
> installer text.

You may have purchased a CD with a copy of Debian without a graphical 
user interface.  Graphical user interfaces are not part of the base 
operating system in GNU/Linux and other UNIX-style operating systems, 
except for Apple OS X.

You can try starting a graphical user interface - if one is present on 
the live CD - by typing "startx" at the command prompt, but I cannot 
guarantee that there will be a graphical user interface on it.  A CD is 
rather compact, and today's popular graphical user interfaces for UNIX-
style operating systems are all rather large.

> Can Debian come on a set of Cds and run live from just one cd or does
> it swap cds as it is getting up running.

A live CD or live DVD is generally always intended to work as a 
standalone.  However, a live CD/DVD is not the same thing as an 
installer CD/DVD - even though they may offer the option of installing 
the system onto your hard disk drive - and if you opt for an 
installation from CDs, then you /will/ have to juggle the CDs around - 
the installer will prompt you what CD to insert and when.

> Is it running on a Ram disk when it does work?

Yes.  The CD/DVD contains a compressed image of a root filesystem, which 
is then copied and expanded into RAM.

-- 
= Aragorn =
  GNU/Linux user #223157 - http://www.linuxcounter.net

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#1976

On 2013-08-26, ddwr@hotmail.com <ddwr@hotmail.com> wrote:
> If I was to install Debian on a PPC mac could I remove the 
> HDD and put it into a PC and it work.

No

> I thought I bought a live copy of Debian on ebay on CDs 
> not dvds but should I be able to boot into a desktop right 
> away all I get is installer text. 

If you did not obtain the PPC version you are 
not going to be able to install it.

Linux/MAC info
http://penguinppc.org/about-2/distributions/
http://penguinppc.org/mac/

Debian Related Info
http://tinyurl.com/kfg7snr
http://www.debian.org/ports/powerpc/docu
http://www.debian.org/ports/powerpc/inst/install
http://www.debian.org/ports/powerpc/

A few other Linux PPC version distros
http://www.mintppc.org/content/installation-instructions-mintppc-11
http://www.yellowdoglinux.com/
http://cruxppc.org/

> Can Debian come on a set of Cds and run live from 
> just one cd or does it swap cds as it is getting up running. 
> Is it running on a Ram disk when it does work?

I don't think Debian has a LiveCd for PPC
Here are a few LiveCd's for PPC

http://livecdlist.com/architecture/ppc

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#1977

On 26/08/13 18:20, ddwr@hotmail.com wrote:
> If I was to install Debian on a PPC mac could I remove the HDD and
> put it into a PC and it work

If "it" is the hard disk, then yes it will work - though you would want
to re-format the filesystems to get read-write access (I believe Linux
can read HFS filesystems, but not write to them - but it was a decade
ago that I last tried this).  You may even have to make a new partition
table on the disk - many PC bioses cannot boot from GPT partition
tables, which I think is the standard on Macs.

If "it" is the Debian installation, then no.  The best you can do is
read the data off the disk.

> 
> I thought I bought a live copy of Debian on ebay on CDs not dvds but
> should I be able to boot into a desktop right away all I get is
> installer text. Can Debian come on a set of Cds and run live from
> just one cd or does it swap cds as it is getting up running. Is it
> running on a Ram disk when it does work?
> 

It is not clear what your aim is, or your limitations.  It sounds
vaguely like you want to install Debian on the PC from CDs, but you
don't have a CD player on the PC and want to use the CD drive on the
Mac.  Please be a little clearer here, and people can give you more
useful help.

I can't imagine buying Debian CDs on Ebay, given that Debian is free (at
least, if you have a decent internet connection).  What did you pay for
them?

If you need to buy Linux CDs or DVDs due to poor internet connections, a
good source is the cover disks on Linux magazines.  Alternatively,
<http://on-disk-com> has a wide range - and unlike eBay, you know you
will get what you pay for, get the latest version (or old versions if
you prefer), and for many of their disks some of the money goes back to
the developers.  I haven't used on-disk.com myself, but I know that
LinuxMint sells disks through them, which is a good endorsement.

