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WPI Install Fest

by Andy Stewart

Hi Everybody, We will be having an install fest at WPI on Thursday evening, October 4th, from 6 PM to 10 PM in "the Discovery Classroom", aka Higgins Labs room 218. I am mainly aiming this at WPI students, but certainly anybody else who wants to get Linux installed is most welcome to join us. I don't know if I've seen this classroom...could somebody from WPI tell me how many computers we could reasonably accomodate in this room? This is just in case we get overwhelmed with folks requesting installations. I am seeking volunteers to do installations as well as folks who wish to get Linux installed fo the first time. I'll give preference to full installs, but if there are some folks who need to have some piece of Linux configured, we can do that on a space available basis. As in the past, I would like to suggest a $10 donation for installees. This will help to defray the cost of making CDs which you can take with you after the install fest. If you have your own Linux CDs, we'll do our best to get that version installed for you. If you are interested in attending, either as an installer, installee, or voyeur, please send me an e-mail. Thanks! Andy -- Andy Stewart Founder Worcester Linux Users' Group Worcester, MA, USA http://www.wlug.org

Sept. 26, 2001

Re: [Wlug] Firewall on 486 w/8 MB of memory

by doug waud

Hi Let me jump in here a moment. I have been up to the site (as a sort of advance scout) and have some information you might like. > I'm fighting a cold right now, OK that means no kissing! :-) > but I should be over it by the weekend > and hopefully will be able to help out here. > Do you have the hardware in your posession right now? The box is up in Lancaster. It is a Unisys EVC-142. There are no manuals available --- it was a second hand purchase. I can find nothing about it on the web. :-( It has a 540 meg hard drive, the 8 meg you know about, and we jury-rigged a CDrom drive on it (by jury-rigged I mean there was only one IDE cable and it would not reach both the hard drive and the CDrom if both were in the available bays so we simply left the case open with the CD drive lying on a book on top.) > What kind of modem are they going to be using? Please say something > external... it probably won't fly if they have a win-modem for that > machine. Bad news and good news here :-). The modem is internal. However it is Listed as OK on the Linux Modem Compatibility list. It is a US Robotics Model 0584 56K ISA. Incidentally, the NIC cards they have are all 3COM model 3C509B and there is a 3c509 module which seems to work ok with them. doug

Sept. 25, 2001

Re: [Wlug] NIC's, 486's and a whole lot of frustration.

by doug waud

Hi I'm not sure I'm an expert here, but nobody else seems to have jumped in so let's try a blind-leading-blind approach :-) > 2) How the hell do I set up my NIC for DSL? > From what I gather, I needed to remove the PnP settings on the card, which I > did with a DOS utility supplied by D-Link. I then insmod'd the ne.o module > for my card. I ran ifconfig eth0 xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx and got no errors. You do not say what is connected to what. Two main cases come to mind: This 486 is part of a personal network (192.16.n.m) in-house or it is directly connected to the DSL modem (then you would give it the IP number from the ISP). I realize this is not a very profound distinction, but bring it up as a trivial explanation of why you might not be able to ping anything through this NIC. > Then, things get wonky... I can't seem to get the gateway set up per the > instructions I've been reading. Again I would need more information. What gateway (again is the 486 talking to the DSL modem through a second box --- a gateway or is the 486 connected directly to the modem --- in which case the sense in which "gateway" is used is not clear. > I'd happily post the result of any diagnostics I could run, but since I'm > not online I'd have to retype them from a hard copy or something. I'm not > even sure which ones would help. Ifconfig? Route? Others? As you may have gathered by now :-) , I'd be more interested in knowing what is connected to what first. > Is there a definitive methodology for getting a NIC setup? Or are things so > different based on distro, kernel, NIC that it's useless to follow generic > "instructions"? My experience has been that it is, in fact, better to take the generic route; you become less dependent upon the vagaries of distro admin tools. When the latter work life is good; when not, then you have to fall back on basics. :-) Do you have a second box with an ethernet card in it? If so, you can break down the problem and exclude the DSL issue temporarily by connecting the two boxes (crossover cable if no hub, regular cables if you have a hub), assigning IP numbers in the 192.168.0.n range and seeing if they can ping each other. If they can, then you know the NIC card is up and running. (I guess this is a good example of a generic approach; indeed I was using it several times just last night helping a chap set up a local network.) One more thing comes to mind. When I was setting up my daughter's cable connection that particular cable modem required a crossover cable (!) between it and a router box I had. I discovered this by going to the cable modem manufacturer's site and reading manuals. This is a last resort I suspect. Lastly, my experience has been that the DSL/Cable people come in and want a Windows box to set things up and then, after they leave, you switch over to penguins. Am I correct in assuming that you did get something working originally over the DSL connection? doug

