On Saturday 18 December 2004 01:00, Shekhar Krishnan wrote:

Dear Mumbai Linuxers:

I have decided to take the plunge by migrating to a GNU-Linux desktop, and have just bought a 240MB/40GB/1.66GHz AMD Athlon for this purpose, to work alongside my Powerbook running Mac OSX. I need someone to help me install and configure the new machine with a Linux distribution and basic set of applications, and and would also like to discuss my options and choices in this regard.

I presume u have already cased out your application requirements, if not do that first.Mailing your requirements to this list is one option.Getting your box to the lug meet is another. And to my office at Kanjurmarg a third. all three are frreee. U should have also checked the peripherals for linux compatibility particularly sound and video. I just installed debian sarge from the PCQ Debian dvd on a new elcheapo laptop. It is fast, stable and absolutely easy to install. Infact i found the expert install a trifle irritating (thought easier for a newbie) while partitioning as u require more key presses than the plain old cfdisk. IMHO in a production environment stability and continued subsequent maintanence (very minimal but neccessary) is most important. The debian apt packaging system and hundreds of fast mirrors make maintanence a breeze - even for a nontechie newbie. Debian packaging policy also insists on stability over other factors (except freedom). And since u are going to pay someone to install insist on debian - the commercial-politic free distro. Also i have found the reiserfs file system to be astoundingly reliable - 8 to 10 power outs a day for the past 6 mths without any file corruption.

In a world without Gates who needs windows - welcome to happy hassle free computing.

rgds jtd