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Operating Systems => Linux and UNIX => Topic started by: Dai_Maxwell on 18 November 2002, 08:19

Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: Dai_Maxwell on 18 November 2002, 08:19
I've got about 5 hours total Linux experience under my belt and while I have gotten it connected to my broadband isp, cannot begin to grasp how to open a compressed file.  I mean, I ned to install driver for my soundcard, but before I can even try that, I need to open the file, au88xx-1.1.2.tar.bz2 first.  I tried to dl'd Linzip, and it came compressed, then there are other extensions I'm not familiar with, .rpm, etc,.  Is there an easy explanation somewhere about how to do this?  I've done a bit of searching and have not found t tonight.

Dai
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: Doctor V on 18 November 2002, 08:29
quote:
Originally posted by Dai:
I've got about 5 hours total Linux experience under my belt and while I have gotten it connected to my broadband isp, cannot begin to grasp how to open a compressed file.  I mean, I ned to install driver for my soundcard, but before I can even try that, I need to open the file, au88xx-1.1.2.tar.bz2 first.  I tried to dl'd Linzip, and it came compressed, then there are other extensions I'm not familiar with, .rpm, etc,.  Is there an easy explanation somewhere about how to do this?  I've done a bit of searching and have not found t tonight.

Dai



cd to the directory where it is located.

tar xjvf au88xx-1.1.2.tar.bz2

this will create a new directory which you should cd to.

Its probably a good idea to look over the README file in that directory, but usually from here the installation goes like:

./configure


when thats done


make


when thats done

make install

make install and possibly make may require root access.  If it does, it may give you errors conscrning access and stuff like that when you try to.  Get root access by entering

su

-root password


it takes a bit to learn at first, but once you get the hang of installing compressed files it is really easy.

V
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: Dai_Maxwell on 18 November 2002, 08:39
Thanks.

Dai
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: Zombie9920 on 18 November 2002, 08:52
And to think. In Windows all you have to do is double click the executable, click next a couple of times and click finish then your program(and even some drivers) will be installed.

Even the simplest things in Windows is a chore in Linux.

(EDIT)I bet you don't see many people asking how to install programs for Windows. LoL

[ November 17, 2002: Message edited by: Zombie9920 ]

Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: voidmain on 18 November 2002, 08:59
I sure do. People that have never used Windows have the same questions, believe me. And if this person had downloaded the source code to the Windows driver like this guy did they would have a much harder time of things than you will ever have in Linux.

[ November 18, 2002: Message edited by: void main ]

Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: Doctor V on 18 November 2002, 10:36
Just to follow up, in Linux, just like windows, there there is a simple point and click installation method.  Windows applications generally have install programs.  Linux applications do as well, in a sense.  In Linux, the name of the installer is RedHat Package Manager.  Its as easy to use as windows, you just point, click and follow the instructions.  But, not all programs are available in RPM format.  If it is not you have to use the method above, or a similar method. Most programs however are, but some are not.  This is because it takes a bit of time to package the program in RPM format.  So an application will usually be released compressed before it is released as an RPM.  Windows cannot do this.  The installer must be made before a program can be installed.  Also, when you compile a program you manually unzipped you have more control over where it is placed than you do when it is unpackaged with an RPM.  Again, windows does not give you this option.

By the way, the file you are working with had the extension:

.tar.bz2

whenever a file has that extention you use the method above, but the majority of non-rpm files you download have the extension:

.tar.gz

in which case the method you use is exactly the same as above except that instead of

tar xjvf

you use

tar xzvf


V
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: TheQuirk on 19 November 2002, 01:35
http://faq.belg88.com/index.php?op=view&t=4 (http://faq.belg88.com/index.php?op=view&t=4)

What the heck was the point of the FAQ?!
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: DC on 19 November 2002, 01:41
quote:
Originally posted by Zombie9920:
And to think. In Windows all you have to do is double click the executable, click next a couple of times and click finish then your program(and even some drivers) will be installed.


... after which you need to restart your entire computer.