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#1978

On Tuesday, August 27, 2013 2:06:06 AM UTC-5, David Brown wrote:
> On 26/08/13 18:20, ddwr@hotmail.com wrote:
> 
> > If I was to install Debian on a PPC mac could I remove the HDD and
> 
> > put it into a PC and it work
> 
> 
> 
> If "it" is the hard disk, then yes it will work - though you would want
> 
> to re-format the filesystems to get read-write access (I believe Linux
> 
> can read HFS filesystems, but not write to them - but it was a decade
> 
> ago that I last tried this).  You may even have to make a new partition
> 
> table on the disk - many PC bioses cannot boot from GPT partition
> 
> tables, which I think is the standard on Macs.
> 
> 
> 
> If "it" is the Debian installation, then no.  The best you can do is
> 
> read the data off the disk.
> 
> 
> 
> > 
> 
> > I thought I bought a live copy of Debian on ebay on CDs not dvds but
> 
> > should I be able to boot into a desktop right away all I get is
> 
> > installer text. Can Debian come on a set of Cds and run live from
> 
> > just one cd or does it swap cds as it is getting up running. Is it
> 
> > running on a Ram disk when it does work?
> 
> > 
> 
> 
> 
> It is not clear what your aim is, or your limitations.  It sounds
> 
> vaguely like you want to install Debian on the PC from CDs, but you
> 
> don't have a CD player on the PC and want to use the CD drive on the
> 
> Mac.  Please be a little clearer here, and people can give you more
> 
> useful help.
> 
> 
> 
> I can't imagine buying Debian CDs on Ebay, given that Debian is free (at
> 
> least, if you have a decent internet connection).  What did you pay for
> 
> them?
> 
> 
> 
> If you need to buy Linux CDs or DVDs due to poor internet connections, a
> 
> good source is the cover disks on Linux magazines.  Alternatively,
> 
> <http://on-disk-com> has a wide range - and unlike eBay, you know you
> 
> will get what you pay for, get the latest version (or old versions if
> 
> you prefer), and for many of their disks some of the money goes back to
> 
> the developers.  I haven't used on-disk.com myself, but I know that
> 
> LinuxMint sells disks through them, which is a good endorsement.

I bought PPC discs thinking they were for a windows PC because no mention of apple or Mac was in the description on EBay. Yes it did say PPC in description and am an old Mac user and should have realized what I was buying. I want to get Debian on my old Dell 4550 with 1 GB ram. And yes know I need to run something less intensive than Gnome.
So I have an old G3 Mac and wondered if I could use it and the discs to format for Linux and install it. I do not care to be able to read any Mac or windows HDDs after installation but run (learn & play) with Linux on the old Dell PC.
I know you can’t tell me what I bought but here is the URL to the eBay item I did get.
And yes my internet connection is slow dial up during summer where I reside.
One last thing is I did a few months ago download a none live version of Debian but when I switch the BIOS to boot from the DVD I burnt from my download I got a message that I was to hit F1 to continue to boot which just looped me into the same message. I could not get the DVD to boot to an installer command. Did I download ok or burn the DVD correctly who knows so being here with dial up only I went to eBay and bought ready made Cds.
Link to what I bought item number 200950547909:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/200950547909

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#1980

On Tue, 27 Aug 2013, ddwr@hotmail.com wrote:

> On Tuesday, August 27, 2013 2:06:06 AM UTC-5, David Brown wrote:
>> On 26/08/13 18:20, ddwr@hotmail.com wrote:
>>
>>> If I was to install Debian on a PPC mac could I remove the HDD and
>>
>>> put it into a PC and it work
>>
>>
>>
>> If "it" is the hard disk, then yes it will work - though you would want
>>
>> to re-format the filesystems to get read-write access (I believe Linux
>>
>> can read HFS filesystems, but not write to them - but it was a decade
>>
>> ago that I last tried this).  You may even have to make a new partition
>>
>> table on the disk - many PC bioses cannot boot from GPT partition
>>
>> tables, which I think is the standard on Macs.
>>
>>
>>
>> If "it" is the Debian installation, then no.  The best you can do is
>>
>> read the data off the disk.
>>
>>
>>
>>>
>>
>>> I thought I bought a live copy of Debian on ebay on CDs not dvds but
>>
>>> should I be able to boot into a desktop right away all I get is
>>
>>> installer text. Can Debian come on a set of Cds and run live from
>>
>>> just one cd or does it swap cds as it is getting up running. Is it
>>
>>> running on a Ram disk when it does work?
>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> It is not clear what your aim is, or your limitations.  It sounds
>>
>> vaguely like you want to install Debian on the PC from CDs, but you
>>
>> don't have a CD player on the PC and want to use the CD drive on the
>>
>> Mac.  Please be a little clearer here, and people can give you more
>>
>> useful help.
>>
>>
>>
>> I can't imagine buying Debian CDs on Ebay, given that Debian is free (at
>>
>> least, if you have a decent internet connection).  What did you pay for
>>
>> them?
>>
>>
>>
>> If you need to buy Linux CDs or DVDs due to poor internet connections, a
>>
>> good source is the cover disks on Linux magazines.  Alternatively,
>>
>> <http://on-disk-com> has a wide range - and unlike eBay, you know you
>>
>> will get what you pay for, get the latest version (or old versions if
>>
>> you prefer), and for many of their disks some of the money goes back to
>>
>> the developers.  I haven't used on-disk.com myself, but I know that
>>
>> LinuxMint sells disks through them, which is a good endorsement.
>
> I bought PPC discs thinking they were for a windows PC because no mention of apple or Mac was in the description on EBay. Yes it did say PPC in description and am an old Mac user and should have realized what I was buying. I want to get Debian on my old Dell 4550 with 1 GB ram. And yes know I need to run something less intensive than Gnome.
> So I have an old G3 Mac and wondered if I could use it and the discs to format for Linux and install it. I do not care to be able to read any Mac or windows HDDs after installation but run (learn & play) with Linux on the old Dell PC.
> I know you can?t tell me what I bought but here is the URL to the eBay item I did get.
> And yes my internet connection is slow dial up during summer where I reside.
> One last thing is I did a few months ago download a none live version of Debian but when I switch the BIOS to boot from the DVD I burnt from my download I got a message that I was to hit F1 to continue to boot which just looped me into the same message. I could not get the DVD to boot to an installer command. Did I download ok or burn the DVD correctly who knows so being here with dial up only I went to eBay and bought ready made Cds.
> Link to what I bought item number 200950547909:
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/200950547909
>
That description at Ebay is not very good.  It says PPC, but a quick 
glance makes no obvious reference to the Mac or the PPC.  SOme of the cut 
and paste is just generic to Debian.  It even says further on something 
about the needed processor, and it doesn't say PPC.

If you put the disk into a Pentium type computer, either it will boot, or 
it won't.  If it doesn't boot, it's not right for your processor (which 
then presumably verifies that it's for the PPC, but might mean it's for a 
more recent CPU if you don't have the latest computer).

Installing via a Mac won't work, the code won't run on an Intel computer.

On the other hand, you could run it on the PPC, unless the Mac is too old 
for the version on the disk.  There is a sharp line of divide at some 
point.

   Michael

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#1981

On 27/08/13 16:55, ddwr@hotmail.com wrote:
> On Tuesday, August 27, 2013 2:06:06 AM UTC-5, David Brown wrote:

>> 
>> If you need to buy Linux CDs or DVDs due to poor internet
>> connections, a
>> 
>> good source is the cover disks on Linux magazines.  Alternatively,
>> 
>> <http://on-disk-com> has a wide range - and unlike eBay, you know
>> you
>> 
>> will get what you pay for, get the latest version (or old versions
>> if
>> 
>> you prefer), and for many of their disks some of the money goes
>> back to
>> 
>> the developers.  I haven't used on-disk.com myself, but I know
>> that
>> 
>> LinuxMint sells disks through them, which is a good endorsement.
> 
> I bought PPC discs thinking they were for a windows PC because no
> mention of apple or Mac was in the description on EBay. Yes it did
> say PPC in description and am an old Mac user and should have
> realized what I was buying. I want to get Debian on my old Dell 4550
> with 1 GB ram. And yes know I need to run something less intensive
> than Gnome. So I have an old G3 Mac and wondered if I could use it
> and the discs to format for Linux and install it. I do not care to be
> able to read any Mac or windows HDDs after installation but run
> (learn & play) with Linux on the old Dell PC. I know you can’t tell
> me what I bought but here is the URL to the eBay item I did get. And
> yes my internet connection is slow dial up during summer where I
> reside. One last thing is I did a few months ago download a none live
> version of Debian but when I switch the BIOS to boot from the DVD I
> burnt from my download I got a message that I was to hit F1 to
> continue to boot which just looped me into the same message. I could
> not get the DVD to boot to an installer command. Did I download ok or
> burn the DVD correctly who knows so being here with dial up only I
> went to eBay and bought ready made Cds. Link to what I bought item
> number 200950547909: http://www.ebay.com/itm/200950547909
> 

