Posted on 04/11/2012 8:50:53 AM PDT by ShadowAce
I like to think that Linux is about a flexible an operating system as you can find. But it can be easy to forget just how flexible it is. We can get ourselves stuck in our computing habits and stick with the old and familiar. And sometimes, just trying something new can sometimes seem daunting and just not worth the effort.
But I believe it is worth the effort. And by the end of the process, you will have probably learned something that you did not know already. One of the aspects of Linux that I would like to point out and focus on is the amount of different processes and methods of what can be used for Linux operating system installation.
Sure, we have fancy graphical installers such as Ubuntu’s Ubiquity and Red Hat’s Anaconda. But despite coming a long way in the last 5 years or more, they are still not the one-solution-for-all of installers that you might like to think. There never will be a one-solution-for-all installer that covers all architectures, methods and options.
Ubuntu provide an alternate (non-graphical) installer. And as great an option as the alternate installer is, it’s still not the only option available other than graphical installers.
As a side note; Red Hat used to provide a text-installer option on the Fedora discs which could be called upon when running the Live CD with a specific boot command. I have not tried this option for many years now and am still not too sure whether this is provided on the Live CD of Fedora. If someone know, feel free to email me and let me know.
What prompted me to write this is something I am currently experiencing with my own system. I can’t install the latest Ubuntu 12.04 Beta 2. I have no idea what is preventing it to boot into my system, but I have tried the Live CD, the alternate installer on both x86 and AMD64. Neither boot. And without going into any more specifics of that particular issue, it prompted me to look for different methods of installation other than the regular and obvious choices that 9 out of 10 of us usually go for, purely out of habit and convenience.
I decided to build a new Ubuntu system within Oracle VM VirtualBox, but I decided to stick with Ubuntu 11.10 x86 for stability. I will re-visit 12.04 once the final version has been released. Both the Live CD and alternate installers perform the full Ubuntu system installation, which I do not want to have installed. Yes, there is a Server option also, but is also too big and bloated for my needs. I wanted something very light, sleek and fast. I decided to install my new Ubuntu VM using the Mini ISO. Or otherwise known as a Net Boot Installer.
The ISO basically provides you with just enough support to get your network running and the rest is all downloaded and installed over your network. I have to admit, this was my first time doing this with Ubuntu. I have done many net installations with Arch Linux and Gentoo, but until this occasion I had no idea that Ubuntu provided the Mini ISO. Which I might mention weighs in at a mere ~23MB. So it’s super quick to download and boot into a VM.
The rest of the process really depends on your network speed and bandwidth capability and the mirror selected during the network setup. And also, a lot depends on your system specifications as to how fast the whole process will take. In my case, under a virtual machine environment, the process of Boot > Network and Mirror Setup > Download of base packages > Configuration and Installation of packages took not much longer than 1 hour. And that was downloading from the Official US based mirror. This could be a lot faster or a lot slower on your own system, depending on the aforementioned points that I have raised.
I found the whole experience exciting and interesting. And getting full control of what goes into your system from the very beginning can be very handy. Particularly if you are fussy like me and don’t use a graphical environment for your Linux systems. I just installed the base packages and no more. And it boots fast and operates fast due to the lightweight nature of the whole operating system. But of course, a graphical environment can also be installed if you wish. You can install whatever you like, it’s your system!
I have really enjoyed my latest experience of building an operating system from scratch. And I could not help but think about how flexible and versatile Linux is and has become. I just couldn’t stop my self from thinking, “Windows can’t do this”.
If you have never built a system from scratch using a Net Boot Installer, I highly recommend you try it. It gives you complete control over everything right from the very beginning.