Nuff said, I think (if combined with the RPM post)
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: Fett101 on 19 November 2002, 02:35
quote:
Originally posted by DC:

... after which you need to restart your entire computer.

Nuff said, I think (if combined with the RPM post)



Depending on what changes the program made, a reboot may not be needed. And it's not the end of the world to reboot either. I'm not that concerned with my "precious uptime."

(although it would be a hastle for web servers and what not since it would mean your site/services/whatever would be unavailable for a short time.)
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: voidmain on 19 November 2002, 02:38
quote:
Originally posted by fett101:
(although it would be a hastle for web servers and what not since it would mean your site/services/whatever would be unavailable for a short time.)


Or an office file or database server with hundreds of users. Believe me, it's much more of a hassle than it should be.
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: Master of Reality on 19 November 2002, 02:39
quote:
Originally posted by Zombie9920:
And to think. In Windows all you have to do is double click the executable, click next a couple of times and click finish then your program(and even some drivers) will be installed.

Even the simplest things in Windows is a chore in Linux.

(EDIT)I bet you don't see many people asking how to install programs for Windows. LoL

[ November 17, 2002: Message edited by: Zombie9920 ]


what the fuck are you talking about... windows doesnt come with a free ZIP program.
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: Master of Reality on 19 November 2002, 02:41
quote:
Originally posted by Dai:
I've got about 5 hours total Linux experience under my belt and while I have gotten it connected to my broadband isp, cannot begin to grasp how to open a compressed file.  I mean, I ned to install driver for my soundcard, but before I can even try that, I need to open the file, au88xx-1.1.2.tar.bz2 first.  I tried to dl'd Linzip, and it came compressed, then there are other extensions I'm not familiar with, .rpm, etc,.  Is there an easy explanation somewhere about how to do this?  I've done a bit of searching and have not found t tonight.

Dai


http://faq.belg88.com/index.php?op=cat&c=2 (http://faq.belg88.com/index.php?op=cat&c=2)
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: doublefresh on 19 November 2002, 03:08
Actually Windows XP does come with a free Zip program, and all you have to do is a quick search on the net to find winzip which is also free for earlier versions of Windows.

Some of you seem to think every program for Microsoft cost a butt load of money. I can easily prove you WRONG!!!

www.tucows.com (http://www.tucows.com)
www.cnet.com (http://www.cnet.com)

Both have thousands of free programs for Windows including Microsoft Office Clones for FREE.
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: voidmain on 19 November 2002, 03:17
Yeah, thank god for GNU and open source developers porting to Win* right? And when did Winzip become free? It's always been trialware/shareware before which doesn't = free.
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: Master of Reality on 19 November 2002, 03:21
quote:
Originally posted by doublefresh:
Actually Windows XP does come with a free Zip program, and all you have to do is a quick search on the net to find winzip which is also free for earlier versions of Windows.

Some of you seem to think every program for Microsoft cost a butt load of money. I can easily prove you WRONG!!!

www.tucows.com (http://www.tucows.com)
www.cnet.com (http://www.cnet.com)

Both have thousands of free programs for Windows including Microsoft Office Clones for FREE.


i'm not gonna waste my precious bandwaith downloading programs taht should have been included with the OS!!!
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: slave on 19 November 2002, 03:22
Yeah but most of the "free" apps for Windows either have adware/spyware loaded in them or they nag you to spend $20 to get the "registered" version.  Sorry but I just had to point that out.  For instance, the  first two programs I saw on the tucows link doublefresh posted were shareware apps(which I loathe) and cost $31 and $21, respectively.

Furthermore none of that stuff actually *comes* with Windows; you have to download it, which can be a chore.  Oh, and there is no source code (but who needs that anyway, eh?)
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: emh on 19 November 2002, 04:27
quote:
Originally posted by Zombie9920:
And to think. In Windows all you have to do is double click the executable, click next a couple of times and click finish then your program(and even some drivers) will be installed.

Even the simplest things in Windows is a chore in Linux.