OK, I see what you are getting at here.  The PPC disks were quite cheap,
but that's because they are worthless to almost everyone - they are only
useful to people who have an ancient 32-bit PPC Mac, who has a CD drive
and not a DVD drive, poor internet connection, and yet still want the
most modern Debian distro on it.  They won't do you any good (unless
your old G3 Mac is PPC and you want to install Debian on it).

If you are particularly keen on Debian, on-disk will do you the correct
type - 3 DVD package of Debian 7 should cover most stuff without having
to download anything (until you have a good connection again and want to
upgrade).  It's $15, but at least you get what you ask for.  Don't
forget to pick 32-bit or 64-bit as appropriate.

<http://on-disk.com/product_info.php/products_id/1544>

For general usage, I recommend Mint these days.  The "Mate" desktop
should run fine on your machine (though if you can, you should get more
ram - it's a cheap upgrade if the motherboard supports more).

<http://on-disk.com/product_info.php/products_id/1547>

Of course, distros are a matter of taste.

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#1979

On Tue, 27 Aug 2013, David Brown wrote:

> If you need to buy Linux CDs or DVDs due to poor internet connections, a
> good source is the cover disks on Linux magazines.  Alternatively,
> <http://on-disk-com> has a wide range - and unlike eBay, you know you
> will get what you pay for, get the latest version (or old versions if
> you prefer), and for many of their disks some of the money goes back to
> the developers.  I haven't used on-disk.com myself, but I know that
> LinuxMint sells disks through them, which is a good endorsement.
>
Coverdiscks are kind of expensive, but worse, if you need a specific 
distribution, it won't be there when you need it.  I remember one time 
downloading over a few consecutive nights a subset of Slackware, only for 
someone to mention online that Slackware was on the cover of the latest 
issue of Linux Format.  I rushed to the store, and the issue was there, so 
it wa worth spending $21.50 Canadian because I needed to upgrade right 
then (a new used computer, I needed a newer release to take advantage of 
some of the new features).  But new Slackware releases come out so 
infrequently that it's not there unless you actually jump to the new 
release when it comes out (and even then, the lesser distributions have to 
wait for space on the coverdisk, while the popular ones are on it much 
more frequently).

I must admit I was quite pleased to find about five issues of Linux 
magazines from the UK, complete with their coverdisks, at a used book sale 
last fall, a chance to curl up with a magaizne without the usual cost (and 
they carry that high price because of the coverdisk, I assume).

Linux.org used to have a list of places that would sell Linux on CDs (and 
then later DVDs) for a small amount.  I dont' know if the list is still 
there, that sort of thing can be useful if you don't have high speed 
internet, which I didn't until last October.  But you have to be careful. 
The firstplace I picked was in Canada, all went well, then the next time I 
needed a release, I go to the same webpage, but something was different. 
Suddenly they were in Wales, and ordering was somewhat different.  So back 
to Linux.org and I found another similar place in Canada.  I had to wait 
"we were waiting for new blank DVDs", but it came eventually.  It was 
quite a treat to download Slackware last October at high speed, and just a 
week after the new release came out.  The earliest I'd installed a new 
release since I first started using Linux.

   Michael

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#1982

On 27/08/13 23:12, Michael Black wrote:
> On Tue, 27 Aug 2013, David Brown wrote:
> 
>> If you need to buy Linux CDs or DVDs due to poor internet connections, a
>> good source is the cover disks on Linux magazines.  Alternatively,
>> <http://on-disk-com> has a wide range - and unlike eBay, you know you
>> will get what you pay for, get the latest version (or old versions if
>> you prefer), and for many of their disks some of the money goes back to
>> the developers.  I haven't used on-disk.com myself, but I know that
>> LinuxMint sells disks through them, which is a good endorsement.
>>
> Coverdiscks are kind of expensive, but worse, if you need a specific
> distribution, it won't be there when you need it.  I remember one time
> downloading over a few consecutive nights a subset of Slackware, only
> for someone to mention online that Slackware was on the cover of the
> latest issue of Linux Format.  I rushed to the store, and the issue was
> there, so it wa worth spending $21.50 Canadian because I needed to
> upgrade right then (a new used computer, I needed a newer release to
> take advantage of some of the new features).  But new Slackware releases
> come out so infrequently that it's not there unless you actually jump to
> the new release when it comes out (and even then, the lesser
> distributions have to wait for space on the coverdisk, while the popular
> ones are on it much more frequently).