Sept. 25, 2001

Re: [Wlug] Firewall on 486 w/8 MB of memory

by John Stoffel

Andy> I saw several other recommendations for LRP, so I think we'll Andy> give that a try. That would be best. Andy> Finally, is there somebody who would like to volunteer for Andy> Saturday 9/29 to explicitly help with solving this problem? I'm fighting a cold right now, but I should be over it by the weekend and hopefully will be able to help out here. Do you have the hardware in your posession right now? Making the floppy disk(s) ahead of time would be a big time saver. All my LRP installs have been with a cable modem and getting a network card to work, I haven't done anything with the PPP setup type stuff. What kind of modem are they going to be using? Please say something external... it probably won't fly if they have a win-modem for that machine. John

Sept. 25, 2001

Re: [Wlug] NIC's, 486's and a whole lot of frustration.

by John Stoffel

Tim> Ok, I have a beat up Compaq ProLinea 486/50MHz, 16MB RAM, 120MB Tim> hard drive, a D-Link 220 NIC and a spare IP addres from my DSL Tim> provider. I just installed a fresh Slackware 3.5 install of the Tim> "A" and "N" disks. My goal is to set it up as a webserver to Tim> host a few web pages I've been working on. I think the memory is going to be the big limitation here. And as other have said, Slackware 3.5 is ancient. You should run something more recent. Tim> 1) Is it worth it/can it be done? (This would defintely affect Tim> the rest of the questions...) Sure, with more memory it's definitely doable. And doable with only 16mb as well, but tighter, esp since Apache can be a memory hog. If you are only going to server static pages, thttpd might be a better fit. Tim> 2) How the hell do I set up my NIC for DSL? Tim> I have tried to setup my NIC per some FAQ's, O'Reilly's Running Tim> Linux (2nd Edition), Usenet posts and a lame HOWTO from my DSL Tim> provider. They all seem to advocate different steps which is Tim> confusing and doesn't seem to work. Tim> From what I gather, I needed to remove the PnP settings on the Tim> card, which I did with a DOS utility supplied by D-Link. I then Tim> insmod'd the ne.o module for my card. I ran ifconfig eth0 Tim> xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx and got no errors. Then, things get wonky... I Tim> can't seem to get the gateway set up per the instructions I've Tim> been reading. What output do you get when you do 'ifconfig -a' on the box? What errors are you getting when you try to setup the gateway? Have you got the right networking cable setup? What is your network setup like? I suspect it's either a cabling issue, or something a little more involved. Did you insmod the ne.o modules with the proper parameters for the base address, IRQ, etc? I'm not really familiar with ISA network cards, I use PCI only, since it's much better. Tim> I'd happily post the result of any diagnostics I could run, but Tim> since I'm not online I'd have to retype them from a hard copy or Tim> something. I'm not even sure which ones would help. Ifconfig? Tim> Route? Others? Ifconfig and route would be good ones to see. Tim> Is there a definitive methodology for getting a NIC setup? Or Tim> are things so different based on distro, kernel, NIC that it's Tim> useless to follow generic "instructions"? The big thing is to get the NIC setup. From the sound of it, it's a pure ISA card, which really sucks in alot of ways, since ISA is a pain to deal with. Good luck, John

Sept. 25, 2001

Re: [Wlug] NIC's, 486's and a whole lot of frustration.

by Josh Huber

Scott Venier <scottven(a)umich.edu> writes: > I'd suggest using something newer then slackware 3.5. Espeically > since you want this to act as your web server. There have been an > amazing number of secuirty holes found since 3.5 was current. If > you put that up on the net, it will get r00ted. Yeah, I highly recommend Debian. It works well for low-ram systems, and you should have enough space on that disk to put what you need on it. -- Josh Huber

Sept. 25, 2001

Re: [Wlug] NIC's, 486's and a whole lot of frustration.