(EDIT)I bet you don't see many people asking how to install programs for Windows. LoL

[ November 17, 2002: Message edited by: Zombie9920 ]



What if they download a zip file?

You can't exactly double click that and install it, now can you?

Before Winzip came about, people had to rely on pkzip or pkunzip to deal with zip files, which required the command line (aka the DOS prompt).  

So don't bash Linux just because the command line occasionally has to be used.
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: Fett101 on 19 November 2002, 04:46
quote:
Originally posted by emh:


What if they download a zip file?

You can't exactly double click that and install it, now can you?

Before Winzip came about, people had to rely on pkzip or pkunzip to deal with zip files, which required the command line (aka the DOS prompt).  

So don't bash Linux just because the command line occasionally has to be used.



OMG!! You have to doubleclick the zip, then click and drag the files to a folder, and then double click the setup. OH THE HUMANITY!!!

And Windows doesn't require the command line currently for zips, correct. Linux does. Linux will never go mainstream with average consumers until they eliminate the need for the command line. Noobs would take one glance at the command line and crap thier pants.
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: voidmain on 19 November 2002, 04:47
And actually you don't have to use the command line in most linux distros as there are graphical archiving tools just like Winzip in most. You click on a zip file and up pops a utility just like Winzip.
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: Stryker on 19 November 2002, 05:06
These sort of things bother me. I can install things usually with no problem. But the installers should come in some executable format like most setup programs in other operating systems do. Having to compile a program every time you get one is frustrating. Why do they do this? It's great if you want to have the source code, but what about the simple folk that just want to double click something and have it install? the makers of gcc should consider a deployment tool or something like that to make this easier for developers. But then again there might be some reason that it is necessary to recompile everything, maybe i'm missing something.


(edit)
I do understand that this is not linux's fault but the devopers just don't make them, don't get me wrong.

[ November 18, 2002: Message edited by: Stryker ]

Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: voidmain on 19 November 2002, 05:27
Have you heard of RPM? RPM is the equivelant of the executable installers you are talking about. You download an RPM you click on it and it installs.  The source distributions have nothing to do with one operating system vs another. I can download source distributions for Windows just like I can for Linux and not only is it not easier in Windows when I do this, it is HARDER.
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: emh on 19 November 2002, 05:43
quote:
Originally posted by fett101:

OMG!! You have to doubleclick the zip, then click and drag the files to a folder, and then double click the setup. OH THE HUMANITY!!!




No you can't.  Only if you have WinZip installed, which isn't installed by default on any version of Windows prior to XP, which is what the majority of Windows users still have.  Windows doesn't come with this ability by default.  People still have to know that they have to get WinZip.

 
quote:

And Windows doesn't require the command line currently for zips, correct. Linux does. Linux will never go mainstream with average consumers until they eliminate the need for the command line. Noobs would take one glance at the command line and crap thier pants.[/QB]



So how come DOS was used for so long?  Or Apple IIe?  Command line is nothing new, it just has different forms.

For the record, you don't have to use the command line to extract a tar.bz2 or tar.gz file anymore.  You can open it by clicking on it in your file manager, then just copying the directory within and pasting it where you want it to go.

Sometimes, there's an executable installer within.  Sometimes, there's just a bunch of files and instructions on what to do with them.  This is the case in both Linux and Windows.  It's not that hard to follow instructions.  You're making this out to be harder than it is.
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: doublefresh on 19 November 2002, 08:52
quote:
i'm not gonna waste my precious bandwaith downloading programs taht should have been included with the OS!!!  



Lol, since when did RPM become part of Linux??? It's a program that you can download for Linux just like winzip is a program you can download for windows.

Just because Mandrake or Red Hat include it on a CD of free programs does not mean it was made by the makers of Linux. What I mean to say is RPM is not part of the operating system itself.

Maybe you are one of the people who buy Linux in a box. Not me. I download it from the Mandrake site, and then I download the other programs that I want to add to my OS. There certainly are programs I like to use that are not included on the Mandrake CD.

