Thread: Archiving My Copies Of Linux

  1. #1
    Banned Troll_King's Avatar
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    Archiving My Copies Of Linux

    I still can not comprehend that the source code of the Linux OS is available for viewing. Unfortunately my skills are not strong enough to take advantage of this at present. I'm archiving my copies of Mandrake 8.2 and Red Hat 7.3. If there were more standards in the computer industry regulating online communication and maybe even communication of objects, than a developer with enough experience could write their own OS without too much difficulty. The Linux source would be an invaluable reference for research. Personally I could go without some of the Windows dressings if I could design my own OS for my specific needs.

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    Code Goddess Prelude's Avatar
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    >I still can not comprehend that the source code of the Linux OS is available for viewing.
    Are you a long time Windows user?

    >Personally I could go without some of the Windows dressings if I could design my own OS for my specific needs.
    Unless things have changed the Linux kernel is free for modification to anyone who wants it. This would save you the trouble of having to go through the not so envious task of designing, implementing, and testing a new kernel. The downside is that you have to wade through over one million lines of code (which is not exactly fun).

    -Prelude
    My best code is written with the delete key.

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    To tell you the truth I would like to write my own operating system, but be able to pick up some tips and learn how to build an OS from studying the Linux implementation. I think that I'd have to study Free X86 as well. I've been using MS Windows ever since I started programming 3 years ago. I have only been using Linux for about 2 months. I can tell you that it is more stable than Win2k except when it comes to multimedia.

    I just want to get away from being owned by Microsoft. I don't really want to be forced to buy their products because I am not confident that learning any of their libraries/IDE's/API's etc is worth the time. The next thing you know, they will close off or change everything! If I can learn how to write my own OS, compiler, and graphics libraries that meet the C/C++ standard than I can have some freedom, but It's got to be a long term investment. I have some books on the Linux kernel, but I don't even know how to use the shell yet. Why, what OS are you using?

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    Code Goddess Prelude's Avatar
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    >Why, what OS are you using?
    At the moment I only boot with Windows XP on both my desktop and laptop. They're both fairly new and I haven't found the time to load Red Hat on either yet. I'm too lazy.

    -Prelude
    My best code is written with the delete key.

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    What are you going to do when MS forces everyone to use .net to write programs?

  6. #6
    Code Goddess Prelude's Avatar
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    >What are you going to do when MS forces everyone to use .net to write programs?
    It would depend on how serious the effect is. If I dislike it enough to throw Windows in the bit bucket then I will.

    -Prelude
    My best code is written with the delete key.

  7. #7
    Banned Troll_King's Avatar
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    That's what I was thinking already because I don't want to pay the big bucks for VS.Net and whatever else they want to sell. I'd rather make my own. :+)

    The only problem is that it isn't easy, even though the code is there for viewing. I'm too lazy.

  8. #8
    Banned Troll_King's Avatar
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    Technically if a person archives a copy of the Linux OS than there is enough material there to do research on. That is, you don't need the newest versions.

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    Like your Windows but don't want to use the M$ crap? Try cygwin (www.cygwin.com), which is a nifty little tool that will let you run many of the linux utilities over windows. I've seen kde and gcc running on cygwin, and aside from the fact that you need quite a bit of ram to make this kind of set up run well, it is a nice alternative for people who want to play with open source utilities but don't want to take the time to maneuver around an unfamiliar environment.

    starX
    www.axisoftime.com

  10. #10
    Code Goddess Prelude's Avatar
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    >and aside from the fact that you need quite a bit of ram to make this kind of set up run well
    I could enjoy that, how much RAM were you talking about? At the moment my computer is maxed out with 512MB. I have to imagine that if I can run 3DS MAX 3.1 and Photoshop 6 simultaneously without my computer smoking it should be enough.

    -Prelude
    My best code is written with the delete key.

  11. #11
    Banned Troll_King's Avatar
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    No, I'll take my time to learn Linux. I'm just saying that for me it's all about research. I'm not entirely sure if I even care if Linux becomes more popular than MS Windows. I just want to have the correct perspective on what each corporation is thinking and doing.

    Microsoft developers need to focus on presentation. The implementation of systems on that platform is controlled by Microsoft corporation. The systems are designed to make it easier for the developer to serve the customer. The emphasis is to focus on high level logic.

    With open source Linux you have the ability to research systems. You can study the implementation of the platform and it's applications, which happen to be quite sophisticated. There is not so much an emphasis on presentation although Linux is becoming a viable desktop for the home user. This might be a negative consequence on open source, and it might not be. Time will tell, but regardless, this is the platform in which you learn how to construct systems. You can turn around and sell them to vendors or use in house solutions, but whatever the case, this is the platform for developing original technology.
    Last edited by Troll_King; 08-22-2002 at 10:32 AM.

  12. #12
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    Before my laptop died (never buy Compaq), I managed to run it okay with 196. 128 chugged a little too much for my likes. This was, however, on a Windows 98 partition that I basically kept around for the purposes of starcraft, so I'm not sure what a newer windows install will do, or what cygwin will behave like if you have a different application running at the same time. Your 512 should be more than enough though

    starX
    www.axisoftime.com

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