06.15.2006

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Don says:

I've had a few minor problems with some of my computer hardware just lately so I had to put my Linux experiments on hold while I saved my nickels and did some scrounging but I got all that sorted out earlier this week and have been "at it" all week.

I may have discovered the perfect Linux distribution for my 332 MHz, Dell, OptiPlex G1.   Xubuntu is the newest member of the Ubuntu family (other members are Kubuntu and Edubuntu).   Lisa and I spent a lot of time evaluating the Ubuntu and Kubuntu live CDs before deciding to install Kubuntu on our main Linux box.   We've since swapped that computer to PCLinuxOS because we simply like it better but Ubuntu, Kubuntu, and PCLinuxOS are all too much operating system for the Dell while diminuative operating systems, like DSL, DSL-N or Puppy just weren't enough.   Xubuntu is perfect for older computers because it uses the Xfce desktop environment, which requires far fewer system resources than Gnome (used in Ubuntu) or KDE (used in Kubuntu and PCLinuxOS).   Granted, the Dell doesn't run as fast as our 1.7 GHz machine using PCLinuxOS but it does use the latest versions of Firefox, Thunderbird, and the Gimp.   Thousands of other software applications, as well as updates to the OS and installed software applications, are available through its package manager, Synaptic.   What that means for the old Dell, is another useful lifetime.   Keep in mind that this is a computer I purchased in a flea market, along with a 15" monitor, mouse and keyboard, for ten (10) U.S. (Yankee) dollars.   I admit, the mouse didn't last long and I added a video RAM expansion card but my total cost with the RAM expansion and new mouse is still under $50.   Those aren't bad numbers.

Right now our 266 MHz, IBM, Aptiva is running DSL-N (Damn Small Linux-Not).

There are plenty of things I really like about DSL-N and only one thing I don't really like about it; DSL-N doesn't have a package manager so it can't check the repositories and keep itself up to date with OS and software updates, nor can the capability be added because DSL-N is a "cherry picked" distro with some elements imported from other distros.   I recently tried cAos Linux and STX Linux which are both substantially larger and more feature filled than DSL-N but also lack a package manager.   Caos Linux, like DSL, is "cherry picked" with elements of several desktop enviroments mixed together, the Xfce version, for example, uses a Gnome login screen.   STX doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles but it isn't bad.   The question is, am I being fair in allowing the lack of a package manager to bias my opinion?

Desktop Linux systems are still a small snowball that only just started down the side of a very big mountain.   There may not a distribution out there that seems perfect for my old Aptiva but I'm willing to bet that one is on the way.

Approximately twenty four (24) hours later:

I just finished an online installation of pure Debian on the Aptiva and it is awesome!   From the Debian i386 torrents page I selected the "debian-31r2-i386-netinst.iso" net install ISO file, downloading it with BitTorrent, burned a CD, plugged it into the Aptiva's CD drive and turned on the power.

So far, this sounds pretty easy doesn't it?   Well, it should have been but I'm a slow-moving geek who's having trouble staying on the learning curve so it took me several tries to get it right but I did finally get it.

Debian comes with a Gnome desktop but, I assume because I selected the "i386" version, it runs a lot better than Windows 98 did on the Aptiva and it's loaded with software.   No, seriously, I mean "big time", "flat out" loaded up.   There are probably dozens of apps I will never use but it also came with Synaptic so I'll be able to remove them later if I want and I'll also have access to regular updates to the OS and software. Also, via Synaptic, I have easy access to thousands of additional software apps in the repositories. Gnome isn't my favorite desktop environment but I'll give it a chance and, if I decide it's too slow, I noticed that the Xfce desktop enviroment is available through Synaptic.

By the way, if you're experimenting with Linux and in need of assistance, I'm no guru but such experience as I have is yours for the asking.   Drop me a line or, if you're in a "right now" situation, our phone number is on the contact page, give me a call.

Lisa says:

In Key West, Florida, they have a tradition.  Wherever they are, at sundown everyone takes a break and strolls outside to watch the sunset.  It's a part of a laid-back atmosphere and the sunsets over the ocean are spectacular.  Well, Central Texas sunsets rival them any day. Almost every day there's a sunset that just knocks you out.  In fact, this was the main reason I bought a camera in the first place, after not having had one for many years. Many evenings, you'll see a pink light pouring through the windows and when you walk outside, the sky is every color from robin's-egg blue to red to deep purple.  One thing is for sure, though, tomorrow there'll be another one, even better.

Lookout mountain, Kingsland, TX.

We've been spending more time at home, but that doesn't mean the camera gets put away and forgotten. Several times a day, our dog CeeCee erupts into a barking frenzy and tears out after Chucky, the little demon squirrel who taunts her all day. The other morning I was up early and he sat on the other side of the storm door and begged me to come after him. I did, with the camera. This time, bud.

Our good neighbors across the street gave us just enough plums to make a small batch of homemade jelly.  Since Don has made jelly once and I had never, he elected himself Jellymaker and cooked up a batch.  The taste is out of this world and it was so pretty it deserved its own place on this page.

We invite everyone we know to Live, Love, and Eat.

 
Chucky the Evil Squirrel                         Homemade jelly and a view