You may still be on a modem but I've had DSL for years and downloading 50 MB files takes no time at all. I downloaded the entire Gig + of Mandrake 9 in just under 4 hours. A 2 minute program like Winzip is a joke. Get with the times my slow friend :) Port scanning on a modem suck also. Maybe thats why your windows always locks up on you!

Oh god no! Not shareware. Only Microsoft users would charge for programs!!!! Wrong again. There is a ton of shareware $20 - $4000 programs for Linux as well.

I can find enough quality freeware for windows 2000, xp , 98, 95, NT to keep me busy for the next 20 years. Linux is not the only OS to offer quality free apps.

Linux may be a bit more stable, open source and less spyware but other than that I don't see why so many people here are 100% against something that actually works pretty well.

I hear alot of you bitching about the price of windows. You claim $1500 computers with another $1000 of software on it.

Bull shit. You can buy a used Pentium III 750 in the newspaper for $250 and install a legal copy of XP for another $150 for a grand total of $400
There are free versions (clones) of the microsoft office suite and all the freeware you need to do just about anything you need to do on a computer.

So for $400 an average computer user can have a decent computer.
For $250 they could have the same computer with Linux but have a hell of a time learning the command line entry and how to configure a number of things that XP does automatically.

Again I state I like Linux. I'm learning to use it. I realize it has some advantages over MS products but mainstream america is not ready for it because it is not easy enough yet and saving $150 is not that big a deal.
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: voidmain on 19 November 2002, 21:05
quote:
Originally posted by doublefresh:
Lol, since when did RPM become part of Linux??? It's a program that you can download for Linux just like winzip is a program you can download for windows.

Just because Mandrake or Red Hat include it on a CD of free programs does not mean it was made by the makers of Linux. What I mean to say is RPM is not part of the operating system itself.



I am beginning to wonder if you know anything at all about Linux, or have ever touched it. Are you sure you are not really Zombie?

First of all Linux is just a kernel, although many people incorrectly use that name generically as the term for a general distribution (or operating system). I am one of those people, because it is easier.  

Linux proper is just a kernel not an operating system, just like the NT kernel is a kernel, not an operating system. All of the other things included with a distro make up the operating system. RPM *is* part of the operating system in RedHat, Mandrake, and SuSe. RedHat developed RPM (That's why it's called the RedHat package Manager). It's equivelant to "Add/Remove Programs in Windows", or is that not part of the Windows operating system?

In RPM based Linux "operating systems" programs are bundled in an RPM. In Windows they are usually bundled in a self extracting/installing executable. In RPM based distros you click on the RPM and it installs very similarly.

Now, do you have any other words of wisdom to teach us about Linux based OSs?

And give me a quote on a cluster of Windows 2000 servers running SQL Server and IIS for serving an busy hosting site. I'll get you a quote for Linux and we'll compare prices. BTW, I'm going to have some developers so throw about 30 licenses in for Visual Studio.NET. Oh wait, we're going to need Exchange so they can collaborate. Get me some licenses for that as well.

[ November 19, 2002: Message edited by: void main ]

Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: slave on 19 November 2002, 21:14
quote:
Lol, since when did RPM become part of Linux??? It's a program that you can download for Linux just like winzip is a program you can download for windows.  


Well, Linux actually is just a kernel, but most people mean Linux as in a Linux distribution.  RPM is the software management system that's a part of every RPM-based linux distribution.  There is never any need to download it.


 
quote:
Oh god no! Not shareware. Only Microsoft users would charge for programs!!!! Wrong again. There is a ton of shareware $20 - $4000 programs for Linux as well.


True, albeit not nearly as many, and I've never seen any that are very useful.  I'd also suspect that Linux users are more likely pay for any commercial (proprietary) software they get because they are usually very principled individuals.

 
quote:
Linux may be a bit more stable, open source and less spyware but other than that I don't see why so many people here are 100% against something that actually works pretty well.