So my advice is to all the users out there complaining that X Distribution is hopeless, or Y Distribution is not listening to what the users are saying, then get out there and explore Linux from a different angle and do something different. Take advantage of Linux from the initial installation process and do it the way you want it done. There’s no longer an excuse. And especially considering the now widespread usage of virtual machines with the use of Oracle VM VirtualBox and other virtualization packages. The choices are infinite and you can run as many Linux system as you want. (Or what your hardware permits). And also remember, there’s plenty of Linux distributions out there on the internet that allow Net Boot Installs. Just Google your favorite Linux distribution and the search term “Net Boot” and you should find what you’re looking for. Explore the options available. You might even find something new that you were not previously aware of, as I did with the Ubuntu Mini ISO.
The problem with Linux is most users can barely turn on the machine and get to the apps they use for business. Home users can barely turn the machine on and get to AOL. Ask them to recompile the kernel or a new driver and they will give you an expression that makes Bossy the Cow look like a Mensa member. I did in-home repairs and instruction for 3 years. I can’t count the number of times I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying, “Just put your computer out with the trash. You are clearly too stupid to own one”.
So basically this guy is saying he thinks linux is cool.
And that he tried installing Distro X on computer Y and either it worked or it didn’t (I read it too fast to figure out which) oh and he prefers command line installers to graphical ones.
To which I say - Allrighty then.
Honestly, not quite seeing the point of the article.
Funny post.
Linux makes a great rescue disk, and I’d love to use it everyday, but the compatibility problems and poor usability are too much. I try out four or five distributions every year.
The problem with Linux is the community's poor attitude toward users.
Just curious why does the tech ping double post?
Let's see; on my way to find something else I bumped into something called GNUGuitarINUX - it's just about everything I ever dreamed of having for multitrac recording and much more. You can run it on a thumbdrive or off a CD.
Playing with it I decided I wanted it to save my settings separately in say the drum machine (Hydrogen), Ardour, Rosegarden, etc.
So I proceeded to build it myself as there was no other method found. I installed Debian using net install mentioned in this article, then I compared the GNUGuitar to my new debian install using the synaptic package manager.
Pulled it off really without a hitch.
I mentioned it to an old friend who told me he's still holding hope to start using Cakewalk, (that's a windows exclusive, non-free, proprietary software gig - just the type I've sworn off).
No, it was, that’s why I bit my tongue. That and I’d tell myself, “It’s ok, they’re paying you by the hour”.
I haven't had to recompile a kernel or driver in at least five years. It's well past time to retire that cliche.
The only time I build Linux kernels or drivers is when I'm doing Linux kernel or driver development for embedded hardware; my Ubuntu 'workstation' just runs and runs.
bang! Snotty-assed-geek alert.
I did in-home repair and instruction for a while, too, and absolutely love when a 75 year realizes that he can use information technology because Apple Computer designs for normal people.
Something to do with this network I'm on. It only happens when I'm connected to this particular network (which is most of the time these days). Anywhere else, and I have no problems.
I use this Fedora laptop at work in a Windows-centrric environment. There is only one application that I cannot run on it--a Lotus Notes-based database. They're moving that off to a web-based application in the near future, so I won't even have that to worry about.
It is fully compatible, if you know what you are doing.
The usability on Linux is just as great, if not greater, than anything Windows can provide.
It's one person's adventure into alternate methods. Personally, I've never encountered these issues. I just put the disc in the drive, follow the menus and the system is installed. It usually takes less time than a Windows install, plus all available patches are ready to go as well.
I can install a complete system in less than 15 minutes, and I've been know to install linux on several hundred nodes of a cluster in less than 2 hours.
Well, ignorance can be profitable.
If you can't appreciate the pure beauty of the violin after hearing this, something's wrong with your ears.
Or you can get raw with these strings.
How about this gamechanger from America's Got Talent (which they SHOULD have won).
And finally, this, dedicated to the one and only rdb2, whose eyes are growing dim.
Either way, the violin is sweet yet LETHAL.
Do it!
If you can't appreciate the pure beauty of the violin after hearing this, something's wrong with your ears.
Or you can get raw with these strings.
How about this gamechanger from America's Got Talent (which they SHOULD have won).
And finally, this, dedicated to the one and only rdb2, whose eyes are growing dim.
Either way, the violin is sweet yet LETHAL.
Do it!
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