by Scott Venier

I'd suggest using something newer then slackware 3.5. Espeically since you want this to act as your web server. There have been an amazing number of secuirty holes found since 3.5 was current. If you put that up on the net, it will get r00ted. Scott

Sept. 25, 2001

NIC's, 486's and a whole lot of frustration.

by Tim Trachimowicz

Hey folks... Ok, I have a beat up Compaq ProLinea 486/50MHz, 16MB RAM, 120MB hard drive, a D-Link 220 NIC and a spare IP addres from my DSL provider. I just installed a fresh Slackware 3.5 install of the "A" and "N" disks. My goal is to set it up as a webserver to host a few web pages I've been working on. Now, I've used Linux before, in my other computer using a Win98/RH6 dual boot system, so I've got a basic understanding of what's going on. However, I was using a modem to get online at that time and everything was all well and good for what I was doing. Now, I'm clueless about setting up this sh-tbox for what I want to do with it. Here are my questions: 1) Is it worth it/can it be done? (This would defintely affect the rest of the questions...) 2) How the hell do I set up my NIC for DSL? I have tried to setup my NIC per some FAQ's, O'Reilly's Running Linux (2nd Edition), Usenet posts and a lame HOWTO from my DSL provider. They all seem to advocate different steps which is confusing and doesn't seem to work.

Sept. 25, 2001

coyote linux floppy distro

by Benjamin Zack

Another floppy distro one could use is Coyote Linux. It appears to have a more recent version of the kernel (2.2.19) than the versions of LRP I found(2.2.16). It is based on LRP and has easy install scripts that walk you through the disk creation. There is also a disk creation tool that will run on Windows. It might be worth checking out. FYI, both the Coyote and, I believe, LRP contain exploitable versions of ip_masq_irc, ip_masq_ftp, ip_masq_raudio. Links: http://www.dalantech.com/coyote-faq.shtml#vulnerable http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/3117 -Ben

Sept. 24, 2001

Re: [Wlug] Firewall on 486 w/8 MB of memory

by Keith Wright

> From: Chuck Homic <chuck(a)vvisions.com> > > On Sun, Sep 23, 2001 at 12:14:11PM -0400, Andy Stewart wrote: > > (yeah, quite a bottleneck...). > > Not really. There may be someone on this list who remembers sharing a 56K > modem 10 ways... :) We had that thing up 24/7 with auto-redial. If > you're using HTML-based websites (that is, no audio/vidio/multimedia) and > use fetchmail to bring your email messages to a local host, you'll never > notice that your internet connection is any less than badass. Smile, and they will thank you and think you are a wizard. Gumble about the modem, and you will have some geezer bending your ear about how he had to carry the paper tape from the lab to the post office. -- Keith

Sept. 23, 2001

Re: [Wlug] Firewall on 486 w/8 MB of memory

by Chuck Homic

On Sun, Sep 23, 2001 at 12:14:11PM -0400, Andy Stewart wrote: > The machine has a 56K modem in it for the Internet connection. It will be > used for light surfing and e-mail (as I understand it). There will be 2 > or 3 other machines on the net with it (yeah, quite a bottleneck...). Not really. There may be someone on this list who remembers sharing a 56K modem 10 ways... :) We had that thing up 24/7 with auto-redial. If you're using HTML-based websites (that is, no audio/vidio/multimedia) and use fetchmail to bring your email messages to a local host, you'll never notice that your internet connection is any less than badass. -Chuck

Sept. 23, 2001

Re: [Wlug] Firewall on 486 w/8 MB of memory

by Andy Stewart

Hi John et al, On Saturday 22 September 2001 12:39 pm, John Stoffel wrote: > Andy> As part of the Lancaster MA project, there is a 486 machine with > Andy> 8 MB of memory which we would like to make into a firewall. I'm > Andy> seeking recommendations on how best to do this. Are we memory > Andy> limited, or can this work, and if so, how? > > LRP is the way to go, it's a firewall on a floppy disk. I'm running > it at home and it's really nice. I saw several other recommendations for LRP, so I think we'll give that a try. > > What speed internet link are you talking about here? I might be able > to scrounge more memory and a P90-130 for you instead. Maybe. The machine has a 56K modem in it for the Internet connection. It will be used for light surfing and e-mail (as I understand it). There will be 2 or 3 other machines on the net with it (yeah, quite a bottleneck...). > > Andy> Can we put at least a minimal installation of something on this > Andy> machine, or are we going to have to explore the single floppy > Andy> firewall solutions such as the Linux Router project? > > It's not hard to do an LRP setup, and it's much more secure. You have > a problem, you reboot. The media is physically write protected. > > Andy> Finally, is there somebody who would like to volunteer for > Andy> Saturday 9/29 to explicitly help with solving this problem? > > Ummm... I might be able to help with this. John, that would be great if you were able to help out with this. Please let me know for sure. Later, Andy -- Andy Stewart Founder Worcester Linux Users' Group Worcester, MA, USA http://www.wlug.org