Hehe, just what do you mean by "less" spyware?  I've probably said this before, but you see a lot of anti-Microsoft sentiment around here because after all the site is called fuckmicrosoft.com.  Most of the people here are against Windows out of sheer hatred for Microsoft and for more practical reasons such as cost effectiveness, flexibility, the appeal of open standards, low suceptibility to viruses, superior programming environment, etc.  I use Windows myself and I can find little wrong with it GUI-wise, but like void main said in some other post, the GUI is not the OS as some people would have you believe.

 
quote:
Bull shit. You can buy a used Pentium III 750 in the newspaper for $250 and install a legal copy of XP for another $150 for a grand total of $400
There are free versions (clones) of the microsoft office suite and all the freeware you need to do just about anything you need to do on a computer.


I assume you're talking about OpenOffice?  Linux users would go a step further and tell you paying for the OS itself is uneccesary.  If you're going to use a cross-platform office suite like Openoffice why not just use Linux and save yourself 150 dollars?  I sure wish I had 150 extra dollars right now.

 
quote:
Again I state I like Linux. I'm learning to use it. I realize it has some advantages over MS products but mainstream america is not ready for it because it is not easy enough yet and saving $150 is not that big a deal.


Eh, who cares about mainstream america anyway?     ;)

[ November 19, 2002: Message edited by: Windows XP User #5225982375 ]

Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: Stryker on 19 November 2002, 10:42
quote:
Originally posted by void main:
Have you heard of RPM? RPM is the equivelant of the executable installers you are talking about. You download an RPM you click on it and it installs.  The source distributions have nothing to do with one operating system vs another. I can download source distributions for Windows just like I can for Linux and not only is it not easier in Windows when I do this, it is HARDER.


I wasn't sure if this was in any reference to my statement, but i mean... why do you need an rpm format either? And windows executable installers are not run through a program run on windows (except maybe the damned install shield stuff), it's all extracted through a self extracting file pending the answers you give to questions during setup. Why don't any linux developers make something like this? rpm may be easier, .tar stuff may have more flexibility, but nobody ever makes a setup program for linux. I've seen maybe 2. I think sun's java stuff has a program you can just do a chmod on and execute. I'm not bashing linux or anything, i love linux, but i'm just curious as to why nobody makes things that don't rely on other programs for it to install, like tar, or gzip, or rpm, or apt-get, or any other method.
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: Doogee on 19 November 2002, 10:50
quote:
Eh, who cares about mainstream america anyway?  


Good fuckin call, not everything is america. people that think EVERYTHING revolves around america are asshole. sure its massive and has most of the power but thats from a democratic view.
Were talking about software etc, and a software user in "Mainstream America" is just as important as me. Your average Joe Blow aussie.
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: voidmain on 19 November 2002, 10:58
RPM *is* the setup program. Having executable installation programs is one great way of spreading viruses. It's one of the many many ways viruses and trojans make their way into Windows. RPM extracts, checks signatures, installs, etc. Much more than a self extracting EXE files does. You should be asking why these game companies don't put their games out in an RPM rather than having their own non-standard installer. You can only compare self installing (3rd party install shield stuff) with RPM. You can not compare stuff that is distributed via *.tar.gz files because you can download *.tar.gz (or *.zip) files containing source code for Windows as well. The package manager is equivelant to an self installing executable.

Another big advantage of distributing software in an RPM vs an non-standard installer is that the package gets entered into the RPM database. Your system will know exactly what is installed and what is not. Sure the UT installer is nice but it doesn't register the software into the software management system so how do you remove this software or verify it's components after it's installed? "rpm -V packagename" is a great utility. It will tell if any of your files have been tampered with, among many many other things.

I would much rather see all software distributed via RPM. I get RPMs whenever it's possible (which is 99.9% of the time). Very rarely do I have to build a package from scratch, something you *can't* do in Windows without a compiler.
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: doublefresh on 19 November 2002, 15:18
Bah! What I meant to say was since when did RPM become part of the kernel? Obviously it's not part of the kernel.

I'm sure if you had a distro that did not include RPM you could install it later. Just like if you installed Winzip later on Microsoft 98.

I would not consider Winzip to be part of the operating system just as I do not think of RPM as part of the operating system. RPM is an add on.