If your newsagent has a good selection of different Linux magazines, you
can usually find a copy of the latest Mint, Fedora, and Ubuntu
(shudder!) at the very least - along with some less popular distros.

> 
> I must admit I was quite pleased to find about five issues of Linux
> magazines from the UK, complete with their coverdisks, at a used book
> sale last fall, a chance to curl up with a magaizne without the usual
> cost (and they carry that high price because of the coverdisk, I assume).
> 
> Linux.org used to have a list of places that would sell Linux on CDs
> (and then later DVDs) for a small amount.  I dont' know if the list is
> still there, that sort of thing can be useful if you don't have high
> speed internet, which I didn't until last October.  But you have to be
> careful. The firstplace I picked was in Canada, all went well, then the
> next time I needed a release, I go to the same webpage, but something
> was different. Suddenly they were in Wales, and ordering was somewhat
> different.  So back to Linux.org and I found another similar place in
> Canada.  I had to wait "we were waiting for new blank DVDs", but it came
> eventually.  It was quite a treat to download Slackware last October at
> high speed, and just a week after the new release came out.  The
> earliest I'd installed a new release since I first started using Linux.
> 
>   Michael
> 

I've not tried any of these on-line CD/DVD shops.  I only mentioned
on-disk.com because Linux Mint uses them.

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#1983

On 2013-08-27, David Brown <david@westcontrol.removethisbit.com> wrote:
> On 27/08/13 23:12, Michael Black wrote:
>> On Tue, 27 Aug 2013, David Brown wrote:
>> 
>>> If you need to buy Linux CDs or DVDs due to poor internet connections, a
>>> good source is the cover disks on Linux magazines.  Alternatively,
>>> <http://on-disk-com> has a wide range - and unlike eBay, you know you
>>> will get what you pay for, get the latest version (or old versions if
>>> you prefer), and for many of their disks some of the money goes back to
>>> the developers.  I haven't used on-disk.com myself, but I know that
>>> LinuxMint sells disks through them, which is a good endorsement.
>>>
>> Coverdiscks are kind of expensive, but worse, if you need a specific
>> distribution, it won't be there when you need it.  I remember one time
>> downloading over a few consecutive nights a subset of Slackware, only
>> for someone to mention online that Slackware was on the cover of the
>> latest issue of Linux Format.  I rushed to the store, and the issue was
>> there, so it wa worth spending $21.50 Canadian because I needed to
>> upgrade right then (a new used computer, I needed a newer release to
>> take advantage of some of the new features).  But new Slackware releases
>> come out so infrequently that it's not there unless you actually jump to
>> the new release when it comes out (and even then, the lesser
>> distributions have to wait for space on the coverdisk, while the popular
>> ones are on it much more frequently).
>
> If your newsagent has a good selection of different Linux magazines, you
> can usually find a copy of the latest Mint, Fedora, and Ubuntu
> (shudder!) at the very least - along with some less popular distros.

    For the price of some of those magazines I could get a much better
collection of distributions back in the day.

[deletia]

    Surely there is a much better/cheaper source of media available via
mail order than resorting to newstands that are quickly becoming entirely
obsolete.