Sept. 23, 2001

Re: [Wlug] Firewall on 486 w/8 MB of memory

by cc.noyes

Linux Router Project is the way to go. You can get 'distros' for almost any thing. Check out lrp.c0wz.com, lrp.steinkuehler.net, www.linuxrouter.org. I use it and it's neat. No hard drive needed. Everything boots from a write-protected floppy. Includes a pretty good ipchains firewall. -Chuck James Baldassari wrote: > I've never used LRP before, but I've played around with ipchains under > RedHat 7.1, which are fairly easy to use and highly customizable. If you > need anyone else to help on Saturday, I might be able to stop by, but it's > parents' weekend, so I'm not sure. > -James > > -----Original Message----- > From: wlug-admin(a)mail.wlug.org [mailto:wlug-admin@mail.wlug.org]On > Behalf Of John Stoffel > Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2001 12:39 PM > To: wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > Subject: Re: [Wlug] Firewall on 486 w/8 MB of memory > > Andy> As part of the Lancaster MA project, there is a 486 machine with > Andy> 8 MB of memory which we would like to make into a firewall. I'm > Andy> seeking recommendations on how best to do this. Are we memory > Andy> limited, or can this work, and if so, how? > > LRP is the way to go, it's a firewall on a floppy disk. I'm running > it at home and it's really nice. > > What speed internet link are you talking about here? I might be able > to scrounge more memory and a P90-130 for you instead. Maybe. > > Andy> Can we put at least a minimal installation of something on this > Andy> machine, or are we going to have to explore the single floppy > Andy> firewall solutions such as the Linux Router project? > > It's not hard to do an LRP setup, and it's much more secure. You have > a problem, you reboot. The media is physically write protected. > > Andy> Finally, is there somebody who would like to volunteer for > Andy> Saturday 9/29 to explicitly help with solving this problem? > > Ummm... I might be able to help with this. > > John > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug

Sept. 22, 2001

RE: [Wlug] Firewall on 486 w/8 MB of memory

by James Baldassari

I've never used LRP before, but I've played around with ipchains under RedHat 7.1, which are fairly easy to use and highly customizable. If you need anyone else to help on Saturday, I might be able to stop by, but it's parents' weekend, so I'm not sure. -James -----Original Message----- From: wlug-admin(a)mail.wlug.org [mailto:wlug-admin@mail.wlug.org]On Behalf Of John Stoffel Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2001 12:39 PM To: wlug(a)mail.wlug.org Subject: Re: [Wlug] Firewall on 486 w/8 MB of memory Andy> As part of the Lancaster MA project, there is a 486 machine with Andy> 8 MB of memory which we would like to make into a firewall. I'm Andy> seeking recommendations on how best to do this. Are we memory Andy> limited, or can this work, and if so, how? LRP is the way to go, it's a firewall on a floppy disk. I'm running it at home and it's really nice. What speed internet link are you talking about here? I might be able to scrounge more memory and a P90-130 for you instead. Maybe. Andy> Can we put at least a minimal installation of something on this Andy> machine, or are we going to have to explore the single floppy Andy> firewall solutions such as the Linux Router project? It's not hard to do an LRP setup, and it's much more secure. You have a problem, you reboot. The media is physically write protected. Andy> Finally, is there somebody who would like to volunteer for Andy> Saturday 9/29 to explicitly help with solving this problem? Ummm... I might be able to help with this. John _______________________________________________ Wlug mailing list Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug

Sept. 22, 2001

Re: [Wlug] Firewall on 486 w/8 MB of memory

by John Stoffel

Andy> As part of the Lancaster MA project, there is a 486 machine with Andy> 8 MB of memory which we would like to make into a firewall. I'm Andy> seeking recommendations on how best to do this. Are we memory Andy> limited, or can this work, and if so, how? LRP is the way to go, it's a firewall on a floppy disk. I'm running it at home and it's really nice. What speed internet link are you talking about here? I might be able to scrounge more memory and a P90-130 for you instead. Maybe. Andy> Can we put at least a minimal installation of something on this Andy> machine, or are we going to have to explore the single floppy Andy> firewall solutions such as the Linux Router project? It's not hard to do an LRP setup, and it's much more secure. You have a problem, you reboot. The media is physically write protected. Andy> Finally, is there somebody who would like to volunteer for Andy> Saturday 9/29 to explicitly help with solving this problem? Ummm... I might be able to help with this. John

Sept. 22, 2001

Firewall on 486 w/8 MB of memory

by Andy Stewart

HI gang, As part of the Lancaster MA project, there is a 486 machine with 8 MB of memory which we would like to make into a firewall. I'm seeking recommendations on how best to do this. Are we memory limited, or can this work, and if so, how? Can we put at least a minimal installation of something on this machine, or are we going to have to explore the single floppy firewall solutions such as the Linux Router project? Finally, is there somebody who would like to volunteer for Saturday 9/29 to explicitly help with solving this problem? Thanks, Andy -- Andy Stewart Founder Worcester Linux Users' Group Worcester, MA, USA http://www.wlug.org

Sept. 22, 2001

Single disk linux distros

by Track

Hey folks! I have been recently playing with the likes of Freesco and Smoothwall for a router solution based on a single floppy disk. I was wondering if anyone has heard of or used the same sort of setup for a webserver application. I thought I remember seeing something about "WAD" aka Webserver on a Disk. Anyone have any experience with this? TIA! --Track -- Tim Trachimowicz track at trackspace dot com http://www.trackspace.com

Sept. 20, 2001

Re: [mwblug] [newbie] one last (maling list) hurrah for USA

by pSudonic

now if they just had some long sleeve t's. i would get the female hackers coalition but i don't think they would fit heheh ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jeff Reed" <jmr71769(a)earthlink.net> To: <mwblug(a)linuxbusca.com>; <newbie(a)linux-mandrake.com>; <wlug(a)mail.wlug.org> Sent: Sunday, September 16, 2001 11:33 AM Subject: [mwblug] [newbie] one last (maling list) hurrah for USA > i would personally like to thank the JINX hackwear company > for sincerely expressing exactly how i feel on their front > page... > > check it out... > > http://www.jinxhackwear.com/ > > -- > > //-- Jeff Reed > //-- Co-founder / Odd (Job) Guy > //-- Metro West Boston Linux User Group > //-- jreed(a)linuxbusca.com > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- > Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? > Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: mwblug-unsubscribe(a)linuxbusca.com > For additional commands, e-mail: mwblug-help(a)linuxbusca.com

Sept. 20, 2001

Re: [Wlug] make bzdisk

by doug waud

Andy Stewart wrote: > I've seen this happen on a couple of occasions. A bad floppy will cause > it. Try dd'ing to another floppy. Another trick is to first try /sbin/badblocks -v /dev/fd0 1440 to make sure the floppy is not defective. The dd process is too primitive to check for such things on its own. It just spews the stuff out and hopes it will land intact. doug -- Douglas R Waud, Professor Emeritus -- Pharmacology University of Massachusetts Medical School Mailing address: 17 Lantern Lane, Shrewsbury, MA 01545-2006

Sept. 17, 2001

startup scripts & pid

by Bill Mills-Curran

I'm installing an ircd variant (ircd-hybrid-7) on a server at work. I didn't find an rpm for this newer version, so one of the people in my group built it. However, there is no startup script, so we'll have to cook one ourselves. I have a question about storing the pid in /var/run. Does one of the common functions in the functions script (/etc/rc.d/init.d/functions) handle storing the pid, or is that something that most daemons have built-in? I've found shell code for killing processes using the pid from /var/run, but nothing for storing the pid. Another question... Is there a decent template for writing our own script? I hate to reinvent the wheel. (I never seem to get it very round.) Any suggestions? Thanks, Bill