Even though taskman is not part of the kernel most people would agree it's part of the microsoft operating system. Perhaps someone bought Microsoft office with microsoft 98. I would not consider Microsoft office part of the operating system even though the user may have bought the two together for a special price.

I have read a book or two on Linux and I've installed at least 6 different versions of it at one time or another. I do not consider myself comfortable using Linux yet because simple tasks still take me hours and hours. With time I hope to get better. In the meantime when I need to do something quickly I go with what I know, MS. When I have time to burn I try on Mandrake 9
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: Doogee on 19 November 2002, 15:49
der of course its not part of the kernel but it is included with all RPM based distros, Red Hat, Mandrake, SuSE and sundry. meaning u dont have to download it, unlike winzip on winders.
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: LorKorub on 19 November 2002, 16:39
Debian offers RPM support as well.  It isn't native, so you have to get the packages via APT or Deselect.
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: voidmain on 19 November 2002, 16:52
quote:
Originally posted by doublefresh:
Bah! What I meant to say was since when did RPM become part of the kernel? Obviously it's not part of the kernel.

I'm sure if you had a distro that did not include RPM you could install it later. Just like if you installed Winzip later on Microsoft 98.

I would not consider Winzip to be part of the operating system just as I do not think of RPM as part of the operating system. RPM is an add on.

Even though taskman is not part of the kernel most people would agree it's part of the microsoft operating system. Perhaps someone bought Microsoft office with microsoft 98. I would not consider Microsoft office part of the operating system even though the user may have bought the two together for a special price.

I have read a book or two on Linux and I've installed at least 6 different versions of it at one time or another. I do not consider myself comfortable using Linux yet because simple tasks still take me hours and hours. With time I hope to get better. In the meantime when I need to do something quickly I go with what I know, MS. When I have time to burn I try on Mandrake 9



Tell me something. Is "Add/Remove Programs" part of the Windows kernel? No? Is it part of the operating system? Yes? The RPM database serves the same function as "Add/Remove" programs. You can't install RedHat without RPM so you are wrong, you can't add it later, it's part of the operating system. Is "pkgadd" in Solaris part of the operating system? Yes.

It's the same as RPM in RedHat/Mandrake/SuSe/Connectiva, etc. And it's the same as apt in Debian/Koppix, etc. And it's the same as installp in AIX. They are package management systems. Just like Add/Remove programs in Windows. An integral part of the OS. You *must* have an MCSE because the last time I met someone as clueless as you they had MCSE on their resume. No wait, Zombie just left, I don't believe he had an MCSE. At least he had some sense.

[ November 19, 2002: Message edited by: void main ]

Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: voidmain on 19 November 2002, 16:53
quote:
Originally posted by LorKorub / BOB:
Debian offers RPM support as well.  It isn't native, so you have to get the packages via APT or Deselect.


Debian actually has a superior packaging system to RPM, but we won't get into that.
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: doublefresh on 20 November 2002, 03:39
I've got half an MCSE and only in NT4 it was enough to get me the job I have now.
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: voidmain on 20 November 2002, 03:53
Are you saying it was the MCSE (or half of one) that got you the job? Or was it you that got you the job?  I've seen many a resume come across my desk with MCSE printed on them, which for some companies gets the person to the next level in the interview process (and that's all it does). But it doesn't mean beans when it comes to who I hire.

And I've never seen a resume with MCSE/2 on it, that would be interesting indeed. The typical MCSE is someone who has never touched a computer, gone through the MCSE program because they heard they could get paid a lot of money to work with computers, and that the MCSE is their ticket. They get to a real job (if they are lucky) and then can't trouble-shoot their way out of a cardboard box. Not all fit this example, but I would go out on a limb and say that most fall into this category.
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: doublefresh on 20 November 2002, 07:10
The bulk of my computer experience began 5 years ago while I was in the USAF. I had a job where I often had a month or more off at a time but I was on call 24/7. To fill my idle time I purchased my first PC from a now defunct vendor in a mail order catalog. It was a PII 32 MB SDRAM 8Gig hard drive with a huge 15
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: voidmain on 20 November 2002, 07:38
Now you got me more interested in your Air Force time. You don't have to tell me where or what squadron you were in but I am interested in what planes were in your flying squadron? I was a crew chief on fighters for 10 years.