-- 
	iTunes is not progressive. It's a throwback.		|||
							       / | \

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#1984

On 08/27/2013 03:20 PM, JEDIDIAH wrote:
> On 2013-08-27, David Brown <david@westcontrol.removethisbit.com> wrote:
>> On 27/08/13 23:12, Michael Black wrote:
>>> On Tue, 27 Aug 2013, David Brown wrote:
>>>
>>>> If you need to buy Linux CDs or DVDs due to poor internet connections, a
>>>> good source is the cover disks on Linux magazines.  Alternatively,
>>>> <http://on-disk-com> has a wide range - and unlike eBay, you know you
>>>> will get what you pay for, get the latest version (or old versions if
>>>> you prefer), and for many of their disks some of the money goes back to
>>>> the developers.  I haven't used on-disk.com myself, but I know that
>>>> LinuxMint sells disks through them, which is a good endorsement.
>>>>
>>> Coverdiscks are kind of expensive, but worse, if you need a specific
>>> distribution, it won't be there when you need it.  I remember one time
>>> downloading over a few consecutive nights a subset of Slackware, only
>>> for someone to mention online that Slackware was on the cover of the
>>> latest issue of Linux Format.  I rushed to the store, and the issue was
>>> there, so it wa worth spending $21.50 Canadian because I needed to
>>> upgrade right then (a new used computer, I needed a newer release to
>>> take advantage of some of the new features).  But new Slackware releases
>>> come out so infrequently that it's not there unless you actually jump to
>>> the new release when it comes out (and even then, the lesser
>>> distributions have to wait for space on the coverdisk, while the popular
>>> ones are on it much more frequently).
>>
>> If your newsagent has a good selection of different Linux magazines, you
>> can usually find a copy of the latest Mint, Fedora, and Ubuntu
>> (shudder!) at the very least - along with some less popular distros.
>
>      For the price of some of those magazines I could get a much better
> collection of distributions back in the day.
>
> [deletia]
>
>      Surely there is a much better/cheaper source of media available via
> mail order than resorting to newstands that are quickly becoming entirely
> obsolete.
>

	Look for  a local Linux User Group or the the closest then correspond 
with them.  If you were in my bailiwick I would get you
a copy with all deliberate speed.  But the Linux Pro magazine by the
way features Knoppix and if you install from the Knoppix disk you
will have Debian.
	
	bliss

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#1985

On 28/08/13 00:20, JEDIDIAH wrote:
> On 2013-08-27, David Brown <david@westcontrol.removethisbit.com> wrote:
>> On 27/08/13 23:12, Michael Black wrote:
>>> On Tue, 27 Aug 2013, David Brown wrote:
>>>
>>>> If you need to buy Linux CDs or DVDs due to poor internet connections, a
>>>> good source is the cover disks on Linux magazines.  Alternatively,
>>>> <http://on-disk-com> has a wide range - and unlike eBay, you know you
>>>> will get what you pay for, get the latest version (or old versions if
>>>> you prefer), and for many of their disks some of the money goes back to
>>>> the developers.  I haven't used on-disk.com myself, but I know that
>>>> LinuxMint sells disks through them, which is a good endorsement.
>>>>
>>> Coverdiscks are kind of expensive, but worse, if you need a specific
>>> distribution, it won't be there when you need it.  I remember one time
>>> downloading over a few consecutive nights a subset of Slackware, only
>>> for someone to mention online that Slackware was on the cover of the
>>> latest issue of Linux Format.  I rushed to the store, and the issue was
>>> there, so it wa worth spending $21.50 Canadian because I needed to
>>> upgrade right then (a new used computer, I needed a newer release to
>>> take advantage of some of the new features).  But new Slackware releases
>>> come out so infrequently that it's not there unless you actually jump to
>>> the new release when it comes out (and even then, the lesser
>>> distributions have to wait for space on the coverdisk, while the popular
>>> ones are on it much more frequently).
>>
>> If your newsagent has a good selection of different Linux magazines, you
>> can usually find a copy of the latest Mint, Fedora, and Ubuntu
>> (shudder!) at the very least - along with some less popular distros.
> 
>     For the price of some of those magazines I could get a much better
> collection of distributions back in the day.
> 
> [deletia]
> 
>     Surely there is a much better/cheaper source of media available via
> mail order than resorting to newstands that are quickly becoming entirely
> obsolete.
> 

Yes, there are cheaper sources of media available.  But magazine cover
disks are always worth considering, because you can walk into a
newsagent and buy one /now/ - rather than ordering one by mail and
waiting 3 days for the post.  Obviously the best delivery mechanism will
depend on your needs and your resources - if you don't have a good
newsagent nearby, then post might be faster and more convenient than
getting to one.  Someone else suggested a Linux User Group - that can
also be a good choice.  For myself, I buy Linux magazines because I like
to read them - I don't bother with the cover disks as I can download a 1
GB DVD image in less than 5 minutes.

Magazines have the other advantage of being interesting to read - unlike
the packaging of a mail-order CD...