Sept. 17, 2001

Re: [Wlug] make bzdisk

by Andy Stewart

I've seen this happen on a couple of occasions. A bad floppy will cause it. Try dd'ing to another floppy. Later, Andy On Sunday 16 September 2001 07:02 pm, you wrote: > I downloaded the 2.4.9 kernel and built myself a new, up to date kernel, > which works fine. I can run 'make bzdisk' and it dd's the kernel to the > floppy. When I try to boot the floppy, I get loading > ............................................... (lots of dots...) > followed by these numbers; > 0400 > AX:0212 > BX:7400 > CX:5009 > DX:0000 > > These repeat until I reboot with out the floppy. > > What's going on???? make bzdisk used to work, should I use another > command to create a bootable floppy with the kernel? > > Thanks, > Chuck > > > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug -- Andy Stewart Founder Worcester Linux Users' Group Worcester, MA, USA http://www.wlug.org

Sept. 16, 2001

make bzdisk

by cc.noyes

I downloaded the 2.4.9 kernel and built myself a new, up to date kernel, which works fine. I can run 'make bzdisk' and it dd's the kernel to the floppy. When I try to boot the floppy, I get loading ............................................... (lots of dots...) followed by these numbers; 0400 AX:0212 BX:7400 CX:5009 DX:0000 These repeat until I reboot with out the floppy. What's going on???? make bzdisk used to work, should I use another command to create a bootable floppy with the kernel? Thanks, Chuck

Sept. 16, 2001

Re: [mwblug] one last (maling list) hurrah for USA

by rek2

YAP! On Sunday 16 September 2001 11:33, Jeff Reed wrote: <><>i would personally like to thank the JINX hackwear company <><>for sincerely expressing exactly how i feel on their front <><>page... <><> <><>check it out... <><> <><>http://www.jinxhackwear.com/ <><> -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/jargon/jargon.html#cyberpunk Since 1990 or so, popular culture has included a movement or fashion trend that calls itself `cyberpunk', associated especially with the rave/techno subculture. Hackers have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, self-described cyberpunks too often seem to be shallow trendoids in black leather who have substituted enthusiastic blathering about technology for actually learning and doing it. Attitude is no substitute for competence. On the other hand, at least cyberpunks are excited about the right things and properly respectful of hacking talent in those who have it. The general consensus is to tolerate them politely in hopes that they'll attract people who grow into being true hackers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hacker /n./1. A person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most users, who prefer to learn only the minimum necessary. 2. One who programs enthusiastically (even obsessively) or who enjoys programming rather than ust theorizing about programming. 3. A person capable of appreciating hack value. 4. A person who is good at programming quickly. 5. An expert at a particular program, or one who frequently does work using it or on it; as in `a Unix hacker'. (Definitions 1 through 5 are correlated, and people who fit them congregate.) 6. An expert or enthusiast of any kind. One might be an astronomy hacker, for example. 7. One who enjoys the intellectual challenge of creatively overcoming or circumventing limitations.

Sept. 16, 2001

one last (maling list) hurrah for USA

by Jeff Reed

i would personally like to thank the JINX hackwear company for sincerely expressing exactly how i feel on their front page... check it out... http://www.jinxhackwear.com/ -- //-- Jeff Reed //-- Co-founder / Odd (Job) Guy //-- Metro West Boston Linux User Group //-- jreed(a)linuxbusca.com

Sept. 16, 2001

Re: Laptop recommendations

by Robert L Krawitz

I found an HP Pavilion 5470 for $1500 at Circuit City. It was a return. It's only 1024x768, which is less than I want (although it is a 15" display), but with 256 MB, the price, and the combo CDRW/DVD drive, it looked awfully appealing. I have 14 days to decide whether to keep it (there's no restocking fee, since it was an open box). It has a non-Lucent lusemodem. The processor is an Athlon 4/1GHz, for what little that's worth; it's way, way cheaper than anything similar on Pricewatch. According to http://www.deater.net/john/PavilionN5430.html, it's possible to run Linux on it, albeit it uses a not very well supported Trident chipset, among other things. Is anyone familiar with this laptop? Comments? -- Robert Krawitz <rlk(a)alum.mit.edu> http://www.tiac.net/users/rlk/ Tall Clubs International -- http://www.tall.org/ or 1-888-IM-TALL-2 Member of the League for Programming Freedom -- mail lpf(a)uunet.uu.net Project lead for Gimp Print/stp -- http://gimp-print.sourceforge.net "Linux doesn't dictate how I work, I dictate how Linux works." --Eric Crampton

Sept. 13, 2001