During the second half of that time I went to school at night and got my degree in computer science. Then I retrained into computer programming for the Air Force and spent 5 years as a programmer/admin on mainframe and large UNIX systems. I enjoyed the Air Force and have always liked planes (still do). I decided rather than taking an assignment to Mississippi to become a programming instructor at the tech school I instead got out and started making a decent wad of cash, but that's not what drives me.

As I said before, I'll help you with anything you need to help you get farther with Linux. As you probably have noticed, I like to jump in anyone's case who blindly defends Microsoft. I was *very* heavy into Microsoft since DOS 2.x and didn't start not liking DOS/Windows until I started using UNIX around 10-11 years ago.

I was actually into computers before DOS, Commodore 64 and Trash-80 days. Still I have been a senior Windows and UNIX systems person equally up until about a year ago when I just couldn't in good faith support Microsoft any more. The only time I touch NT and 2000 any more is when I am migrating a customer to Linux in my side business.
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: doublefresh on 20 November 2002, 07:53
Dover AFB, C-5 A and B models. Loadmaster for the 9th AS 1997-2000

HQ would not let us run Unix, said it was a security risk. LOL but we had win 98 on all of our laptops and NT is not very secure either. I had 4 or 5 different tools that could break NT passwords in under 10 minutes and sniffers that could catch passwords as the network traffic went by.
Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: voidmain on 20 November 2002, 08:08
Yeah you weren't in a development data center type of environment so the upper level muckety mucks in those environments don't have a clue about computers, not that the upper level muckety mucks in the data center operations were any heavier in the clue department. I remember using Windows 2.0 and Windows 286 in our scheduling department when I still worked jets.

I have many a ride in the C-5 (flew all the way to Saudi on one). They are one of the most incredible machines ever built. It's really amazing to see them big ass birds in a landing pattern.

The scariest moment I've ever had in the air was also on a C-5. We were flying back from the forward operating location that I was at to the main base the day after the war ended and we flew through a thunderstorm. I thought the wings broke off of the plane because it felt like the bottom just fell out. Everyone flew out of their seats (who weren't buckled in), blankets and everything else flying through the air.

I had grabbed the arm wrests on my seat right when it happened. One of the arm rests actually came loose and broke away from the seat and I was floating in midair above my seat hanging on with one hand, the broken arm wrest in my other hand.

It seemed like this went on for about 30 seconds to a minute but it was probably no more than about 5 seconds in actuality. Nobody got hurt amazingly and we got back in our seats and just looked at each other like are we crashing or not? The rest of the trip back was uneventful (the entire flight was only like 30-60 minutes). As I got off the plane I asked the pilot "what the hell was *that* all about back there??". He just said "what? Oh, just a little turbulence". I felt like asking him if he was on the same flight I was on.

Now that I think about it, I've had a few C-130 rides that were just as scary.

[ November 19, 2002: Message edited by: void main ]

Title: I hate having to ask this, but how do you install programs?
Post by: doublefresh on 20 November 2002, 08:39
LOL, I've got over 1500 hrs on the C-5. She can be tempermental as hell. The jet breaks more often than a fed X delivery truck. I've sat on runways all over the world for as long as a week waiting for parts. I've also flown gear down half way around the world as well as flown with two hydro sytems misting all over the cargo compartment. With a max takeoff weight of 769,000 (840,000 wartime) lbs she's one of the largest in the world. Six greyhound buses or 2 M1A1 tanks will fit in her belly with room for another 80+ pax upstairs. Put her on her knees and she can take it from both ends at the same time. Pallets in the rear and vehicles in the front or the otherway around. My coolest ever flight was bringing some spec ops forces into Jordan. We landed opened the front, they drove their dune buggies with 50 cal guns off the front ramp and we flew out again.