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#1986

On 2013-08-28, David Brown <david@westcontrol.removethisbit.com> wrote:
> On 28/08/13 00:20, JEDIDIAH wrote:
>> On 2013-08-27, David Brown <david@westcontrol.removethisbit.com> wrote:
>>> On 27/08/13 23:12, Michael Black wrote:
>>>> On Tue, 27 Aug 2013, David Brown wrote:
[deletia]
>>>> Coverdiscks are kind of expensive, but worse, if you need a specific
>>>> distribution, it won't be there when you need it.  I remember one time
>>>> downloading over a few consecutive nights a subset of Slackware, only
>>>> for someone to mention online that Slackware was on the cover of the
>>>> latest issue of Linux Format.  I rushed to the store, and the issue was
>>>> there, so it wa worth spending $21.50 Canadian because I needed to
>>>> upgrade right then (a new used computer, I needed a newer release to
>>>> take advantage of some of the new features).  But new Slackware releases
>>>> come out so infrequently that it's not there unless you actually jump to
>>>> the new release when it comes out (and even then, the lesser
>>>> distributions have to wait for space on the coverdisk, while the popular
>>>> ones are on it much more frequently).
>>>
>>> If your newsagent has a good selection of different Linux magazines, you
>>> can usually find a copy of the latest Mint, Fedora, and Ubuntu
>>> (shudder!) at the very least - along with some less popular distros.
>> 
>>     For the price of some of those magazines I could get a much better
>> collection of distributions back in the day.
>> 
>> [deletia]
>> 
>>     Surely there is a much better/cheaper source of media available via
>> mail order than resorting to newstands that are quickly becoming entirely
>> obsolete.
>> 
>
> Yes, there are cheaper sources of media available.  But magazine cover
> disks are always worth considering, because you can walk into a
> newsagent and buy one /now/ - rather than ordering one by mail and

    Perhaps, if you are lucky.

    As I said, those newstands are quickly going the way of the dodo.

    On the other hand, I can be gauranteed that there is some source on 
the web that is easier and cheaper. Just use the search engine of your
choice and wait for your postman.

    Anymore, even "basic" things are easier had on the web. Nevermind copies of Linux.

-- 
	iTunes is not progressive. It's a throwback.		|||
							       / | \

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#1987

I am out in the middle of the woods in a rural area with AOL dialup which is painful. I could get HughesNet satellite but not worth it as to the amount of time I will be here. The leaves will be changing soon and I have nothing to do but watch them change. I thought now would be a good time to see what Linux was all about. I was told in an older post with my old dell and the limited ram that Debian using the Xfce desktop would be an ok fit for that hardware. So I thought that was the way to get started. If Mint using Mate is a better fit or about the same I will try it out first.
I am a novas with Linux and old Mac power user (not as much with OSX which we all know is UNIX based) and moderately to somewhat better verse than the average user of windows.
My computer is old and lacking ram however is maxed out to the original specs I believe at 1 GB.
So please suggest which flavor you all think I should go with and let me get my order in online for the discs to be sent to me. Would like a live version but at this point just want to get an old blank hard drive into that Dell and get going on trying to learn Linux.
Oh ps the PPC Debian 7 I got on eBay are labeled www.shoplinuxonline.com

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#1988

On Wednesday, August 28, 2013 12:11:28 PM UTC-5, dd...@hotmail.com wrote:
> I am out in the middle of the woods in a rural area with AOL dialup which is painful. I could get HughesNet satellite but not worth it as to the amount of time I will be here. The leaves will be changing soon and I have nothing to do but watch them change. I thought now would be a good time to see what Linux was all about. I was told in an older post with my old dell and the limited ram that Debian using the Xfce desktop would be an ok fit for that hardware. So I thought that was the way to get started. If Mint using Mate is a better fit or about the same I will try it out first.
> 
> I am a novas with Linux and old Mac power user (not as much with OSX which we all know is UNIX based) and moderately to somewhat better verse than the average user of windows.
> 
> My computer is old and lacking ram however is maxed out to the original specs I believe at 1 GB.
> 
> So please suggest which flavor you all think I should go with and let me get my order in online for the discs to be sent to me. Would like a live version but at this point just want to get an old blank hard drive into that Dell and get going on trying to learn Linux.
> 
> Oh ps the PPC Debian 7 I got on eBay are labeled www.shoplinuxonline.com

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